Thursday Tidbits
Posted on December 13, 2018 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet
“All is calm, all is bright.”
Perspective.
We all face joys and disappointments. Most setbacks are fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. Others are far more serious. One only has to look at the recent job losses at a local law firm, the call centre in Sydney and the closure of a car plant in Oshawa. These are devastating events for the people involved and magnified at this time of the year when peace, joy and happiness are the catch phrases.
I have been thinking a lot about perspective lately as I patiently (!) await the arrival of my new book. I received a notice last week that my books had been shipped and would arrive on or before Friday, December 7th. Not wishing to risk the possibility of missing the courier, I plotted a strategy to make sure someone was available at all times at the apartment to sign for the shipment. When Friday evening arrived with no sight of the delivery and a heavy snow falling, I knew that a delay was in the works.
I went to the website and was relieved to see that this courier delivered on Saturdays. However, when I revved up my laptop Saturday morning, I noted with some chagrin that delivery instructions had been amended. There were no delivery instructions. I placed a call to the head office of the courier and was told that my books were “in transit” but they couldn’t tell me exactly where they were. Not surprisingly, the cause of the delay and uncertainty, according to the very pleasant client service representative, was the recent postal disruption.
Six years ago, when I released my first book, this news would have been upsetting. It is not that I have become blasé with book number 4. One of the best things about aging is that you get a better perspective on things. I pondered the worst case scenario which would have the books not arriving until after my book launch on December 18th. A “bookless” book launch? I thought that this might be a novel idea. Actually, the more I thought about it, I started getting quite excited that this might get into the record books for the most unusual book launch ever.
I’m sure that many parents are getting antsy waiting for a delivery of a “Santa” gift in the mail. Try explaining the delay of a Christmas present to a seven year old.
Even before I re-framed my situation, I didn’t need to look far to gain some well needed perspective. I visited the Milford Haven nursing home in Guysborough earlier this week to do a concert for the residents. This is an excellent facility with a caring and dedicated staff. After finishing up, I went to visit a friend who has been stricken with Huntington’s, a horrible disease that results in the loss of coordination and the death of brain cells.
Here is my Christmas plea: please do not complain about lineups at Tim Horton’s or any other establishment, especially at this time of the year. Do not whine about the weather. There’s nothing you can do about it. Keep your aches and pains to yourself. Be very grateful if you have a roof over your head and enough food in your belly. If you are reasonably healthy, be joyous.
And if you are able, why not give the greatest gift possible and the least costly: your time. Visit a sick or shut in person. I guarantee you that their faces will light up far brighter than your Christmas tree.
Have a great weekend.
P.S. There won’t be a “bookless” book launch after all. My books arrived and are now on the shelf at the 5 to $1.00 or you can contact me directly if you want to save $2.25 in sales taxes. If you’re in Moose Jaw, Moosonee or Mexico City you’ll have to go through Amazon.
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