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TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY


To our mothers living and passed on

We owe a special debt

A debt of gratitude and much praise

For modelling right from wrong.


Where would we be without our mom

to guide us along the way

The way to enjoy our own led lives

Feeling happy, strong and fond.






MY NEW OASIS

 MY NEW OASIS


My road to retirement began with such promise and enthusiasm but how quickly that all changed.


The COVID-19 pandemic pushed me back … not back from the drawing board, but just back during a scary seemingly endless global storm of worry, shock, uncertainty and unknowns. 


For me it was like wondering what the cavemen would do to move themselves forward. I put myself into a mindset of back to basics and basics only, staying dependent on myself, my wit, my stamina, my resilience, my resolve to eventually slowly move forward again. The cavemen worked it out and so can I, I’d say to myself.


So here we are into year 2 of the pandemic and experiencing a third wave — finally it seems we are able to feel much closer to that light at the end of a long dark tunnel. The strength in my independence and the post adolescent path I chose, have saved me in a lot of ways — they’ve certainly strengthened my character, exercised my constructive critical thinking and out of the box analysis,  and helped me flesh out my creative writing projects like never before!  In Cribbage terms, I am a pegger, in that I move forward slowly during difficult times and work towards big moves forward.  In life terms, my personality is structured sequential and that’s much like being a pegger too.


I have discovered that I have a very low threshold of tolerance when it comes to hearing undereducated and uninformed people use phrases like ‘we should have’ or ‘we could have’, in their diatribes about how best to solve a major paranormal medical phenomenon that has major paranormal health, economic and social implications for individuals, groups, institutions, businesses all over the world today, tomorrow and for generations ahead of us. Why are people like that?  I feel much more comfortable obeying the guidelines from professional medical research specialists than tagging along with armchair geniuses.


Being independent has been a blessing because I can mute the negatives more easily. I can vent my anger in people’s contrarian attitudes by talking to myself while walking, cycling, swimming or just sitting in my quiet home, or through my passion for creative writing. I can stay away from germs more easily. The best thing of all is that I can focus on future, post-pandemic retirement plans, freely building on what they were to be and turning them into so much more, embracing family and actual friends along the way. 


Yesterday is gone, yes.  Our lives will never be the way they once were and realizing that now is my focus. 


As a recent retiree, what’s ahead for me IS my new Oasis, a refreshing fresh new start, and the possibilities are almost endless — once we get passed this last hurdle.

Our Journey is Long


Our Journey is Long but every Step Matters!

 

CHANNELING MY PEACE

CHANNELING MY PEACE


As I sit here on the second tier of a four tiered retaining wall on 203rd Street in Maple Ridge, I am pondering.


It is St. Patrick’s Day. It doesn’t feel like it. It feels like just another day in the life of a COVID avoider.  Reset in new ways — no gatherings, no in-person celebrations; nothing special; nothing new. I am, however, doing my bit by wearing something green just in case.  Just in case of what, I am not sure, but maybe for someone who sees me walk by who might be Irish? All we can do is wave.


A wave! It is amazing how powerful a wave can be. I don’t think we realized that before COVID hit. Much like a smile used to do — we don’t get a lot of those anymore because of masks so we can only imagine smiles.  We also don’t hug or kiss cheeks anymore either; but, somehow a wave has become a good replacement for all of those losses. I wave a lot and those who don’t reciprocate were probably miserable people before anyway — there’s no changing those types I guess.


Looking around I actually see a lot of green — the grass, the trees, bushes, shrubs — glossy and matte. All very beautiful. The weird weather patterns have kept most of the greens looking spry; only a few look a little drawn. Much like people these days.


It’s quiet where I live and where I walk or cycle. Almost eerie as we all remain obedient and calm while the COVID storm subsides, but continues to pester us.


Winter yards are being readied for Spring growth; people are out doing their best to enjoy some normalcy, during tough times, weird times, different times. They are planting fresh seeds, seedlings or bedding plants, and getting excited about refreshing life for themselves and for those around them.  


I just walked by a chicken farm along Powell Avenue.  The farmer waved.  She has seen me before, many times, and we always wave.  We are too far away from each other to talk. Talking does not seem to be necessary. We are happy with the waves. Our waves include smiles. Such nice gifts. She tends to her chickens and roosters, and I usually wait for the cockadoodle doo before I continue on. 

 👋 👋 

As I look up ahead on this long country road, I see another neighbourhood treasure — the dwarf horses attached to a carriage carrying a person holding reins and another standing on a side compartment looking stern and attentive to something, but I am not sure what. Stopping them to ask questions just does not seem right. They are very serious people and just seem to want to carry on.


They do both wave and smile, as they continue on clearly enjoying carrying forward how life used to be — carefree and simple. Doing the best with what they had back then worked well. As I watch them trot ever so slowly by, I realize that we just have to do the best we can with what we’ve got happening now.  


Carefree and simple worked years, decades and centuries ago. Today it is more like ‘careful’ and ‘simple’. Our lives have definitely been simplified and we have had to fully embrace ‘careful’ in this our new reality. The miniature horses and their trainers trot on carefully and clearly still appreciate the simple life. Seeing them, brings me feelings of optimism during this time of so much uncertainty.


While cycling around town the other day, I heard my inner self say how great this life has been this past year. I had to stop and rewind that sound bite and listen again.  Yes, that is what she said. I instantly wondered if the devil had found his way into my make-up! About as quickly as that thought surfaced,  I knew he hadn’t. My inner voice was actually right — it always is. My life is new and refreshed, and I am feeling better than ever on all counts.


Despite all of the shock and sadness; adjustments and amendments; worries and wants; losses and gains, brought on by the COVID pandemic, my life has turned out pretty darn well.  I feel comfortable in my new cocoon and proud to have taken the reins to be my own chief architect. I initially felt the horrors of COVID were creating an “every person for themselves mentality” and I needed to take control.  I called it my control of self or self control, in order to both survive and move forward at the same time. I knew I did not want to fail and I did not want my life to be put completely on hold.  I had to deal with the cards I had been dealt and not fall to pieces.


My new habits and routines have became commonplace and they keep me energized and calm. I communicate on line with friends and family who are fanned out globally. I have started to read biographical books. I have written many stories and poems. I create a weekly newsletter highlighting three points about one interesting subject. The objective is to inform and to encourage discussion; the feedback has been great and that motivates me to continue.


I have allowed myself to get challenged by Margaret Atwood — her thinking, her teachings, her novels and her poetry.  Trying to figure out her multi-layered messaging metaphors can be very trying and stressful, but definitely intellectually challenging. This was the perfect time to take on that challenge. I enjoy critiquing her work and the best success in doing so was to take her poetry book on neighbourhood walks with me, stop to read a line, walk and think; read another line, walk and think; read a whole stanza, walk and think; and, then get to that four tiered retaining wall to write my logical analysis. Intense analysis is such a fulfilling and different component to my life. It has opened my eyes to so much more like looking beyond the surface of anything. Things definitely are not as they sometimes seem. People are not who they sometimes present themselves to be.


For this past year, almost every day I walk six kilometres, sometimes alone and sometimes with someone who stays 2 metres away. I cycle a lot on nice weather days; go to Aquafit and AquaYoga a few times a week.  I bake a bit and cook a lot. I have takeout dinner once every two weeks and a delicious Brunch at Humble Roots in Maple Ridge once every other of the two weeks.  I play Scrabble with 12 people from across the continent and crib with three locals every day, or almost every day, for 3 hours a day. I watch two tv programs daily, and occasionally a few others.


All of the above replaced a lot of things I used to do and a few people I used to spend time with, but the funny thing is that I cannot remember what most of those things were. Some of the people turned out to be insincere (imposters or impersonators), gossiping socialites or just plainly people not suited for my time or attention.  Obviously they did not really matter because I am not mourning those losses. I do miss in-person time with family and actual friends, plus my joy of travelling the world.  All three are waiting patiently, as am I.


When the COVID intrusion subsides, I don’t think this new life of mine will change much — at least that is how I feel right now.  I cannot see myself turning back to refocus and reconstruct again.  Yes, we have been on a long road, with peaks and bounds, but we have come a long way, made a lot of headway and I actually love most of what is. 


I do realize it has not been the same for everyone; nothing ever is. I, too, have mourned the deaths, the harshness of the public health orders, the financial strains, business stresses and the anxieties. I feel for all of those people and I wish I could take their reins and magically make things better for them. The only help I can give them is to socially distance, wear my filtered mask and sanitize my hands before entering and exiting a building, room, taxi, bus or train. I do my bit to support small businesses and encourage others to do the same.


Through it all, I have found my new channel of peace through the madness while staying put right here in my own West Maple Ridge neighbourhood. Without COVID times, I would never have realized that for me the grass is greener on this side, and that’s how I will continue to go forward. Caring and careful; astute, authentic and aware; honest and humble; mindful and motivated; but, also strong and simple, listening to my inner self, and in control of my self and my life choices. 


This new life is a significant variation of what once was; but, so far, holding those reins has been much better for me both emotionally and physically. Soon that will be true socially as well.

 👋 👋 

BY LOOKING EASTERLY

BY LOOKING EASTERLY

(Easter Sunday 2021)


I’m sitting on one of my favourite benches along the Alouette greenway in Pitt Meadows, after a good 20 kilometre cycle.


Looking around at the beautiful scenery of farm lands and mountains, and the eagle soaring above my head, while listening to the sweet sounds of bicycle tires and feet navigating the flat rocky path, I hear myself saying “it’s really not been all that bad”.


This COVID-19 year has done a lot to everyone and isn’t it à propos, on this Easter Sunday, to define the year in terms of sacrifices — since Easter and sacrifices go hand in hand. 


This year we have all had to make many sacrifices and adjust the best we can every step of the way. We have had to create a pathway, a new pathway, to keep our lives together, to help ourselves and others survive, and to perhaps take stock of what is important, what our options are and then pave a different journey forward. I see it as an opportunity to house clean, downsize and find value in a new approach.


I am reflecting on the latter: pave a different journey.  There is definitely a lot about my different journey that I actually like very much.  I feel in control of my restricted freedom. It has been a freedom built above the pillars of strict public health Orders but, in a way, those pillars have become a new moral code — a challenge to my ability to make adjustments, to dig myself out of a COVID rut, to see things differently, try new things, push my potential forward, redefine my standards and carve a new type of happy, fulfilling lifestyle.


As I look easterly on this Easter Sunday, from this scenic spot in my own community, I see more blue sky, a field of Canada geese, some alpacas, sheep and horses, happy people, happy cyclists, and a bicycle ready to take me home following a different path.


Lives have moved from what was standard and normal, to nothing at all standard and a far cry from normal. The impact of COVID has created a new reality for everyone —in a way, for me, it is like starting a new novel but unraveling a different intriguing story, in the same setting, with some of the same characters and some refreshingly new ones, celebrating new experiences, at a different pace, and welcoming this new reality which may well become the new celebrated norm with a few more interesting and intriguing adventures.


And on we must go …




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