Posted on November 10, 2013 under Storytelling with no comments yet

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.”

Laurence Binyon

We live in a society that is obsessed with winning and losing.  Whether in sports, politics or business, being at the top of the heap matters.  It matters most to the people at the top of that heap.  But what about those in the middle and those at the bottom?  Does “not winning“ mean losing?

In war, there are no winners.

This is the time of the year that we pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by young men and women who fought in the two World Wars.  We see them on Remembrance Day, the ones still well enough to march down Main Street to the cenotaph.  Every year the numbers dwindle.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old …”

What must they be thinking as their arthritic limbs and often troubled minds carry them to the meeting spot, where small children and ordinary folks pay tribute to their courage?  Many of us have parents or grandparents who served in the war.  One thing in common is their reluctance to speak about what they saw, what they heard and what they felt.  These stories are only shared in private moments with their comrades.  People who understand.   They won’t tell you much but you can read a lot in their eyes.

And while we honor older veterans on November 11th, we must not forget those who represent Canada in some very troubled places in the world.  Many of us have sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives who have left the comfort of home to serve in these more recent conflicts.  We must realize that, when they return home, the horrors of war can leave them disabled in ways that are not readily apparent.  Often the psychological scars are equal or greater than the physical ones.

“Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn…”

Such a waste of young lives in the name of freedom.  And somehow, the lessons of the past seem to have been forgotten.  “Never again” is a common refrain heard at this time of the year but it has seemingly fallen on deaf ears.  Ethnic warfare and religious intolerance continue to scar the landscape.  Traditional warfare is still alive and well but a new and more sinister kind of warfare has emerged.  Terrorism.  The enemy is not easy to spot any more.  We don’t necessarily have to go to war – war can come to us.  We wonder – is human life of no value in the hearts and minds of those who squander it by their deeds?

We must remember our veterans and the sacrifices they made, but we must not fall into the trap of glorifying war.  All life is precious.  War by its nature makes life expendable.

“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”

We can’t, on our own, prevent wars.  One thing we can do is to exhibit tolerance and patience.  We can be more welcoming to people who don’t look like us, who don’t speak our language or have the same customs.   Many of them are here because of war in their homelands.  Their stories are unimaginable. We must remember that our forefathers, too, were once immigrants to this country.  Yes, we expect that they will abide by our mores but let’s give them time.  In many cases they are still reeling from being uprooted from what was once home.

And in all things, we should try harder to eliminate the “winning at all cost” mentality.  We are all in this together.  We must speak with one voice when we say “Never again”.

 

 

 

 

Posted on November 8, 2013 under Storytelling with one comment

The task was simple enough.  Buy a new bathing suit at one of the 100,000 or more clothing stores in Florida.  The last one I owned was reduced to the garbage heap a year ago while on vacation.  It had lost all of its color and for some reason didn’t fit the way it did ten years ago when I bought it. Even after the elastic disintegrated.   No bathing suit looks particularly good on an aging, bald man.  Merchandisers are not miracle workers.

I have learned the art of stealth when it comes to buying clothing.  I rarely, if ever, mention the need to buy an article of clothing.  I quietly go to my favorite men’s clothing store and buy a few new shirts for work and a t-shirt or two.  And rather than have you second guessing, I routinely buy new underwear.

I dropped my wife and two of her friends at a mall.  I had some chores to do.  I wasn’t really thinking about buying a bathing suit but I thought; what the hell, I’m already in the bowels of one of the shopping districts.  Let’s get ‘er done.  Surely it couldn’t take all that long to purchase a single article of clothing.  I entered the maw of an enormous clothing outlet.  It swallowed me whole.

The good news is that the signage in the store was excellent.  Even a non-shopper like me can find the men’s wear section of the store.  That was the only good news.  I cautiously approached a rack of clothing that appeared to be bathing suits, but was flummoxed as it appeared that the rack included both swim trunks and shorts.  Why would a store purposely choose to try and trick men?

I flailed away for a few minutes and was about to lose all hope (and patience) when I heard a voice; “Is there something I can help you with?”  I turned around and there in front of me was a young woman.  No, a girl perhaps, or a child.  She looked like she had been let out at recess from school.  But, hey, I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I explained my confusion and it quickly became apparent that I knew more than she did.  She flailed away for a few minutes at which point I relieved her of her duties.  “Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you,” she declared.  I stifled a laugh.

When in doubt, go with the heavy hitters.  I sent a text to my wife, who was in the vicinity.  While I parked the car, she went into a clothing store and was standing at the store entrance with a bathing suit when I arrived.   “Do you like it?”  She knows me well.  She knew that I would like it because I didn’t have to go through a rack and manhandle dozens more.  “I love it,” was my terse reply as I seized the garment and walked to the dressing rooms without breaking stride.

She left me in a lineup to pay for it.  This took five times as long as it took to select and try on the swim trunks.

Upon returning to our vacation property, I donned my new apparel and headed to the beach for a swim.  I walked on the sandbar, my imaginary runway.  But alas, there were no cheers, no whistles, no catcalls.  The seagulls squawked momentarily, but they were more interested in food than fashion.

Posted on November 7, 2013 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Remembrance Day is fast approaching and I have penned a piece for The Highland Heart, an excellent local paper. I found this  very challenging. It’s not that I am out of my comfort zone writing about serious stuff. Anything that is written about war is bound to evoke a wide range of opinions. Trying to honor war vets and trying to avoid glorifying war is a tough piece of work. I believe that most of us appreciate the sacrifices made in the name of freedom, but as my piece says, there are ” no winners” in war. The article will be published this Friday, the 8th. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Every story I write has the potential to offend somebody and next week’s Casket story is one that is fraught with danger. I am tackling the Senate. Not necessarily the Senate scandal but more about the institution itself and to some extent, Parliament . This is not a politically motivated story but just a commentary on the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in this country. “Something Smells” will also appear on my website Tuesday evening. ( 12th. )

On a more cheerful note,  I have a few stories ready to go and will have something fresh for you this weekend.

Oh yes. I went shopping today. Me. Len MacDonald. Shopping. Rarely are those words uttered in the same sentence. I bought a bathing suit. Well, that’s not totally honest. I acquired a bathing suit today. Coming soon… “Swimming With The Tide.”

Have a great weekend.