September 30, 2026

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On The Upside with Marley

You Don’t Have To Be Good At Everything

There seems to be an odd expectation that adults should already know how to do almost everything.

We should understand technology, cook properly, fix things around the house, manage money, remember everyone’s birthday, navigate unfamiliar places and somehow know exactly what we’re doing every time something new comes along.

That’s a pretty unreasonable standard.

The truth is, every person you know is good at some things and absolutely hopeless at others.

And that’s perfectly fine.

One of the most freeing things we can learn is that we don’t have to be talented at everything we try.

You can enjoy gardening without having the best garden on the street. You can play guitar badly and still love playing it. You can bake a cake that leans slightly to the left and still be proud of it.

Not everything needs to become a competition.

Sometimes we avoid trying something simply because we’re afraid we’ll look foolish while learning. But looking foolish is often part of learning.

Every expert was once the person asking basic questions.

Every confident driver once stalled a car. Every great cook burned something. Every musician played wrong notes.

Competence usually arrives after a period of being wonderfully incompetent.

There’s also no shame in saying, “I don’t know how to do that.”

Those words don’t make us less capable. They give us the opportunity to learn—or to ask someone who already knows.

Life becomes much easier when we stop expecting ourselves to have every answer.

You don’t have to be good at everything. You only have to be willing to keep learning.

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How Canada Got Its Name

The name “Canada” has a surprisingly simple beginning.

In 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier was travelling along the St. Lawrence River when Indigenous people directed him toward the settlement of Stadacona, near present-day Quebec City.

They used a word from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian language: kanata, meaning village or settlement.

Cartier apparently interpreted the word more broadly and began using “Canada” to describe not only the settlement but the surrounding region.

By the mid-1500s, European maps were already using the name Canada for much of the area along the St. Lawrence.

Over the next three centuries the name continued to expand geographically until it eventually became the name of the country created by Confederation in 1867.

So one of the largest countries in the world ultimately received its name from a word meaning something as simple as “village.”

History has a sense of humour sometimes.

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Why Does Popcorn Pop?

Popcorn is one of those foods that seems almost magical until you learn what’s happening inside the kernel.

Every popcorn kernel contains a small amount of water trapped inside a hard outer shell.

When the kernel is heated, that water turns into steam.

Because the shell is strong, the steam can’t immediately escape. Pressure builds inside the kernel while the starch becomes soft and gelatinous.

Eventually the pressure becomes too much for the shell to contain.

Pop!

The shell bursts open, the hot starch rapidly expands and cools, creating the familiar white fluffy shape.

Not every variety of corn can do this. Popcorn has just the right combination of moisture and a strong hull to build enough internal pressure.

And what about those stubborn kernels left at the bottom of the bowl?

Often they either didn’t contain enough moisture or had tiny cracks that allowed steam to escape before enough pressure could build.

Even popcorn occasionally refuses to cooperate.

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The Monastery Rope

A traveller visiting India heard about a monastery built high on a cliff.

The only way to reach it was inside a basket pulled upward by a long rope.

Halfway up, the traveller noticed that the rope looked extremely old and frayed.

Nervously, he asked the monk riding beside him:

“How often do you replace this rope?”

The monk thought for a moment.

“Whenever it breaks.”

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The Frog’s Bank Loan

A frog walked into a bank and approached a teller named Patty.

“I’d like to borrow ten thousand dollars,” he said.

Patty looked surprised.

“Do you have any collateral?”

The frog placed a tiny pink porcelain elephant on the counter.

Patty took it to the bank manager.

“There’s a frog out there asking for a loan, and all he has for collateral is this little ornament. I don’t even know what it is.”

The manager examined it and said:

“It’s a knick-knack, Patty Wack. Give the frog a loan.”

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The Golfer’s Advice

A golfer stood on the tee of a difficult par-three hole with a large pond between him and the green.

He placed an old ball on the tee.

Suddenly a mysterious voice called out:

“Use a new ball.”

The golfer looked around, shrugged and replaced it with a brand-new ball.

He took a practice swing.

The voice immediately called again:

“Use the old ball.”

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The White Horse

A white horse walked into a pub and ordered a drink.

The bartender poured it and smiled.

“You know, we’ve got a whisky named after you.”

The horse looked surprised.

“Really?”

He thought for a moment.

“You’ve got a whisky called Eric?”

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The Smoking Cows

Two farmers were standing beside a fence talking.

One farmer looked toward the neighbour’s property and asked:

“Do your cows smoke cigarettes?”

The second farmer frowned.

“Of course not.”

The first farmer nodded toward the distance.

“Then your barn is on fire.”

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Editor’s Quote Book

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

— Wayne Gretzky

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Trivia Quiz

(Click Question For Answer)

 

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Your Horoscope

For Amusement Only

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The Chicken Coop

Why does a chicken coop have two doors?

Because if it had four doors, it would be a chicken sedan.

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The Magic Tractor

Why is a tractor magical?

Because it can drive down a road and turn into a field.

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Fish And Chips

A man walked into a chip shop and said:

“Fish and chips twice, please.”

The person behind the counter replied:

“I heard you the first time.”

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The Doctor’s Waiting Room

A doctor suddenly shouted:

“Typhoid! Tetanus! Measles!”

A worried patient asked the nurse what was happening.

She smiled.

“The doctor likes to call the shots.”

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The Caterpillars

Two caterpillars watched a butterfly fly overhead.

One turned to the other and said:

“You’ll never get me up in one of those things.”

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Marley’s Video Pick

How Did Canada Get Its Name?

We use the word Canada every day without giving much thought to where it came from. This short video from Name Explain looks at the Indigenous word that eventually became the name of an enormous country, following its journey from Jacques Cartier’s explorations along the St. Lawrence to the Canada we know today.

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The Last Word

“Being a beginner isn’t evidence that you’re bad at something. It’s evidence that you started.”

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