I'm Still Here

I haven't felt very inspired lately. I am content, but there has been little desire to write. Hopefully, I will be back to my usual self.

November Blahs

As the days get shorter, I find that my body and mind seem to go into hibernation. There is a tendency to want to curl up with a good book in bed. Writing appears to be too much work.

Not much exciting seems to be happening. Sure, I’ve lost 36 pounds and I’m still going down. Maybe that’s part of the problem. I’m suffering from pizza withdrawal. My body is in shock from a few months of healthy foods being eaten. I have eaten more apples in the past week than I have eaten in some years. I don’t know how much more lettuce I can look at. The funny thing is that I don’t have the same craving for food. As the fat has melted away, so has my desire for the stuff that put it there in the first place. I have learned the discipline of moderation. A little taste of everything is just fine.

Still, I long for more adventure in my life.

I have done something wild and crazy, though. No, I haven’t gotten a tattoo or pierced any part of my body. That will never happen. It’s just not me.

As my body has shrunk, some of my clothes are too large. Some of my briefs were getting too large and a bit old, so I decided to try something different. I bought boxer briefs. For a guy to go from briefs to boxers or vice versa is a bold move indeed. It is as bold as changing toothpaste, which is something I can’t contemplate doing. But I took the plunge anyway.

By making this move, I discovered one thing. I really don’t think of underwear much during the day. It has made no difference whatsoever.

So I have to try some other foolish thing to do. Then again, at this time of year when the days are getting shorter, I don’t mind being dull and boring.

Russ

When I was a young boy, there was a guy who lived in our neighbourhood called Russ. While he loved sports, I didn’t see him as particularly gifted in them. His technique was often unorthodox and awkward. That didn’t stop him from participating.

He was actually very kind to me. At least, I think he was. While he was on vacation, Russ let me deliver his papers, giving me a penny for each one. I later found out that he was paid two and a half cents. However, I appreciated earning the money.

He also tipped me off on a snow-shovelling job he didn’t want. I spent over six hours cleaning deep ice and snow from somebody’s driveway. I was paid ten dollars. Even in those days, that wasn’t a fair wage for the amount of work I put into it. Again, I appreciated the money nevertheless.

Russ tried out for our softball team. He always wanted to be in the centre of things. He wanted to be the pitcher. For the first couple of years, he made the team. Eventually, though, he was cut from the squad. That didn’t stop him. He went to another team that was not as good as ours. The first time we faced Russ, he pitched and actually beat us. Can you imagine that? Why I could pitch better than Russ, but he beat us.

He went to a different high school than I did. I heard through the grapevine that he was the quarterback of the football team and the place kicker. I remember going over to the schoolyard while he was practising and kicking a few field goals with him. I found out I was a better kicker than he was. I figured I was a better quarterback, too.

There was one big difference between Russ and me. He didn’t care a heck of a lot what I thought. He just went out there, did his best and had fun. All I did was sit back thinking how much better I was than he. I never tried out for my school’s football team. I didn’t accomplish very much, did I?

When I look back at my teenage years (and even beyond), I wince at the missed opportunities where I talked a good talk but didn’t get out there and just do it. It is sort of like flying kites in your mind. You can imagine the experience all you want, but it isn’t until you actually feel the wind tugging at it that you feel the exhilaration.

My guess is that Russ has gone on to great things in life. I certainly hope so. By his sheer determination and attitude, he deserves it.

Megan’s Note

Yesterday was not the best day, although it had its good moments. Working as a substitute teacher can be a very difficult job. It’s actually called an occasional teacher not a sub, probably because you occasionally teach. The rest of the time you are busy staying alive on your feet trying to stay one step ahead of the mob.

For some reason, there is often one kid or two who wants to get up on the stage that is the classroom and put on a play. Yesterday, I had to get out the hook for a couple of them and send them to the office. I will not tolerate somebody not showing me any respect.

After a day like this one, I often drive home wondering why I continue doing this job. Sometimes the answer is pretty obvious. At this moment in time, it’s the only way I can make some money. I keep trying for new positions outside of teaching, but I have come up empty so far.

This morning I arrived at a different school to teach a grade 7/8 split class. When they get to this age, the potential for an “interesting” experience is heightened. I thought positive thoughts all the way in on the drive.

One of the things I do as a teacher is play my guitar. If the students are good, I haul out my binder full of songs and play something. The kids today earned a tune, so I opened the pages. A little note fell out. Here is what it said (grammar mistake included):
Your the best teacher ever and I’m not just saying that! – Megan

That short little note struck my heart like a lightning bolt. It couldn’t have arrived at a better time. It told me that I had made a difference in one person’s life.

Then I started thinking. This short message meant a lot to me. What if more people were like Megan and passed on secret messages of encouragement that popped out only when they were discovered?

OK, you are reading my blog. How about sending a short note of encouragement to somebody today? You will never know the effect it will have on the person. I’m sure Megan didn’t know how much her words would affect me.

Good Motivation

I know I can be very lazy. I usually have to have a good reason for doing almost everything. When I teach, I find the same thing. If my students understand the advantage of doing something, they will be much more eager to do it. I have experienced this type of motivation lately.

On December 2 I will be going to the Shouldice Hospital north of Toronto. It is one of the top facilities of its kind in the world. When I am there, I could be mingling with people from who knows where. Since the 1950s they have performed hernia operations and nothing else. Many of my acquaintances have heard about it.

When I first got my appointment, I had to fill out a questionnaire. I filled out the information on my measurements and how much I weighed. I sent it in.

The news that came back that I had to lose weight – a lot of it. If I arrive in Toronto for the operation and I don’t weigh 190 pounds, they will send me home.

I had told them I weighed 210 pounds, so 20 pounds didn’t seem too bad until I stepped on the scale. The needle pointed to 228. That’s 38 pounds I had to lose.

Although my hernia is not very serious, that painful pinch I get from time to time reminds me that it has to be corrected. That brief bit of pain also motivates me. It tells me to keep pressing on.

Although I haven’t reached my goal, I am almost there. I have lost over 30 of the 38 pounds. I haven’t been as light as this since the early 1990s, if then. A belt I bought in 1999 can’t be tightened any more. Some of my clothes are rather baggy.

While the initial motivation was getting to the correct weight for my operation, something else has replaced it. Knowing that I look and feel better has taken over. My intention is not to stop at 190 pounds but to continue reducing to a weight I had in my mid-twenties. I am actually looking forward to it, especially since I will not be under the time restraint I am under right now.

Eight more pounds to go in three weeks! I can do it. If I want my operation, I have no choice, do I? Now, that’s motivation.

Deep Snow

Do you think you live in a snow belt? I know the people in St. Marys keep saying this. Try living in Ottawa. It can get really deep there.

Marie and I often walked our dog, Sarah, when we lived in Ottawa. There was a greenbelt nearby where we could let her run free. We took along Isabel’s black lab, Sarcen, who was best pals with ours.

On this particular day, the snow was rather deep. Marie, I and the dogs were struggling to make a path. Regardless, the canines bounded forward with great energy. I followed. Marie was behind all of us.

Suddenly I heard this cry of anger from Marie. She shouted, “Why are you walking ahead? Why don’t you walk beside me?”

I’m glad she asked that question. Otherwise she would have been silently upset. I find that when this happens it gets mixed with something else later on and comes out really smelly. Anyway, I had the perfect answer.

I was not walking ahead of her to be apart from her. I was doing this so I could clear a path and make it easier for Marie to walk.

Suddenly her anger turned to tenderness. She had completely misunderstood my motive for forging ahead. Her reasoning was perfectly logical. It’s just that her logic was completely wrong. Once she understood my actions, she realized that my actions were done with kindness.

Communication is so important in a relationship. It clears up misunderstandings. Without it, it’s like trying to find the light switch in a dark room you are not familiar with. You may eventually find it and illuminate the situation. Often you don’t and just have to guess what is going on.

Had Marie not asked the question and had I not answered it, both of us would have been trudging through deep snow in our lives for some time to come.

Luck Comes In Threes?

Saturday started very nicely, thank you. I walked up to the YMCA for a workout. When I entered the door, Nancy Riddell came up to me and told me that I had won a prize in a draw they had on Halloween.

I love winning! Everyone does. I’m not complaining. On second thought, I am. It seems every time I win something, it is nothing of any great value.

My prize at the YMCA was a cloth bag. It didn’t even say YMCA on it. It appeared to be something they had been given by one of their suppliers. I figure it was worth about 49¢.

However, being positive, I told myself luck comes in threes. I prepared myself for my next win.

It came that evening. Marie and I attended a fundraiser in London. At the end of the night, they gave away the centrepiece at each table to the person whose birthday was closest to that day. I was the winner again.

Marie gave me a strange look that indicated that she thought it was ugly and didn’t want to take it home. I offered it to everybody at our table. Silence. I spoke louder, thinking they couldn’t hear me. Silence again. Nobody wanted it. Instead of being like MasterCard, priceless, it was like my other win that day, almost worthless.

I quickly went down some of my other great prizes. There was the ultra-thin towel I won at the drug store. I can’t forget the notepad from Iberia Airways I received in a contest for a travel agency in naming their newsletter. Winning a flight or a weekend in Montreal was what I was hoping for on that one.

When I lived in Ottawa, I actually won two tickets to the Senators’ hockey game. That was a great prize. The only problem was that I had another commitment I couldn’t get out of, so I had to give the tickets away.

I am still holding on to the belief that luck comes in threes. I am prepared for the big one. I don’t know what it will be, but I’m having lots of fun dreaming of whatever it might be. I really don’t care when it comes, because living with the expectation gives me a positive feeling that things are going to work out fine. It’s sort of like the excitement before Christmas.

So, if you hear any screaming, you will know that my ship has arrived.

The US Election

I don’t pretend to be a political pundit. For what it is worth, here are some of my thoughts on the US presidential election.

When I listen to the two candidates speak, there is a huge difference. John McCain keeps shouting about getting out there and fighting. Barack Obama is encouraging everyone to keep working together for the victory. Which one do you think has the most hope of unifying the country?

I know that the majority of Canadians, and I am guessing most of the world, prays for an Obama victory. Yet, the religious right is favouring McCain. Whose prayers does God listen to? It reminds me of a discussion I had with a soldier who served in the British army during the Second World War. He told me of how German soldiers also prayed to God for victory.

Let’s say that Obama does win. Will the God of the religious right, who favour McCain, not listen to their prayers if they pray for America?

Why do many Republicans, John McCain’s party, still believe that Barack Obama is a Moslem because he has the middle name Hussein? Why does this same party want to link him with Pastor Jeremiah Alvesta Wright, a radical Christian minister? How can somebody be Moslem and Christian at the same time?

Again, many Republicans keep harping on Obama’s middle name, Hussein. Did Barack have any say in what he was named? Why don’t Democrats attack the naming of Sarah Palin’s kids, Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow and Piper? These names sound sort of new age to me. Could it be that names are not that relevant to an election?

Which “ism” will be the biggest factor, if at all? Will people not vote for Obama because of the colour of his skin or will Sarah Palin’s being a woman be a negative factor?

One thing the Republicans have right, I feel. Most of the media seem to be behind the Democrats. Is it because they are liberal or do they genuinely believe that the Obama is the best choice for President?

Why does Joe the Plumber keep coming up? Can the whole political situation in America be nailed down to one person, somebody who apparently owes income taxes to the current administration? Might this be the reason he can’t start a business, not Obama’s plans?

And finally, which candidate has acted more presidential in the campaign? Who has given the country the most hope for the future? I think the answer is obvious. Do you?