CONNECTING
I’ve been watching the squirrels for a month, and their fervour in
gathering foodstuffs is telling me we’re in for a tough winter. The Farmers’
Almanac echoes that warning, and I’ve seen several news articles and
tweets that refer to Polar Vortex 2.0. The fact that there were snow flurries
– just a few – on Halloween night only reinforces my desire to batten down
the hatches and hunker down for the duration.
Technically, November is still autumn, but it certainly carries with it a
winter frame of mind. The garden lies untended, desolate, and the patio
furniture has all been stowed away. Bright sunny days beckon me
outdoors, and frosty air sends me running back inside for a toque. There
are still a few stubborn rose blooms clinging to the vines, while the
neighbours are stringing Christmas lights and local talk radio debates
whether it’s too early to put up the Christmas tree. Putting together this
issue of The Hub, we were gathering info on Santa parades before we’d
even carved a jacko-lantern.
But the one thing the month does stand for is remembrance.
Canadians have been observing Remembrance Day since the end of the
First World War, marking the time of the Armistice at the eleventh hour on
the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. It’s the day we pause,
however briefly, on our way from here to there to think about, and honour,
the brave men and women who have lain down their lives for our country
and our values in conflicts around the world. It’s a sombre time, one that
isn’t exactly “celebrated” but is cherished nonetheless.
Like so many, I spent October 22 watching events in Ottawa unfold
with horror. With children living, working and studying just kilometres
from Parliament Hill, worry hit close to home. Knowing that at least two of
my students are Canadian Forces veterans, I worried about their reaction
to the senseless murder of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo. And in my classes of young
journalists, we talked about things like terror, freedom and national pride.
On November 11, we will remember the fallen; not just those from
previous generations but all those of the past 100 years. We will express
our gratitude for the sacrifice they’ve made, and that many are still
making on our behalf every day. And perhaps we’ll be inspired to take a
little extra time this November to reach out and connect with those who
are right beside and around us – in our neighbourhoods, our communities
and our homes.
As I write this column, I'm still processing the results of our local
election as well as the allegations levied against a respected radio and
television journalist. Social media is abuzz with finger pointing, "I told you
sos" and "I knew it all alongs."
The world we live in always has been and always will be full of
surprises. True, we can reasonably predict the course of daily events. The
sun always rises, we need to eat when hungry and sleep when tired. We'll
have good days and bad days and we'll win some and lose some. But some
losses are so profound that even the expectation that things will not always
go our way does not prepare us for the impact.
On a crisp and sunny morning, a young man standing guard at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is gunned down in cold blood. It may have
happened in a city hundreds of kilometres away, but when something that
senseless happens, every city is our city and every young life is that of our
own. Those that work as first responders and deal with crises on a daily
basis know that life is tenuous. The rest of us are lucky enough to be able
to pretend that we don't. Until moments like these, we carry on and take
for granted all that can be gone in an instant.
What it all boils down to is that we as human beings are not that
great with change. Ironically, it's the one thing we can count on and it's the
one thing we have most trouble with. You'd think that after millions of
years our coping mechanisms would have genetically predisposed us to
take it more in stride. No such luck.
It has been an unsettling fall for us as a nation and as a city. A new
administration, a reminder that all that glitters is not gold and a profound
example of why we shouldn't take anything for granted has been tossed in
our laps at a time when the changing of the seasons is already playing
havoc with our ordered lives. At times like this it helps to also remember
that new administrations bring with them new perspectives, new energy
and potential for positive change. Celebrities that fall from grace remind
us that they too are only human and to be human means that we all will
err. Senseless acts of violence prod us to become aware of human frailty
and the need to cherish every single moment.
.
Shelle