Holiday Merci

For 2021 I would like to thank:

* My brother Don and his wife, Joanne, for making life a lot more interesting.

* My cousin, Terry, who died just before Christmas but was always appreciative of my poetry

*  My good Ottawa friend and confidant who, without knowing it, has helped keep me sane

*  My 3 kids and their spouses who worry about me and make feel all is good

*  My friend and editor, Sid, without whom The Gate would never have happened

*  Two contributors, Denise and Marianne, who brought laughter to the table and to poet, Drae, who brought us youth

*  To an amazing carpenter/teacher,  Mark "the genius"who has improved our family greatly

*  To Boyd, Ken, Faye, Lonnie and Edie for their inspired union work. Support them in 2022

*  To Von for keeping me a jordan

*  Finally to all my Loyal readers who have looked at my stuff 131,113 times.

thank you all.  Season's best wishes

Slip sliding away

 I used to enjoy winter.  For those in warmer climes, I am here to tell you there is no better winter activity than running 3 miles in a blizzard.  Of course, you would want to guage the amount of snow on the ground, too deep, you risk injury; so you put up with 6" to 10" and to avoid getting lost, you stay within the city lights and on familiar roads.  Your workout will double in intensity over half your usual route.

That was then, this is now.

I took a taxi to my dentist's office and, when finished, I realized I didn't have my wallet (with credit card) or my cell phone.  No taxi home!  Not wishing to disrupt a busy office, I decided to walk to my son's home about 3/4 of a mile away where, I hoped, I would find my daughter-in-law in her home office.  Shouldn't be a problem.  His house was on my former 3 mile blizzard run.  Piece of cake.  The depth of the snow was minimal and in some cases, the homeowner had cleared the sidewalk down to pavement.  

"Yes," I thought, the walk will do me good.

A nagging doubt crossed my mind.  "You idiot!   You weren't affected by PD during the blizzard years."

I had gone about 150 yards when my legs got stiff.

"Idiot!!!" I began to walk like Frankenstein.

"Idiot!!!!" I refused the negative aura punishing my brain and I pushed on.  I was about a half block from my sanctum sanctorum when a woman came toward me.  I must have looked like Frankenstein or  rather, a crazed version of the monster.  I could sense her fear.

She crossed the street to where a man was standing.  I could make out a few words.  They were talking about me, their eyes keeping track of me.

"He's.....(mumble)...,"  I knew they were talking about me.

I stopped to look around to figure out how far I had to go....when it happened.  I slipped.

I fell.

"He has fallen!" the woman cried out and she and the man rushed over to help me.

"Are you hurt?" the man asked as he and the woman helped me up.

I thanked both of them for their assistance and promised I was not hurt.  I explained I had but a few houses to go and after much reassurance they decided I was OK to walk.  

I stumbled to my son's home and thankfully my daughter-on-law was there.  I sat down.  She brought me water.  We chatted and she drove me home.

Family!  Does it get any better?

After 3/4 of a mile full of negative thoughts, my family thoughts brought me the positively of family.

And that is where I dwell today.

Family!  Can it get any better?   

Mind you, my walking in winter days are over.  Much to my family's relief.

Thinking can be dangerous

I seem to have met numerous victims of PD, some in better shape than I, others in worse.  The problem is I am starting to think I belong with the worse side.  I snap out of it by thinking positively.  

Negative thoughts are very rude, popping in, as they do, in my moments of  halcyon daydreaming.

Remember the 60's ballad....."What a day for a daydream; custom made for daydreaming boy".  That's me.  I can get lost in a daydream so I find it offensive when negative thoughts try to invade my space.  What to do?  What to do?

Well, the author, Stephen Richards, wrote, "It is not alway possible to do away with negative thinking, but with persistence and practice, one can gain mastery over them so that they do not take the upper hand:           

You have to declare war on your negativity!  If you recognize a negative thought, banish it with a positive one.   Using an athletics approach, park it.  Go to a nearby object, put one hand on the object, and say aloud to the object "I am parking this negativity on you, I have no use for it."

Hokey right? Yes, but if you immediately think positively, you have taken your first step for freedom.

Works for me.