Monday Morning Musings

Posted on November 6, 2017 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

Buffy St. Marie

I have often said that if a person is smart, he or she should retire in a university town. Smart is one thing. Lucky is quite another. We live in a university town and enjoy all the benefits without having to uproot ourselves in retirement to come here, as some people have chosen to do.

Besides the obvious economic advantages of having St.F.X. plunked right in the middle of town, there are many social advantages as well. We can attend world class concerts and plays, go to a myriad of sporting events and even take a class or two if so inclined. And did I mention free lectures?

This past week was an example of having the opportunity to go and listen and learn from two people of very different backgrounds and walks of life.

Some of you might remember John Hatch, an affable young man who strolled onto our campus in the early 80’s and left as the all time leading scorer in basketball for the “ Blue and White.” John is now a senior executive with Apple Inc. in the United Kingdom and Sweden. He came ostensibly to speak with students about business and leadership. He attended some private classes with students but also gave a public lecture. John played for Canada’s Olympic team and also played professionally in Europe before settling into business life.

I think many young people were surprised to hear that the most important lesson he learned during his time at St.F.X. was humility. He stressed this  throughout his talk and urged students to park their egos at the door in all of life’s endeavours and to be a team player and good listener…. words of wisdom for all of us.

A few nights later, I once again sat in the audience at the Schwartz Auditorium which was filled to overflowing to listen to the remarkable singer/songwriter, artist, educator and activist, Buffy St. Marie. I had forgotten that amongst the hundreds of songs she penned, “ Up Where We Belong” won her an Academy Award in 1983. We watched a documentary movie about her life and then she spoke for an hour. She held the audience in her hands.

Her voice and message were powerful. Although she feels progress has been made, she still believes that it will take a long time for people to understand what happened to First Nations people over the centuries and how we should be treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Downton Abbey is no more.

I watched the final episode on Netflix on the weekend. Who was your favorite character? Lord or Lady Grantham? Mr. Bates? Anna? Mr. Mosely? Mr. Barrow? Lady Mary or Lady Edith? Mrs. Hughes? Carson, the butler? Daisy? Every character was extremely well cast. I’m torn. The two characters that fascinated and entertained me the most were the cook, Mrs. Patmore and the Dowager Countess played by the brilliant Maggie Smith. At Downton, these two characters represented the extreme ends of the pecking order. Both women were wise and witty. The best one liners always came from their mouths. The Dowager Countess of Grantham was acerbic and sarcastic but had a soft side under her gruff exterior. Mrs. Patmore was generous to a fault and her quips on any topics were to be savoured…like her cooking.

The writing and character development of this show is brilliant. With a long winter ahead, start watching. I guarantee that you will be well rewarded.

There’s always time for a first and this past week I had a colonoscopy. Regular readers know that I never shy away from any topic even those deemed “ indelicate.” A few years ago, I decided to tackle menopause. (https://www.week45.com/heat-wave/ )

On Thursday, I will attempt to demystify this procedure. The story is called “ Bottoms Up.”

Have a great week.

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