Thursday Tidbits

Posted on January 7, 2021 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Wakem Bay at sunset – My first drawing . Be kind!

 

“Fools rush in, where wise men never go.”

I’m sure that on Monday, my first post of the New Year, you were breathlessly awaiting Len’s New Year’s Resolutions. I’m sorry to have disappointed you when there was nary a mention of such trivial matters in my 2300 -word post. Truth be told, I’m not a particularly big fan of making idle promises in January or any other month of the year for that matter. Yes. It’s a good time to hit the reset button and reflect on the past and the future. We all have hopes and dreams. I think we are unified in one thing in 2021 – the end of the pandemic.

Today’s post is about hope and despair… and possibly hopelessness. You see, I have decided in my 70^th year on this planet to take up art.

Somewhere Sister St. Roderick is rolling her eyes. You see, this patient sister of the Congregation of Notre Dame tried to teach me art at Morrison School. She would have had as much success if she had tried to teach me Mandarin or Sanskrit. Most of you know of the game Pictionary where you have to draw something based on a clue. Anytime I played, my artistic renditions drew gales of laughter. There are only so many ways of drawing a stick man.

So why in god’s name am I thinking of learning how to draw at this ripe age?

Why not.

As with so many things in my life, I stumble upon something and decide on the spot that I want to give it a go. It’s in my DNA. My mom was like this so she can either take credit or blame.

I posted a picture the other day on Facebook (“Len, you post a picture almost everyday.”). I went on a skidoo ride across Wakem Bay with some colleagues. We stopped at one point as the sun was setting. The scenery was jaw dropping and the atmosphere was very serene. I received many comments about the photo and wondered if I could ever draw this image. The next thing you know, I was messaging our art teacher, Zina who agreed to try to do the impossible – teach me how to draw.

The combination of Zina and St. Jude just might give me a fighting chance. My first effort is shown above.

Speaking of drawing, I continue to draw inspiration from my late brother, Tom. He was like mom in many ways. He was tenacious with boundless energy and enthusiasm. There is NOTHING that he wouldn’t try. In the last few years of his cancer shortened life, he decided that he wanted to learn to play piano. He took weekly lessons, and I had the pleasure of hearing him play a few pieces at his home in Victoria. As the cancer progressed, playing with both hands became impossible so he played with one.

I do believe that learning something new in our senior years is good for the mind, the heart, and the soul. I do not expect to become a good artist. As a matter of fact, even if there is an anti-aging pill, I don’t expect to be competent ever. But who cares? Exactly. No one! But that’s not the point of this. I believe that our brain needs to be constantly challenged. Of course, I can hear many of you chuckling as you know that my brain has been challenged for a very long time!

So, here is my New Year’s challenge. Try something new. You might find a new passion. It is either that or continue drawing stick men.

And now, for something completely different.

I am trying to control my outrage and nausea. Democracy is under threat from all sides. I won’t dare touch the situation south of the border. A great empire is in a free fall.

My wrath is squarely directed at some politicians in our country who have created another pandemic, one rooted in mistrust and cynicism. Sadly, this is not a new virus. Entitlement has been around for a long time. One former politician famously stated, “I am entitled to my entitlements.” The unmitigated gall of some politicians to flagrantly abuse their power by opting out of all the health guidelines imposed on us ordinary Joes by travelling abroad while those of us at home can’t properly bury our dead or celebrate the birth of a new grandchild… or visit our ailing and despairing family member in a nursing home. The hubris of these individuals is gob smacking. They only apologize when they get caught which is as sickening as their transgressions.

Thank god we have the media to ferret out these rats.

Sorry. But I just had to get this off my chest.

Have a great weekend.