Posted on June 27, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Mother Nature- Let it Bee

 

“To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.”

 Pearl S. Buck

I am increasingly fascinated with the concept of the arts as a tool for healing. I attended an interesting presentation a few nights ago sponsored by Arts Health Antigonish (AHA!). AHA! is a collaboration between artists, educators and health care workers. https://www.artshealthantigonish.org/

Antigonish’s very own Dr.John Graham-Pole pioneered this concept at the University of Florida. Two local health care administrators went to Gainesville, Florida recently to spend a few intense weeks hearing about the work at the renowned Shands Hospital. More and more health care practitioners are discovering the healing power of art, music and poetry among many other art forms.

The local AHA! Group has been working very hard in recent years to foster the arts in healing. Our community is blessed with an abundance of very talented artistic people who can provide these services. Antigonish was one of the first small communities in the province to hire a music therapist in our Regional Hospital and the results of this initiative are impressive. Many studies have shown that music not only distracts people from their pain and discomfort but can actually be a pain reduction tool. When you think of the cost of medicine, surely music, art and poetry are amongst the cheapest and most effective drugs.

I have some firsthand experience. I spend five afternoons a week at one of our local nursing homes providing music. Yes, I sing lots of songs ranging from old war tunes, to gospel and country and western. Even a bit of Pearl Jam! But the arts provide much more than just a performance. It’s about connection, storytelling and just being present. Many of the residents have suffered memory loss. I am thrilled when I see the faces of a room full of elderly people light up when they recognize the music of their youth.

I am luckier than most. My work career was diverse and satisfying. It would be a stretch to say that I absolutely loved my jobs. But at the age of 67, I have found true joy doing something I absolutely love.

Pearl S. Buck has it mostly right. It’s just that I’m not sure if I’ve discovered the fountain of youth!

I was wandering around the Farmer’s Market last weekend and bumped into a friend, a vendor at the market. She asked me a surprising question: “What do you think about on your long walks?” I was tempted to say that the air passes effortlessly through my head which is partially true!

Here’s what I told her. I pay close attention to nature… sights, sounds and smells. I sing a lot. I think about everyday stuff. I am consciously grateful. I get a lot of my story ideas when I walk. It’s a great time for reflection too when you’re my age. When you’re in the trenches like you are with a family and work, you have plenty to think about without having the luxury of goofing off and daydreaming.

I absolutely loved her response. “I am constantly thinking ahead and where I want my life to go. I need to learn to be still sometimes, that too is where walking helps me. Nature just makes you feel more centred and connected to Mother Earth and if you listen she will let you in on some great words of wisdom.”

Wouldn’t you agree that my friend’s answer was much more insightful than mine?

Focusing strictly on your surroundings on a walk is, I believe, a form of meditation. It calms the mind and is very soothing.

Have a great Canada Day weekend.

 

Posted on June 20, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Hats off to Canada

 

Why Canada matters.

I’m always suspicious of ratings because many times, the people doing the survey have a vested interest. A recent study out of the U.S. had over 20,000 responses from 36 countries who were asked to score 80 countries on a number of attributes. Canada ranked third overall as one of the best countries in the world in which to live and was also ranked #1 for overall quality of life.

Justifiably, we might want to puff up our chests a little bit and take a bow. But we know, our country is far from perfect.

I did my own small unscientific study on my recent walk across Spain. The Camino gave me an opportunity to meet people from all over the world and to fly our flag. I had a bag of Canadian pins and passed them out with pride. Probably the most excited people to receive this small trinket were a group of high school students who interviewed me in the great plaza at Santiago de Compostela. They were anxious to hear about my Camino experience and asked me several insightful and thoughtful questions.

Before leaving for Spain, my good friend Eva affixed a Canadian flag patch to the back of my Tilley hat. I realize that this might be passé in 2019 but I’m kind of passé so I didn’t think that anyone would be terribly offended.

I walk quickly and more often than not, I was passing people on the trail. I would be courteous while in the passing lane, wishing one and all the standard Camino greeting: “Hola. Buen Camino”. Very often when I would be ten feet past, I would hear “Oh, you’re from Canada.”

This would invariably spark a discussion as we quizzed each other about our citizenship and shared stories of common interest. One thing I did discover is that most of the folks I met on the road were very much like me… except with more hair! They seemed to share the same wants and needs, goals and aspirations. Most people spoke highly of our home and native land. A long history of being peace keepers has kept us as a good global citizen.

But we shouldn’t be too smug and start celebrating our international reputation too quickly. We have a couple of nagging problems. Actually, they are very serious and disturbing issues. For a country built by immigrants, there are parts of our country, even in our own back yard, that continue to exhibit racist tendencies. Our great national disgrace is our repeated failure to properly address the myriad problems with our First Nations people.

Part two of this problem is xenophobia which is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange.

Unlike many parts of the world, immigrants and refugees are not streaming across our borders. Our governments have programs in place to welcome newcomers. Make no mistake about it. We need more immigrants as birth rates plummet and with an aging population.

So, why is it that many Canadians are happy to take a swipe at people who don’t look like us or share many of our cultural practices?

This is a head scratcher. Anytime someone takes a broadside at an immigrant, my standard response is quite simple. “Where did your people come from originally?” Yes, you might be a fourth or fifth generation Canadian but somewhere along the line, your ancestors traveled from some other part of the world to start a new life.

Diversity makes us rich.

If we are going to continue our lofty position as one of the great countries in which to live, we need to be more tolerant and understanding.

Make no mistake. This is a great country with natural beauty, vast resources and solid values.

But we still have work to do.

Have a great weekend.

 

Posted on June 13, 2019 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Here’s a toast to walking!

 

“A vigorous five mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.” Paul D. White

“Oh no,” you’re probably saying. “Is this guy going to talk again about the benefits of walking?”

Yup.

For a very long time, I have espoused the benefits of walking in this space. I will try my hardest not to be preachy but the longer I live and the more I walk, I happen to feel that it is the perfect form of exercise. You don’t need a personal trainer or a gym pass. You don’t need high tech gear. You just need to have the ability to put one foot in front of the other.

Do you want to lose 10 pounds in a month without starving yourself? It is not only possible but quite likely. There’s a small catch. You have to walk 700 kilometers. Part way through my Camino walk, I had to go down a notch on my belt. I found this rather surprising. Long distance walking requires an incredible amount of fuel. Solids and liquids.

I ate sensibly part of the time but I can’t remember a time when I shoved more garbage into my mouth than the Camino. I was eating Mars bars at 8:00 in the morning and beer late morning. When you walk 6-8 hours a day, you can’t seem to get enough food into your body. I did drink gallons of water which is crucial even on days when it wasn’t hot.

So, all of this sort of makes sense but something happened over 25 days which has left me shaking my head. I am aging (not very graciously) and am the proud owner of two fairly annoying arthritic conditions, back and neck. So ponder this. Does it make any sense for someone with a bad back to walk in excess of 700 kilometers carrying a 15 pound backpack to finish the journey with no back pain?

Over the past 7 years I have seen every conceivable medical practitioner. I have been poked and prodded. I have had acupuncture and cortisone shots. I have tried any number of medical marijuana and legal marijuana products and none have given me much relief.

I don’t have a plausible answer but somehow I think that being upright and moving the body regularly during the day has somehow changed the dynamics of my spine. Could it be that my core got stronger? Is it possible that other back sufferers could benefit from more walking and less drugs? I also think that with a backpack that is so perfectly designed, it actually forced me into better posture.

It’s all a great mystery but I plan to test my theory by increasing my daily mileage and avoid sitting for long periods of time.

Like anyone else who has experienced a big high, I am feeling the aftermath of the Camino. Reality is not nearly as fascinating as fantasy. I wouldn’t say that I feel low but the adrenaline has returned to normal levels. My one saving grace is that I now get to relive my great adventure by writing a book about it. I have started and normally that’s the hardest step.

I have also decided to learn Spanish so that if I decide to return to Spain next year (a distinct possibility), I will be able to communicate with Spanish speaking people who don’t speak English.

I’m a big fan of lifelong learning. And walking.

Arriba. Abajo. Al centro. Y para dentro!

Have a great weekend.