Tag: choices

Mistakes 😵

by annemariedemyen, posted in March 2022

### Warning… Some days I feel the need to vent. This is one of those days. 😉

I live in Saskatchewan. We are one of the largest provinces in Canada by area and we have one of the smallest populations. So far, we are sitting in third place for the number of Covid fatalities per capita in Canada.

Our health facilities have been overwhelmed during every wave of this pandemic. At one point, our ICU’s have been overwhelmed to the point of sending critically ill and dying patients to Ontario, two provinces to our east, for care. For those lucky enough to survive the trauma of being admitted to our hospitals and ICU’s, there is no aftercare to assist in recovery, save what can be found in regular medical clinics, therapists, and the like – which have been overwhelmed by community needs and scaled back to allow for social distancing of clients and staff. There are no special clinics that have been set up to work with those who suffer from long-haul Covid, as has been happening in other jurisdictions in Canada and around the globe. This week, our provincial government released a new budget adding a six per cent provincial tax to gym memberships and services, golf memberships and fees, park fees, sports venues and the like. This, at a time when the cost of eating healthy is rising. This, at a time when adopting and living a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever, if we are to recover and move past this pandemic.

There are people in Saskatchewan who would like to see an official review of what went right and what went wrong during this pandemic, to determine can be done now to best insure that we can deal more efficiently and successfully in the event of future pandemics. Our Premier and his cohorts have vehemently refused to consider any such review.

There was an article in our newspaper this morning, regarding this situation. In it the author noted that there have been mistakes made throughout this pandemic, that should be looked at to insure that they are not repeated.

Why is everything that goes wrong nowadays a mistake or an accident? Whatever happened to decisions and choices? Whatever happened to consequences and accountability? Whatever happened to taking responsibility for the decisions and choices that we make and taking steps to deal with the consequences?

This isn’t just about politics. It is about all of us as parents, professionals, partners, drivers, employers, human beings. The decisions and the choices we all make matter! Even when we decide or choose to do nothing in a situation, it matters. There are consequences that matter. And, none of us are hapless victims. We have the responsibility to make conscious, intelligent, reasonable decisions and choices and we have the power to deal with the consequences when we fail to do so. Life does not get any simpler than that.

Deep breath here. 😌

That is it for today. Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment.

Take care and have a great day. 💞

Advertisement

February 17th – Meditation

by annemariedemyen, posted in Updates - February 2022

The blog post that I chose to review/update today is one from December of 2020.   Meditation has been an ongoing part in my process of going from employment to retirement.   This post is one of a number of posts that I have written on my experiences with meditation in the past couple of years.

https://seclusion101withannemarie.com/2020/12/08/meditation/

My current thoughts on meditation are beautifully expressed by these words spoken by Thich Nhat Hanh…. “Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.”

That is all I have for today. Take care and have a great day!💞

November 2nd – Haruka Murakami

by annemariedemyen, posted in Wisdom - November 2021

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.

Take care and have a great day. 💞