[2023-09-23] Saturday Synopsis #62

This week's photo was taken at the Carp Fair today. Mel and I tried out Street Curling, which was fun. We also loved the Super Dogs demonstration, which was the highlight of the visit. In fact, we had so much fun at the dog show that I forgot to take photos. I also enjoyed seeing the horses, cows and pigs. It was a lovely day for a fall fair.

3 (+3) Ideas From Me

Someone in his mid-70s: "I stopped telling the elderly that they've already narrated that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane and relive the past." I actually learned this lesson from my husband. Early in our relationship, I would interrupt him if he started repeating a story. "Yes, yes," I would interject. "You've already told me this." I probably thought that my motivation was altruistic, trying to save him the time or trouble of reciting something he'd already told me, but it was a reflection of my impatience and it was selfish. Not surprisingly, he would get upset with me. I learned to listen patiently as he told each story—even if I had previously heard it. And I learned that, even after 30 years, he still has more tales to tell.

One of the benefits of our working from home because of the pandemic is that we have been given a view into the lives of our colleagues. We might learn that a coworker has a cat when we see a tail swishing on videoconference. Or we might come to know a colleague's precocious child when they invade their parent's home office. Or we might discover that a teammate's spouse does most of the cooking (my staff always knew when "Mr. Hollington" was working in the kitchen because my workspace was in the dining room next to the kitchen). We have always been pet owners and parents and spouses, but now it's often easier for our colleagues to see all the roles we play. I believe that being able to bring our whole selves to our work contributes to a more empathic workplace. We can more readily walk a mile in the shoes of our coworkers when we know more about them.

Watching the Queen's funeral brought to mind recent personal losses: my dog, Freddie, and my brother, Greg. I imagine that many people who watched any portion of the Queen's memoriam thought of loved ones who had passed away. The ceremonies to honour the Queen reminded me of the importance of acknowledging the service our loved ones rendered in their lifetime and commemorating their life with dignity.

More and more, I'm convinced of the need to monitor our bodies, to avail ourselves of screening tests where they exist (cervical and breast cancer), to learn the signs of cancers for which no reliable screening tests exist (ovarian, uterine, vaginal and vulvar cancers), to push for diagnostic tests at the earliest opportunity if symptoms emerge, and to help spread the word about cancer so that it's detected as early as possible.

My early-morning reading got me thinking about all the things I love about fall.
  • Fall food: roasted vegetables, sweet squash, fragrant pumpkin, juicy cranberries, new potatoes, hearty soups. I love all the succulent vegetables available at this time of year as well as comfort foods and anything that warms me from the inside out.
  • Fall fashion: warm boots, puffy coats, wool hats, sleek gloves, colourful scarves, fuzzy socks. I used to love Sears' fall catalogue, envying the women who wore long plaid skirts and tall leather boots.
  • Fall weather: warm days (sometimes) and cool nights. I love the feeling of a cool breeze on my face and my warm body curled up under a fluffy duvet.
  • Fall tempo: bundling up inside with a good book or an indoor project, with no pressure to be out enjoying the day. I like the built-in excuse to nestle indoors because the weather has turned blustery.
  • Fall decorations: brilliant mums, pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns, bales of hay, stalks of dried corn, fragrant candles. I wouldn't choose orange as a decorating colour at any other time of the year, but in the fall, everything orange feels right.
  • Fall nature: brightly coloured leaves in multiple shades of red, orange and yellow. Fall foliage is beautiful to look at and fallen leaves are so satisfying to crunch through.
  • Fall holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving. Autumn is a time for being generous and being grateful.
  • Fall activities: fall fairs, apple picking, art tours, holiday markets, walks in the woods. As much as I like to hole up inside as the weather turns cold, I love to take advantage of beautiful fall days to breathe in the crisp air and to see something that fills me with wonder.
Hello Fall!

If, as Audrey Hepburn said, "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" then perhaps to prepare for next year's garden is to remain hopeful that there will be many more days after tomorrow.

2 (+2) Quotes From Others

Several years ago, when I was living in Chicago, I read in the newspaper about a little boy who had leukemia. Every time he was feeling discouraged or particularly sick, a package would arrive for him containing some little toy or book to cheer him up with a note saying the present was from the Magic Dragon. No one knew who it was. Eventually the boy died and his parents thought the Magic Dragon finally would come forth and reveal him or herself. But that never happened. After hearing the story, I resolved to become a Magic Dragon whenever I could and have had many occasions.
~ Random Acts of Kindness

Kindness is twice blessed. It blesses the one who gives it with a sense of his or her own capacity to love, and the person who receives it with a sense of the beneficence of the universe.
~ Random Acts of Kindness

I hope this book encourages you, perhaps, to live courageously with more kindness for yourself and others. And to ask for help when you need it—which is always a brave thing to do.
~ Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

No matter how consistent you are with your habits, it is inevitable that life will interrupt you at some point. Perfection is not possible. Before long, an emergency will pop up—you get sick or you have to travel for work or your family needs a little more of your time. Whenever this happens to me, I try to remind myself of a simple rule: never miss twice. If I miss one day, I try to get back into it as quickly as possible. Missing one workout happens, but I'm not going to miss two in a row. The first mistake is never the one that ruins you. It is the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows. Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit. This is a distinguishing feature between winners and losers. Anyone can have a bad performance, a bad workout, or a bad day at work. But when successful people fail, they rebound quickly. The breaking of a habit doesn't matter if the reclaiming of it is fast.
~ James Clear

1 Question For You

What do you love about fall?