I have been Canadian for all sixty-six of my years. Canada is not everything that I was taught to believe. Canada is not what it once was. Regardless, I am beyond fortunate to be Canadian and to live in this safe and bountiful and beautiful country. Today, I chose to share some words of wisdom from and about Canada.
“When I am in Canada, I feel this is what the world should be like.”
– Jane Fonda
“Canadian pride may not rest on our sleeves, but it resides deeply in our hearts.”
– Steve Miller
“We have it all. We have great diversity of people, we have a wonderful land, and we have great possibilities. So all those things combined, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
– Bob Rae
“On a positive note, I haven’t seen a mosquito for months.”
– Every Canadian from November to May 🇨🇦
“If you don’t think that your country should come before yourself, you can best serve your country by livin’ somewhere else.”
– Stompin Tom Connors (Canadian singer/song writer)
“You can’t buy happiness but you can live in Canada and that’s pretty much the same thing.”
Patience and diligence, like faith, removes mountains.
– William Penn
There is no doubt great wisdom in those few words, if I had any mountains causing me grief. What I have are molehills, those little bumps in the road that one encounters on a regular basis in life.
These past few days, there have been more molehills than road. Doctor appointments, nausea inducing antibiotics, and an oven that decided it was done doing what ovens ought to do, yesterday – just as I had a pan of brownies that needed some oven time.
Fortunately, we just bought a toaster oven. But since one cannot put a pyrex pan in a toaster oven, I transferred the brownie mix to a pan that came with the oven. A pan which is obviously not built for brownies. I buttered the hell out of it and hoped for the best.
Baking brownies
I don’t know if these are the BEST brownies I ever baked but they are pretty good. Getting them out of the pan was NOT – not good atall. I have no idea where the butter went but it was definitely gone. I’m not sure if it was the battle getting the pan to give up the brownies, or if it was the nauseating antibiotics I am on, but I had heart palpitations for the rest of the day yesterday. 🙄
But, today is a new day! I got up, tossed back another antibiotic and Dan and I set out to purchase a new stove. We went through three stores and ended up with a choice of one stove that is in stock and semi close to what we want. When did it get so difficult to buy a new stove? At the last store I seriously considered a stainless steel gas range BUT – we would have had to buy a new fridge to match it. We checked sixteen fridges and there was not one that was relatively normal and functional. Dan liked the one with a digital front panel that would show the contents of the fridge at the touch of a button. 👍
Actually, what struck me in that store, was that half of the floor models looked like they had fallen off the transport truck and been dragged through the parking lot. One stove had the oven handle ripped off, one fridge had a huge dent and scrape on the face of it, another fridge had a latch that was inoperable. I wasn’t comfortable buying anything there. I have no idea why their appliances were such a mess. It was not a discount store by any means.
So, we are back at home. I checked a few more stores online. I found one stove that was doable and it can be delivered as soon as – next March! Apparently, appliances have become the latest casualty of the pandemic. 🤦
That’s is it for today! We are still in the market for a stove with a working oven. We will no doubt find one to serve our purposes in the days to come. One more molehill down.
Today, I was going to write a post filled with the wisdom that comes with aging and retirement. However, as so often happens in these laissez faire days of my retirement, I wandered off course on my internet search for suitable quotes.
So, without further ado, in the words of the inimitable Phyllis Diller:
You know you’re old when someone compliments you on your alligator shoes and you’re barefoot.
If you don’t have wrinkles, you haven’t laughed enough.
I never made ‘Who’s Who’ but I’m featured in ‘What’s That’.
You know you’re old if they’ve discontinued your blood type.
The doctor looked over my body. I said: Is there any hope? He said “Yes, reincarnation”.
The best contraceptive for old people is nudity.
You know you’re old when your walker has an airbag.
My mother-in-law had a pain beneath her left breast. Turned out to be a trick knee.
I have so many liver spots, I ought to come with a plate of onions.
I was so wrinkled I could screw my hat on.
And in memory of her youth – in the words of Phyllis Diller:
All I learned at my mother’s knee was that she had a bony knee.
My mother hated me. Once she took me to an orphanage and told me to mingle.
That’s it for today. I hope it brought a smile to your face. 😊 For those too young to remember, Phyllis Diller was a classic with her trademark ‘finger stuck in a light socket hairdo’. She was one of the great ones.
The words of wisdom for today are attributed to Clara Ortega. Unfortunately, I did not discover anything definitive on her, other than she obviously had a deep connection with and appreciation for her siblings, as this was not her only family quote.
“To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other’s hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.
– Clara Ortega
I grew up at a time when there was respect for family, for parents, and for each other as siblings. I have one brother and four sisters, all older than me. My two eldest sisters and my brother were all grown and gone by the time I was eight, but we were family. They returned home frequently, their own families in tow. As we all aged out of the family home, we went our separate ways, but we kept in touch and reunited for weddings, funerals and the like.
My family was not perfect. None of us, as individuals were perfect. But we were family. Nothing could, or would, ever break that bond. We shared joys and grief, chicken pox and measles, family trips, and countless meals. We have had our fair share of disagreements, feuds and the like. But we forgave and we moved on. We were separated by distance or circumstances, but in our hearts we were always family. Even now, our parents and our family, lives on.
We share family jokes and family memories. Who could ever forget the feasts that Mother would prepare, the jigsaw puzzles that we assembled together, the countless Scrabble Games, or badminton matches, the Christmas that little Brigette plugged in the wagon lamp? (The cord was not yet attached to the lamp. 😬). Or, the day the wheel fell off Lorraine’s car, to be followed by the wayward boiled eggs falling off of Mother’s kitchen cupboard. (I can’t believe she found that more annoying than humourous. 🤭 ). We all remember midnight masses, family evening prayers, and weekday masses where us girls wore makeshift ‘hats’. In recent years, I found one of those ‘hats’ preserved in the family bible. 😂. We share a lifetime of memories unique to our family, because they were shared as family.
Thank you Clara Ortega, for reminding me of my family, all family – parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews. Thank you for reminding me of a past filled with stories of ancestors and family history.
Today, there are so many who place little to no value on family. There are too many who would rather go it alone, than accept the past, resolve differences, forgive and move on. There are too many families that have been torn apart by those who were welcomed into the family. It is hard to believe that there will ever be Peace on Earth, while so many families remain angry, indifferent, abandoned and estranged.
That is it for today. As always, all comments are welcome and appreciated.
I could not possibly devote a month to highlighting wisdom, without devoting at least one day to the great Albert Einstein! Albert Einstein was the German theoretical physicist best known for his theory of relativity (E=MC2). He is also celebrated for his genius intellect and tremendous sense of humor.
I could not settle for one Einstein quote, so I am sharing three of my many favourites.
“Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live it’s whole life believing it is stupid.”
– Albert Einstein
So true! I grew up in small town Saskatchewan where sports is everything. Athletes are the be all and end all! I went through the educational system at the top of my class academically. I came out of the educational system believing I was stupid because I was constantly harassed since I couldn’t (still can’t) throw a ball and ran (still run) like a drunk penguin.
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it.
– Albert Einstein
Either I understand math or I have an especially bright grandson. Driving him home from school recently, Dom told me that two days equals 28 hours because two times 4 is 8, so 24 plus 24 is 28. (We have odd random conversations while I drive 🙄). I told him that two days is 48 hours because he also has to multiply the 20 times 2. I expected an argument, but he agreed that I was indeed correct and that he had to multiply the 20. 💞
“Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity; and I am not sure about the universe.”
– Albert Einstein
Let’s just go with a window to the infinite universe. 🙂
* Many words of wisdom have been attributed to Guatama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. According to Bodhipaksa, a popular Buddhist teacher, this quote often attributed to Buddha, is not a true Budhha quote. Bodhipaksa has determined that this quote is actually one by Eknath Easwaran who was paraphrasing Buddha’s teachings on anger and karma in his book “To Know Me is To Love Me. The Bhagavad Gita For Daily Living Vol. 3. ”
You will not be punished for your anger. You will be punished by your anger.
– Eknath Easwaran
This is definitely one of those quotes that resonates with me. Anger is such a destructive, exhausting emotion. Yet, there seems to be so many people who are often, and even typically, angry these days. I do not understand why – I do not understand the motivation or the pay off. I do not understand why they believe that their anger is worth the price.
I have seen any number of angry people in my day. I have seen ‘adults’ throw infantile tantrums, make violent threats, and heard them say terrible hateful hurtful things. I have seen such people pay the consequences, for their anger. I have seen them drive away loved ones, destroy their businesses, ruin their careers, damage their own personal possessions, cause accidents, and create chaos in their own lives.
I can see that being angry is punishment, in and of itself. Yet, when people get angry they will do or say anything to justify their anger. And… Anger is not only tolerated in our society, it is often condoned or encouraged. Why? It is detrimental to everyone including, and especially those who are angry.
I have my own self-destructive issues, but I am seldom, if ever, angry. Occasionally annoyed, befuddled or the like – but seldom angry. I really do not understand why people so often resort to anger. Am I missing something?
That is it for today. As always, all comments are welcome and appreciated.
Today’s ‘words of wisdom’ come from Japanese writer Haruka Murakami.
“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm is all about.”
– Haruka Murakami (Kafka on the Shore)
In my mind, that is what all of life’s storms are about – to change us.
My mother used to tell me “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. At the time, I thought she was literally talking about death and I would think ‘Just kill me already’. 🙄 As time went on and I saw my experiences and the experiences of others from a distance, I realized she was talking about becoming a survivor and thriving or giving up and being left broken.
Through my life, I have been through many storms. Inevitably,the storms have helped me to survive and thrive. Sadly, I have seen others who did not fare as well. I don’t know why I was one of the fortunate ones. I do credit the example set by my father, who had amazing strength in overcoming adversity – humor, integrity, perseverance and more. I also credit my mother and her many other favourite phrases, such as “If you want to whine, I’ll give you something to whine about!”. 😧 Failure was never an option in my mother’s family – we were brought into this world to survive the storms and thrive.
I love these words by Haruka Murakami. They ring true for me, especially now. For a couple of years now, we have been caught up in this global pandemic. Worst in my mind, has been the ongoing efforts to ‘protect’ everyone from the stress and mental anguish of this passing storm. It might change us. And it just might change us for the better. It might make us stronger. That is what such storms are all about. (Note: I am not callous or un-compassionate to those who’s lives have been devastated by Covid. My intention is NOT to minimize their pain and grief , loss and sacrifice in any way. 💞)
But for most of us, this storm has been, more than anything, an opportunity for change. For most of us this storm has been an opportunity to become stronger – more patient, more kind, more compassionate, more grateful – as individuals, families, communities and as mankind as a whole.
Once this storm has passed, there will be those who will have survived and thrived and there will be those who gave up and are left broken. Most unfortunate in my mind, are those who will come through oblivious that there was a storm – those who were coddled and carried and sheltered from the storm.
After the storm
That is my thoughts for the day. As always, feel free to comment below.
Today marks the beginning of a new month. For me, that means an opportunity to shift gears and take my blog in a new direction. For November, I have decided to focus my attention on WISDOM. Wisdom is obviously an infinite subject, but I will learn and share of it what I can for the next thirty days.
Searching for the actual meaning of wisdom, I found that the information from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary resonated the most with me.
Excerpt from the Merriam Webster Dictionary –foundhere
As noted in previous posts, I am fascinated by those brilliant souls who provide us with quips and quotes that bring clarity to our lives. One of such sources for myself and countless others is Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, politician, and teacher who lived from 551 to 479 BC. His goal in life was to create a peaceful society where people could live happier and more fulfilling lives. To this end, Confucius spread his message of knowledge, benevolence, loyalty, and virtue. Fortunately for all of us, his words have been passed down to us through the generations. While his goal for a peaceful society has yet to be realized, we can still work towards it by studying and following his teachings.
By three methods may we learn wisdom: First by reflection, which is noblest; Second by imitation, which is easiest; And third by experience, which is bitterest.
– Confucius
When Confucius spoke these words, I wonder if he realized that twenty five centuries later, we would still be contemplating them. I wonder if he knew that we would still be: ‘Too busy’ for noble reflection; Taking the easy way out by trying to imitate the likes of him; And for the most part, cussing and carrying on about the experiences that life holds for us because we do not take the first two options.
That is my deep thoughts for the day. As always, feel free to comment below!
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 