Post Category → Writing

Recess Time

I’m back to virtual learning and further restrictions, which, at this point, isn’t even worth getting frustrated over.

There’s a time and place to direct anger, but right now is not that time.

It was about getting the kids into a routine so they could feel their days are filled and, most importantly, they still have the support and love of their parents. It’s something we need to ensure they know will always be there, no matter what.

Part of our virtual learning during the day is recess. And while it’s always a favourite part about school, there’s something special about it now.

Taking the time to go out and play.

For all of us to put on our gear, discover new forest trails, sneakily buy some donuts and let our imaginations run wild.

As frustrating as the world is right now, and as restricted as we feel, we’re never going to get this time again.

To watch, learn, grow and be curious… I must count my blessings for being there for it.

Plus, it’s nice that as adults (and parents), we get recess too.

Cold Weather and Warm Fires

There is something meditative about watching a fire burn. It’s the crackling embers, the dancing flame and even the aroma that ensnares you into watching it.

Thoughts of the days pass you by and ideas for tomorrow simmer in the unconscious part of your mind, ready to flourish into something usable down the road. The worries of tomorrow melt in the heat.

On a cold day, there is something comforting about getting close and feeling blanketed by its hot aura. The comforts of modern life seem a burden compared to the raw connection to nature in the moment.

And yet, the fire eventually goes out.

The hypnotic trance is done.

The cold air hits you once more and it’s time to keep the fire burning, or retreat to a warm home.

Fire is often associated with passion or destruction (sometimes those two are mutually exclusive), but… we can easily forget that it can be wielded to combat the cold and allay our worries.

Do We Stand or Falter?

When push comes to shove, are we willing to stand up and be strong, or do we falter and fall to the floor?

While it’s more comfortable on the floor, and there will certainly be a large cadre of people down there who will be supportive, it won’t strengthen us. It’s the easy way out.

It doesn’t hurt us, but it doesn’t strengthen us either.

At some point, we all must stand.

Have We Really Changed?

We watch as the decades unfold and marvel at the change of society.

What we equate as baseline now would’ve been the luxury of our youth and yet, we can’t help but look on and wonder if anything has really changed. Love stories still tell the same tale and our ‘progressive’ attitudes towards relationships are nothing more than a stigma removed from what occurred frequently in the past.

We still fight over trivial issues, seek to conquer the world (with ideas or economics) and bemoan the politicians who jump from one scandal to another. Which, as we know, is all of them.

The human stories of yesterday still resonate with us today, still teaching us in ways that are useful.

People ponder at how the world has changed in the past few years and how different it’s going to look tomorrow.

To that, I say it will look different, but deep down, it’s still the same.

Sailing Ahead

Right now the media is flooded with retrospection about the year, complete with highlights, moments and considerations for what is to come. While I strongly considered creating my own post on this past year, I felt it could be best summarized in a much smaller space.

This year ended better than when it started.

Much better.

I felt I’ve grown a lot over the past year (giant leaps as opposed to small, incremental steps) and despite the ongoing global pandemic, recognize I (and my family) are in a much better place than we’ve ever been.

If I can replicate that growth again next year, there’s no need to set any resolutions.

Just keep sailing ahead.

I Try to Be a Decent Person

But it doesn’t always turn out that way.

There’s an illusion, a façade, I’ve put up for myself over the years that I’m a halfway decent person. Better than some, but still a long way from others.

And while I’d like to think I did my best, taking a long, hard look at myself proves otherwise.

I’ve failed.

Many times.

And I’ve spent many years looking back at those times and cringing at how poorly I’ve acted… reacted… thought… wondering how anybody would still wish to speak or associate with me.

But, I’m not beating myself up over it.

The very idea that I cringe at my past shows growth in the present. It means I can reflect enough to know where I’ve faltered and where I need to improve.

It gives me hope that the more honest I am, the further I dig and the deeper I go, the better I’ll be.

It paves the way for the future where I might one day be a decent human being.

I’m not there, but I’m on my way.

The Disconnect

We currently have technology available to us that can teach us anything within the realm of human knowledge. All it takes is a willingness to access it and spend the painstaking effort to learn.

Slowly.
Bit by bit.

Using this same technology, we also have the ability to take our hard fought knowledge, experience and wisdom and share it with others.

Here’s the disconnect:

This same technology has also eradicated our attention spans and our patience.

And now we’re asking those people who have done the hard, focused work to share what they know in a shallow way to accommodate this collective attention deficit.

Seems like we need to find a new way to work with this technology to make that connection again.