Other Voices

I like to have a pen nearby.  It's not that I need to write things down all the time but I like the option.  It bothers me just a little when they disappear.  And they do.  I find that pens,  unlike socks, are found again but they do go on extended trips into sofas and other secret places.  I miss them then.

Of course, we have tools other than pens with which to transmit our ideas now.  With computers, smart phones, and tablets, we can capture all of our thoughts.  Not that we need to capture all of them, I know a lot of mine are not worth saving, but we can.  And we're lucky to be able to do this.

I've thought before of people in the world who don't have the means to record and share their thoughts.  People live in poverty, some people are illiterate.  For some, daily survival and protection of one's family are the main objectives in life.  They may be able to verbally share their stories, at times, but if their reach is limited, their thoughts, their experiences, their unique lives do not become known to a wider audience.  We do not learn of their realities.

I don't know how these voices can become heard, how the words of those who don't write, or use a computer can be shared.  Maybe it helps to recognize, though, that despite all of the communication that is going on in the world, we are not learning the whole story.  There are so many more voices that need to get in on the discussion.

JAHD

Five Entries

OK.  I committed that I would write 5 entries on Saturday.  I left it late and now it's really late.  This is my fifth entry.  My brain has gone to complete mush, I'm tired and I'm kind of sore.  Clearly I should be sleeping, soundly.  I will therefore leave and use this as my fifth entry.  You can't stop me, no, no, you can't.  I'm done.

JAHD

Grocery Shopping

My family went on a big grocery shopping trip.  It was a Costco trip so everything really was big.  Our supplies had gotten low which may explain why were all so excited with what we bought.  Sometimes after grocery shopping it seems like a bother to put the food away.  But there's a sense of gratitude as well.  We are lucky to have food to refill our fridge and cupboards.  I know that some people can't do this.  I should buy a bag at Safeway again for the food bank.  Good nutrition is so important.  Everyone should have enough food in their cupboards and fridge.

JAHD

Farmer's Market

I went to a farmer's market this week and had a great time.  I didn't buy much.  I controlled what I bought because I tend to overbuy at such places.  It was tempting to once again come home with way too much produce.  Thinking about it later, I realized that it's not the produce itself that's so exciting.  At this time of year in a climate like this, it's not exactly locally grown.  It's really not that much different from the stuff at the grocery store.  What I want to bring home is the experience of going to the farmer's market.  That's nice.  But a lettuce bought at a grocery store and a lettuce bought at a farmer's market don't look a lot different when they've been forgotten at the back of the fridge for a week or two.  And by then, the experience of the farmer's market is only a memory.  And an ugly lettuce is a reality that needs to be faced.

JAHD

New Books for Schools!

It was heartwarming on Twitter this week as the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation announced the schools to which it would be granting money.  Educators at schools in need of resources apply; some schools win.  It must be so exciting at those schools to hear the good news and the money must make such a difference.  I can picture beautiful new school library books where before there had been tattered, dirty old ones.  New books are so much more inviting.  Reading would be so much more inviting.  This is a wonderful initiative of Indigo Books.

The only concern I have with this program is that it's necessary.  Why are there needy schools?  I don't believe that the socioeconomic status of families should make any difference to the resources of a school.  I don't think that school councils should have to raise money or that foundations should have to give out funding.  I passionately believe that every student should be on a level playing field at school and have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams.  It is governments that finance education - I think it is the responsibility of government to ensure funding is adequate.  Is education not a high priority?

That's about all I have to say.  I am very excited about the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation.  Just not about the work it has to do.

JAHD

Celebrity

I am fascinated by the fact that people have different abilities and I am passionate about the importance of people finding and using these abilities.

With the above being said, I think it's sad that so much adoration is placed on a select few in the world.  Actors, athletes, musicians and some "celebrities for no particular reason" are held in high regard, pursued relentlessly by photographers, interviewed extensively and sought after for autographs.  Why exactly are they considered so much more important?

I will admit here that I've had a celebrity crush or two in my time.  Or more than two.  And I still have one.  I'm human.  But as much as I like one actor, I also know that he is a person and I am a person.  I would not seek an autograph from him, given the opportunity.  I consider it like dropping to the floor and saying I'm not worthy.  It was funny in Wayne's World; I don't think it is in real life.

Everyone has so much potential and so many people are making valuable contributions by doing what they do best.  Admittedly, if I was ever anywhere near the star of The Mentalist, I might act like Wilma Flintstone did when she was about to meet "Stony Curtis."  But I don't live in a state of awe and I do live trying to be the best me, regardless of any celebrity.

And for anyone who doesn't know that Flintstones episode (if that's possible), Wilma lept in the air, somehow held that position and exclaimed "Stony Curtis!"  She was very excited.

JAHD  (and RIP to the real Tony Curtis, worthy of a leap in the air too, I'm sure)

On Gardens

A garden can be beautiful.  A garden can be planted with a creative spirit, using flowers as crayons to colour a space.  I want to plant and enjoy my garden in this spirit.

I see neighbours who meticulously maintain their outdoor spaces.  They even include a plant or two (maybe three!).  Their houses and yards are tidy and look good.  But, in my opinion, their yards could be and offer so much more.

People are entitled to their own ideas about their own gardens, of course.  I know that I want mine to be a lovely, colourful and soothing place.  I can pretty much guarantee that it will not be meticulously maintained.  I will really try to make it beautiful.

JAHD

I'm Not Telling Anyone What to Do

I do not have a proud athletic past.  As longtime readers of my blog already know, gym classes were nightmarish for me.  I didn't progress far in swimming lessons and, while it's never been definitively proven, it seems that my body is not designed to dive into a pool.  I live with these realties.

Despite all of this, I started working out at a gym.  I have not used a trainer and I do not take classes.  For everyone's sake, it's better this way.  I go to the gym a lot now and, as I learn about and experience the benefits of physical activity, I do not want to stop.  It is very important for me to go to the gym.

At this point, it may appear I'm extolling the benefits of physical fitness and how everyone should work out.  I'm not.

I won't tell someone else that they should work out or, really, do anything in particular.  They are welcome to ask about something I do, and I love sharing my experiences, but I believe that people find their way, in their own time and do what they need to do.  I question how much positive difference it makes to be be told by others - friends, family members, medical authorities, the media - what and what not to do.

People and their lives, their histories, are complex.  If they are happy, if they are comfortable, if they are holding things together, they deserve praise.  And then there are people's rebellious streaks (I have one of those), fears, beliefs and self-destructive tendencies.  Simple words, information and believing we know best for others won't cut through.  And that's o.k.  We all have to find our own way.  We all have our own paths to follow.

As I go about my little routine of going to the gym, I will not tell anyone else that they should go too.  And I appreciate that no one is telling me a whole bunch of other ways in which I can improve my life.  I know I might benefit from drinking less coffee.  I'm just not there yet.  And remember, I'm rebellious.

So, enjoy!  Whatever it is you enjoy.  But only if you want to and always at your own pace!

JAHD

This Year, A Beautiful Garden Will Bloom

In writing this entry, I commit to creating a beautiful garden at my home this year.

I have had mixed success before.  This year, I will do my best and succeed in creating a wonderful display at the front and back of my house.

It is empowering to realize that we can create beauty.  In so many areas of our lives, we can do this.  We can create it in kind words to others, or with simple help with an errand that means a lot to someone, or by cleaning up a room and in so doing, uncovering its essence.  We have so much capability to create kindness, calm, beauty.  We can make a difference in so many, big and small, ways.

I am up early on a Sunday morning in a house filled with sunshine.  No one else is up so I don't want to do much and create noise.  Still, I have been able to do a little bit by writing this entry.

And I have committed to creating a beautiful garden this year.  Now it's in writing.  Soon it will be in soil.  I look forward to it.  It's awesome that we can help to create beauty.

JAHD

Thinking of People Who've Lost So Much

I look at my kitchen and it is messy.
I look at my kitchen and it is here.

For too many people, looking at their kitchens is impossible.  In Slave Lake, Alberta, fire destroyed way too much of the town.  And people in Slave Lake are so much better off than people in Missouri and Oklahoma.  Tragically one helicopter pilot died fighting fire in Slave Lake.  In the tornadoes that hit Missouri and Oklahoma, many people lost their lives.  Or were injured.  Or lost family members.  I can see the devastation on tv but what it would be like to be affected by it is unfathomable.  But it's real.

I hope and trust that healing will take place, that people will help each other.  I know that people can make a difference in a tragedy.  But nothing will undo what has happened in these communitites.  Terrible things happened.  That can't be changed.

A tornado or some other random event can happen at any time.  No one is immune.  This afternoon I will appreciate that things are calm and quiet here and that I have a kitchen to clean.  And  I will pray for the people who have lost kitchens and so much more.

JAHD