Reactions from from the slings and arrows of VSO are arriving. The absolute funniest HAS to be from my computer guru Chris emailing the following:
He: Gosh. You do get into some scrapes mate. If we promise to start a symphony orchestra or perhaps an ‘Alexis McBride donkey sanctuary’ you can bequeath your immense wealth to me and I can leave Clare and run off with a cheap slag! Xx
Me: Are you calling me a cheap slag? Hahahahaha
I sent Kathleen a serious email thanking her for giving me the courage to confront Mr. Middleton in this blog.
She: Thank you, my pleasure, glad to have assisted in the courage! Vancouver markets itself as a liberal city of expression, arts, culture and inclusiveness, so therefore to have been ousted by the VSO staff person, is a shameful act upon our city. I am sorry that happened to a creative soul like you, I know how much you adore and love great music. I wonder if they would throw out enthusiastic Italian audience members! Perhaps Italian audiences would appreciate your enthusiasm of delightful exuberance!
I so appreciate both Chris and Kathleen. It felt fantastic to stand up for myself. I usually just walk away from such horrors but by doing so somewhat accept the rebuke of others. This time I took a stand and the rebuker becomes the villain, not society, nor fate but merely a man and a misogynist at that.
But onward to more cheery news. NPR Health sent wonderful news on their website. A study conducted by scientists has reported that staying positive is a skill that can be learned and can make a difference in the lives of those living stressful lives.”These skills can definitely help people, no matter what type of stress they are experiencing, even if it is ‘minor’ everyday stress,” says Judith Moskowitx of Northwestern University who developed a course taken by those caring for people with dementia.
Just what are these skills? Here they are:
• Take a moment to identify one positive event each day.
• Tell someone about the positive event or share it on social media. This can help you savor the moment a little longer.
• Start a daily gratitude journal. Aim to find little things you’re grateful for, such as a good cup of coffee, a pretty sunrise or nice weather.
• Identify a personal strength and reflect on how you’ve used this strength today or in recent weeks.
• Set a daily goal and track your progress. “This is based on research that shows when we feel progress towards a goal, we have more positive emotions,” Moskowitz says. The goal should not be too lofty. You want to be able to perceive progress.
• Try to practice “positive reappraisal”: Identify an event or daily activity that is a hassle. Then, try to reframe the event in a more positive light. Example: If you’re stuck in traffic, try to savor the quiet time. If you practice this enough, it can start to become a habit.
• Do something nice for someone else each day. These daily acts of kindness can be as simple as giving someone a smile or giving up your seat on a crowded train. Research shows we feel better when we’re kind to others.
• Practice mindfulness by paying attention to the present moment. You can also try a 10-minute breathing exercise that uses a focus on breathing to help calm the mind.
Many of these tasks I perform daily – my gratitude journal is my blog and writing daily is a goal achieved. I do something for someone every day, I am kind and smile a great deal. I live in the moment, because of my near death experience. I do reframe events – even VSO shunning as it is not practicable to leave my ‘wealth’ to an organization in Vancouver and the mistreatment certainly assisted the severance of that tie.
NAWN and I discussed another skill, staying at the Wedgeewood Hotel – does that ever bring joy! A long conversation with Gloria yesterday. the Director of Housekeeping, dwelt upon her staff, so well trained, preforming their duties with such energy, enthusiasm and joy. Gloria says some of her staff have been here for thirty years. Our conversation veered in this direction. tion.
Me: I am thinking of coming to Vancouver and spending my birthday here at this hotel.
She: You must. You must come and spend it here with your family.
Me: You are going to make me cry but not tears of sorrow.
So my real family – the Dryburgh family is not here for me, nor really has ever been. But I have another family, a chosen family. It is impossible to have both. I am so happy with that choice made, one we all have made. It is not that there are not rotten apples. There is one in the midst of this wondrous family but even the insult of one man was diluted by everyone else. A server who remembers me from my Trump days, the kind and perceptive bartender and a great musician preforming a meaningful medley who was classically trained and played in renowned orchestras.
I do so enjoy laughing with NAWN – we debate who has the best sense of humour. He may just be the winner.
Me: I have a great bath in my room.
He: I am not coming up there. I like my job too much. I am not going to take any chances.
Me: Spoiled sport!
Here is another example of his humour.
He: I am cursed!
Me: In what way?
He: I wake up every morning, look in the mirror and I become more handsome every day.
Me: You are not as handsome as this man, the wallpaper on my phone.
He: Perhaps not!
Me; But you will be in a couple of days.
He; Thank you.
I do laugh. I decided this morning, as I awoke, that I was a vagabond: Itinerant, wandering, nomadic, travelling, ambulatory, mobile, on the move, journeying, roving, roaming, vagrant, transient, floating, migrant, migrating, migratory; refugee, displaced, homeless, rootless; drifting, unsettled, footloose; of no fixed address/abode; archaic errant.
Goodness knows I am roving, transient and floating.
I gifted myself with a bunny for my birthday. I have decided to call him PUN which stands for Pink Ugly Noise. But what is a pun? Here is the answer.
double entendre, double meaning, innuendo, witticism, quip; French bon mot, jeu de mots; rare paronomasia, equivoque, amphibology, pivot, calembour, carriwitchet, clench, clinch, conundrum, nick, pundigrion, whim, quibble.
That is my guy, my bunny. I am taking him down to breakfast with me. I am most attached to him – he soothes me and occasionally I need soothing. Bunny is probably more reliable than some guy as long as I do not loose my PUN. You can see him – there he is having breakfast with me. He is a cheap date. Hahahaha
