Posted on April 30, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

Peeling back the layers of my life

 

“Are you reelin’ in the years?

Stowin’ away the time.”

Reelin’ in the Years – Steely Dan

At the ripe old age of 73, my mind is not as sharp as it once was. I’m starting to forget names far too frequently. Sometimes I find it hard to recreate events of the previous week and worst of all, going into a room in my apartment and forgetting what I was going there for. The only thing that keeps me from being unduly alarmed is that most of my friends are experiencing many of the same things. No matter what tactics we employ, like doing crosswords or playing chess, it is inevitable that Father Time is catching up with us.

With this backdrop, why would anyone in their right mind choose to write their memoirs? Who said that I was in my right mind?!

I have been pondering writing my autobiography for a long time. Having written seven books, one of my goals was to pen 10 books by the time I turned 80. I reckoned that writing my memoirs would be an easy one – a “layup” in basketball jargon.

Stop the presses.

I didn’t play organized basketball but when I did, I missed plenty of layups. I can’t think of many pursuits that don’t require effort and diligence.

If I couldn’t remember the name of a high school classmate or what I had for supper last night, how in the hell was I going to capture memories over a lifetime? Like they say, if you’re going to eat an elephant, you’re going to have to take it small bites at a time.

As one might expect, I decided to do this book in chronological order. “Start at the beginning” is a good mantra for a project such as this.

Luckily, I had a lot of memorabilia to draw from including journals, old newspaper clippings, and a large collection of photo albums, to jog my memory. We’re all different and unique. Some people remember periods of their life with absolute clarity while other periods draw a blank. I had vague memories of my early childhood but once I reached the age of 10, I was firing on all cylinders.

One of the many luxuries of growing up in a big family is that I have siblings who are older, who remember things from when I was very young. I tapped into their storytelling prowess and picked up many nuggets that will appear in the book. Who can forget the “sick room” where Friars Balsam cooked on a hot plate bringing comfort to an ailing child?

Progressing through the years, I was able to reach out to schoolmates and university friends to backfill some of my stories and now that my narrative is taking place in the early 2000’s, I have my own children to tell their stories and fill in the blanks.

So far, this has been a fascinating and rewarding experience. While these are technically my stories, many of them are your stories, as many of my readers grew up in the same era.

I was chugging along nicely until I had my unfortunate accident of April 5^th, breaking my right arm, my dominant arm. Dealing with the pain has been one thing but living a left-handed existence has been challenging to say the least. But when these challenges arise, we adapt because we must. Under no circumstances could I contemplate writing on my laptop for the first 10 days of my confinement, but now that I’m progressing and have made adaptations, I’m back at it, full steam ahead.

Not everybody is a writer, but everyone has a story to tell. I think everyone should write their memoirs in one fashion or another. It doesn’t have to be a book. Even jogging down random memories in a scribbler would suffice.

I’m hoping that writing will keep my brain sharp for years to come.

Now , if I could only remember why I made a trip to my bedroom a few minutes ago!

“Memories

Light the corners of my mind,

Misty water- colored memories,

Of the way we were.”

The Way We Were – Barbra Streisand

Have a great weekend.

Posted on April 15, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with 2 comments

 

You scratch my back…

 

Life is one long, continuous learning curve.

A week and a half ago, I suffered a rather nasty injury. I tripped on a curb and landed hands free on the sidewalk in front of Sobey’s. It was quite the scene. Only loyal Sobey’s customers will get the double entendre. I’m on the mend but it is going to require time and patience.

Besides the pain, the worst part of this is missing my students. The 600 or so students at SAJS are like family to me. I like being around young people. They give me energy and hope in a world filled with chaos and despair these days. One egotistical, self-absorbed, bloviating, boorish, braggart who is the epitome of narcissism, has the entire world gasping at his stupidity and his ability to do untold harm.

When you have lots of time on your hands, you tend to think a lot. This is quite dangerous if you are a grumpy 73-year-old man! I have tried to read during the past 10 days, but the combination of pain and pain medication has left my powers of concentration wanting. The Masters golf tournament last week was a wonderful distraction. I have consciously tried to avoid watching the news. There’s only so much pain a person can endure. I have been watching a wonderful series on CBC Gem called The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

My big writing project has stalled. I was on such a great role. It’s bad enough trying to hunt and peck with one good hand, but when you are reduced to typing with your left hand, the non-dominant one, the task becomes daunting.

I am not the most tech savvy person in the universe, but I was aware of voice to text. I tried the dictation feature on Microsoft Word and wasn’t totally enamored. Then I tried Google Docs which was marginally better, but I soon discovered that typing and speaking operate in different pathways in the brain. I simply can’t compose sentences while speaking into a microphone. So here I am, hunting and pecking with my left hand. At the clip I’m going, I reckon that I should finish my autobiography by 2030, or I could just skip the last 30 years of my life!

I can’t say enough of the kindness of my family, my neighbors, and my friends. Everyone has been so supportive, and I want to acknowledge all of the messages that I have received, along with an abundance of food.

I had a visit from Continuing Care last week. As you can well imagine, these folks are run off their feet. I was extremely grateful for their visit, as I risked eviction from my apartment building if someone hadn’t come to wash my armpits. I learned how to put on a shirt, and I will receive a shower aid from the Red Cross.

I travelled to New Glasgow last Friday to meet with an orthopedic surgeon. I can’t say enough about the experience. Everything ran on time and every person I dealt with was super helpful and professional. I was very fortunate to be accompanied by my daughter, Ellie, who took copious notes. Before meeting the surgeon, I had an intake interview with a fracture liaison Registered Nurse. I never knew that there was such an individual, but this person deals almost exclusively with fractures to the arms and hips. She was extremely helpful, and she laid out the next steps in the process.

I had a nice chat with Dr.Prassad. I had met him several years ago and wrote a story about his journey from India to Antigonish. I was relieved to learn that I wouldn’t require surgery. A few more months in a sling and 4 months until I completely recover. Sadly, this will prohibit me from participating in the Scottish heavy events at the Highland Games this summer!

I was fitted with a new sling which is comfortable and brilliant in its simplicity.

I remain grateful. My injuries could have been much worse. I’m receiving great care.

I won’t be strumming my guitar any time soon.

Life is good.

I’m armed with a new sling and a better attitude.

Have a great Easter weekend.

Posted on April 9, 2025 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with one comment

Time for some new threads

 

This is a humorous story, but it is no laughing matter.

When you’re older you tend to be more cautious. Getting in and out of the shower is a balancing act. You pay more attention when you’re walking up and down stairs. Even getting out of bed is an act of faith. Many seniors are prisoners in their own home in the wintertime when the sidewalks get icy. Once we were young and surefooted. Now we are old, and the only certainty is that we’ll make at least one trip to the bathroom during the night, being careful that we don’t trip on our slippers or the cat.

Having had three knee surgeries and one shoulder surgery, I tend to be extra cautious. I survived two, 800-kilometer walks across Spain, occasionally over rocky and mountainous terrain. I walked to and from school all winter on snowy and icy sidewalks with nary a spill. For an old fart, I consider myself reasonably agile.

Or so I thought.

Last Saturday, was like many others. I was on the go early. I had my morning coffee and a slice of raisin toast and watched a sports recap. Then I stood at my computer and wrote for nearly three hours. I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. Walking along the new walkway that runs parallel to the former Trans-Canada highway, I got a call from Lawton’s Drug Store to go and pick up a prescription for a friend. I told the pharmacist that I would be there in two minutes as I was just about at Sobey’s.

I stubbed my toe on the curb in Sobey’s parking lot, and before I could say ~@#$%&* I was on the ground, writhing in pain. Of course, my yelping instantly drew a crowd of curious onlookers. The moment I hit the sidewalk, I knew I had broken something in my upper arm. Someone called 911. The manager and two staff members who had first aid training were on the scene quickly and did their best to quell my screams so as not to frighten off customers! Seriously, they were wonderful and kept me warm until the ambulance arrived.

When I look back on this day, there are many things for which I am grateful. First of all, I was extremely grateful that it only took the ambulance 15 minutes to arrive. Secondly, I was attended to by Greg Gilroy and Colin Greene, two of the nicest and most competent paramedics one could hope for in trying times. They scraped me off the sidewalk, and put me in the back of the toasty warm ambulance. They were incredibly professional and went through their well-rehearsed procedures. Of course, I was salivating for some good drugs to alleviate the pain.

They had no choice but to cut off my winter coat and my long-sleeved running shirt which I’ve had for more than 20 years. Both of these items were due for replacement so now I have the impetus to get of my arse, and make these purchases.

They put a port in my hand (no, not that kind of port, silly!), and within a few minutes, they were administering pain killers.

Greg and Colin warned me that the worst part was to come – the drive to the hospital. The streets aren’t in the best shape in spring and every little bump radiated sharp pain. When we were about to cross the train tracks, they told me to take a deep breath.

They delivered me in one piece to St. Martha’s Hospital. We had a few laughs during this whole ordeal. They were great guys, and I owe them a debt of gratitude.

The third thing for which I am grateful is that we have a Regional Hospital in our community. The level of care that I received from the moment I was wheeled into the building was nothing short of exceptional. I will spare you all the details, but I could not have received better care. The diagnosis was a broken humerus bone in my upper arm. If that doesn’t tickle your funny bone, nothing will.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the help and support of my daughter, Betsy and her partner, Terry. They stayed with me the whole time.

The fourth thing for which I’m grateful is that this accident could have been much worse. We older folks have very few fears. Breaking a hip would be near the top of the list. A concussion might be tied for first. Running out of red wine, a close third!

I’m not going to suggest that this was a picnic. Anyone who has suffered an injury knows that the second day is as bad, if not worse when the adrenalin rush and the effects of morphine have worn off.

I certainly wasn’t looking for a pity party when I posted the picture of me in the hospital, but your messages of support were very much appreciated. I am grateful to have so many friends.

I won’t be strumming my guitar any time soon and won’t be back in the classroom until I can dress myself!

Have a great weekend.

P.S. Having to use my left hand is challenging. A bidet might be my next purchase!