VANCOUVER ISLAND
Becoming An Island Observer: Two Years In Nanaimo
January 1, 2026
For two years now, Vancouver Island has been quietly re‑educating me. I arrived with city reflexes still intact — the habit of comparing, of measuring
Quietly Thriving: Nanaimo as a Model for Sustainable Living
January 1, 2026
When people talk about sustainability, they often picture cutting‑edge cities with futuristic infrastructure, public transit innovations, or sweeping corporate commitments. Nanaimo offers something quieter
The Rise of Nanaimo: Spas, Yoga, and Holistic Living
December 31, 2025
Nanaimo is quietly redefining what it means to live well. Far from the hustle of larger cities, this mid-sized coastal city is emerging as
Nanaimo Isn’t Trying to Be the Next Vancouver — and That’s Exactly Why It’s Thriving
December 30, 2025
Vancouver has spent decades asking how to be more livable. We debate density models, redesign streets, and search for the elusive balance between growth,
Nanaimo Is Thriving — Not Because It’s Changing, but Because It Knows What Matters
December 28, 2025
Nanaimo Is Thriving — Not Because It’s Changing, but Because It Knows What Matters For years, Nanaimo has been described as a city in transition.
We Talk About Mental Health Constantly — But We Still Build Lives That Make It Worse
December 24, 2025
Mental health awareness has never been higher. We speak openly about anxiety, burnout, and depression. We encourage self-care. We normalise struggle. Campaigns remind us to
The Wallflower Movement: Quiet Strengths
December 23, 2025
In a world that celebrates boldness, visibility, and noise, the quiet ones are often overlooked. The observers, the listeners, the introverts, the women
Why Ritual Is Returning — And Why It Has Nothing to Do With Spirituality
December 21, 2025
Ritual has a branding problem. For years, the word has been folded into belief systems, spiritual identities, or wellness trends that feel either inaccessible
The Rise of Quiet Travel: Why More of Us Are Choosing to Go Nowhere
December 20, 2025
For decades, travel has been measured by distance. The further we went, the more expansive the experience was meant to be. New stamps, new
Up Close with Giants: Whale Watching with My Godson on the Salish Sea
December 18, 2025
“Are we going to see whales today, Auntie Mel?” my godson asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet as we stepped onto the dock.
The Quiet Work of Belonging: What a Small Island Taught Me About Community
December 18, 2025
I moved to an island expecting solitude. Not the romantic kind sold in travel brochures — but the practical version: fewer people, fewer invitations,
Ammonite Falls: Water as Story & Symbol
December 17, 2025
There are places where water feels alive. Not merely moving, not merely reflecting the sky, but alive in the sense that it speaks, it teaches,
Soulcraft: Transforming Loss into Meaning
December 12, 2025
There are moments in life when the world splits into a Before and an After.Moments when grief rearranges us quietly but permanently, like tides shaping
A Day at Buckingham Palace: Receiving My Father’s CMG
December 11, 2025
I had never imagined I would walk through the gates of Buckingham Palace. Not for tea, not for a tour, not even on a
Thresholds: When Life Calls You Forward
December 11, 2025
Moonstone Sanctuary — A Blog by Melissa HorrellSet on Vancouver Island There comes a moment in every woman’s life when the ground beneath her shifts
Morning Rituals for the Quiet Leader
December 11, 2025
The quietest leaders often hold the deepest power. They do not demand attention with grand gestures or booming voices, but their presence resonates in
The Whisper of Cathedral Grove
December 11, 2025
There is a forest on Vancouver Island where time seems to pause. Cathedral Grove, tucked within MacMillan Provincial Park, is not just a collection
The Island Teaches Courage
December 8, 2025
Vancouver Island is more than home; it is a living teacher. Its forests, rivers, and ocean cliffs hold lessons too complex for language, yet unmistakable
Reiki, Stones, and Sacred Symbols: The Quiet Magic That Guides Us
December 7, 2025
There are places in the world where the unseen feels close. Vancouver Island is one of them — a land where mist moves like breath
Gentle Leadership in a Noisy World
December 6, 2025
For the quiet women, the intuitive leaders, and the ones who guide through presence rather than volume. There is a particular kind of woman I
Restoring Rituals: The Slow Art of Coming Home to Yourself
December 2, 2025
There comes a moment in every woman’s life when the speed of the world becomes too loud to bear. The hustle. The noise. The expectations.
The Power of Gathering: Stories from Sisterhood
December 1, 2025
There is a subtle kind of magic in gathering. Not the flash of spectacle or the hum of applause, but the quiet pulse of
The Island Philosophy: How The Little Book of Stoic Wisdom Inspires Slow Living, Kindness, and Eudaimonia on Vancouver Island
November 17, 2025
On Vancouver Island, the pace of life moves to the rhythm of the tides. There’s a humility to the landscape — an unspoken reminder that
Modern-Day Pioneers: The Spirit of Resilience on Vancouver Island
November 15, 2025
When Adam Shoalts closed A History of Canada in Ten Maps with the explorers’ first glimpses of the Pacific, it felt like a revelation
Mapping the Inner Landscape: Leadership Lessons from A History of Canada in Ten Maps
November 13, 2025
When I finished reading Adam Shoalts’ A History of Canada in Ten Maps, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much those early explorers and
Mapping a Nation: A Journey Through A History of Canada in Ten Maps
November 10, 2025
“Every map tells a story. And every map has a purpose—it invites us to go somewhere we’ve never been.” — Adam Shoalts If you’ve
Stillness in Motion: Reflections from a Morning at Kind Yoga Society – Death & Rebirth
November 9, 2025
This morning, I rolled out my mat at Kind Yoga Society, a gentle sanctuary tucked into a quiet corner of Nanaimo. The room was
Wildcrafted Wellness: Foraging Herbs and Mushrooms on Vancouver Island
November 7, 2025
Wildcrafted Wellness: Foraging Herbs and Mushrooms on Vancouver Island by Melissa Horrell There’s a special kind of alchemy that happens when you let the Island
Stillness and Renewal in Nanaimo: A Story of City and Self
November 7, 2025
A blustery Friday evening in November found me wandering along Commercial Street in Nanaimo, coat collar turned up against the wind. The street was