Posted on June 29, 2022 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

 

Summer. Bring it on!

 

Summer hiatus and the long goodbye.

Summer has arrived which means sun, sand, surf, suds and sloth. Yup. Yours truly, is planning a little hiatus over the summer months. I will publish WWW if I have something to say but otherwise, I plan to take a little break from the writing.

This is to get you used to the idea that I won’t be doing this forever. Actually, I am serving notice that after eleven years and 1,322 posts, it is my intention to call it a day at the end of this calendar year. It is a combination of writer’s fatigue and economics. I believe Father Time is catching up with me and trying to find something new and fresh every week is not as easy as it once was. As I have mentioned a few times recently, the costs of maintaining my website continue to increase to the point where it is not a viable business proposition.

I’m not sure if Facebook changed the algorithm for my page last week but last Wednesday’s post gathered the largest readership and most comments ever for one of my regular posts. I can’t quite figure this out but the post struck a (musical) chord with my faithful readers. I had another magical moment last Friday with a group of grade 5 students. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=10255ff082&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1736873859885564399&th=181a9d92be2401ef&view=att&disp=safe   (Open the link and click on the video in the lower left hand corner).

Happy Canada Day and have a safe, fun-filled summer.

Posted on June 22, 2022 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with one comment

 

Grateful that summer has offically arrived!

 

Gratitude is the attitude.

I’m recovering from Father’s Day weekend. When it comes to celebrations that involve me, like F.D. and birthdays, I am a borderline curmudgeon. Once you reach a certain age, festivities and fanfare are not all that important.

I think a lot about gratitude. These things pop into my head frequently: a) what I have versus what I don’t have; b) what I need versus what I don’t need; c) what I want versus what I don’t want. I can’t think of a single material possession that I covet. Really and truly, the only thing that I want in the late innings is good health. Yes, I could do nicely without chronic pain issues, but these are the rewards (!) for a life fully lived. I realize that I could have saved my body a lot of grief by not running marathons and walking across Spain and the Cabot Trail, but I gladly endure some discomfort today when I think about these wonderful times in my life.

Of course, I am enormously grateful to have a terrific family and many friends all over the world. These are the bedrock of happiness. It would take me far too long and test your patience by listing all the things contributing to my feeling of gratitude, but one always rises to the top of the list.

Music.

Music continues to be the thread that connects. Last week was a perfect example of how music has enriched my life. Not surprisingly, when I’m doing something involving music, I don’t notice pain. It’s likely a combination of distraction and endorphins, and possibly beer!

Last Friday, I was subbing at the local high school. I was elated when I found out that I was filling in for the drama teacher. We communicated the night before and she gave me free rein with her students. She strongly suggested that I bring my guitar as a prop. Now, some substitute teachers prefer a structured lesson plan, but I am more than happy to wing it. I have discovered that students of all ages love to hear stories and I like telling them. Even the most disengaged and disinterested student is captivated when they hear my description of eating the brain of a Canada goose and the eyeballs of a ptarmagin.

I had a great day being the drama teacher. It was full of storytelling and music.

It was the end of the week and the last day of classes before exams. I was feeling happy as I exited the school to warmth and sunshine. The entire student body was outside waiting for their buses to arrive. As I was walking past a group of boys, one of them asked if I would play a tune. I ditched my jacket and my backpack and opened up my guitar case. There’s nothing quite like an unannounced and unexpected gig. I picked out a well-known tune (Wagon Wheel) and surprisingly, a gaggle of boys joined in. Very often boys of a certain age are too cool to let down their guard. The chorus grew as more and more students got into the act. You could tell that everyone was feeling relieved that the week and the school year were both drawing to a close.

I was asked to play one more song and obliged. The crowd of choristers swelled until it seemed that every student was singing. It was electrifying and heartwarming. The school’s music therapist, T.C. was exiting the school and moments later, the band had swelled to two. A male student carrying his ukulele made it a trio. Simply put, it was magical. You couldn’t script something like this. It was spontaneous and organic. Upon reflection, I thought this would make an amazing closing scene of a movie featuring a septuagenarian substitute teacher. Would someone please call Hollywood?!

What could possibly top this?

A fam jam later that same day.

My son, Peter had arrived earlier last week to breathe in some good old Maritime air, to hang out with old friends, go swimming, hiking and skateboarding and spend countless hours with his dad watching the U.S. Open golf tournament. Last Friday evening, my daughter Betsy came over to my apartment for a jam session with her brother, along with a few friends. We had a wonderful evening filled with music and laughter. We even managed to learn and record a new song which is always refreshing because more often than not, we fall back on all the tried-and-true tunes. It was an awesome evening, but I have to admit, after being on the go since 5:30 that morning, with no power snooze in the afternoon (schools frown upon teachers having a power snooze in the middle of class!), by 11:30 I was whipped. It was a memorable day, and it was mostly because of music.

Father’s Day was perfect. I heard from all my children. We got out for a nice hike mid-afternoon. The U.S. Open was a classic and when it was over, Pete and I sat down to a fantastic take-out lobster dinner from the great folks out in Lakevale.

My gratitude runs deep. It all starts with family and friends. Throw in some tunes, sunshine, a few cold beer, and a lobster dinner. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Bring on the rest of the summer.

Have a great weekend.

Posted on June 15, 2022 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

 

Looking back and looking forward

 

Sometimes the well goes dry and this week is one of them. Yes, I could tell you about some of my subbing assignments last week but that would be akin to watching paint dry. Just try and imagine me filling in for the auto mechanics teacher. For those of you who know me, that in itself should bring a big smile to your face. I am probably the least mechanically minded person on the planet.

I think I’m finally fully recovered from the lingering effects of Covid but that does not mean I’m quite ready to run a marathon or do a 75km walk around the Cape.

I think it is natural to ponder the future when you’ve reached my age. It is equally natural to ponder the past. I saw this post on Facebook the other day and thought that I would share it with you. Most of you will easily be able to relate to this article.These are not my words, and I haven’t been able to identify the author.

Enjoy!

Most of us are now in the last quarter of our life and should read this interesting piece of advice.

You know …… time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young and embarking on my new life. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.

I know that I lived them all.

I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

However, here it is …… the last quarter of my life and it catches me by surprise.

How did I get here so fast?

Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first quarter and that the fourth quarter was so far off that I could not visualise it or imagine fully what it would be like.

Yet, here it is …… my friends are retired and getting grey – they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me, but I see the great change. They’re not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant …… but like me, their age is beginning to show, and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day and taking a nap is not a treat anymore. It’s mandatory because if I don’t of my own free will, I fall asleep where I sit.

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did. But at least I know that, though I’m on the last quarter and I’m not sure how long it will last, that when it’s over on this earth, it’s over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done; things I should have done but truly there are many things I’m happy to have been done.

It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you’re not on the last quarter yet, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life do it quickly.

Don’t put things off too long. Life goes by so quickly.

So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the last quarter or not.

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of life. So, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember – and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the past years.

‘Life’ is a gift to you.

Be Happy!

Have a great day!

Remember, it is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

You may think:

Going out is good – but coming home is better!

You forget names – but it’s okay because some people forgot they even knew you!

You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything like golf – but you like the outdoors!

The things you used to care to do, you aren’t as interested in anymore – but you really don’t care that you aren’t as interested.

You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV on than in bed – you call it ‘pre-sleep’!

You miss the days when everything worked with just an ‘On’ and ‘Off’ switch!

You tend to use more 4 letter words – ‘what’ and ‘when’

You have lots of clothes in your wardrobe, more than half of which you will never wear – but just in case!

Old is good –

• Old is comfortable
• Old is safe
• Old songs
• Old movies
• …… and best of all,
• Friends of old!

So, stay well, ‘Old friend!’

 

Have a great weekend and Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there.

 

P.S. This is my final appeal for subscribers to my Week45 website: https://www.week45.com/2022/05/