August 2008

My son was 4
As I was driving him to school
We talked and laughed
The mood was light between us.
He teased me – I smiled lovingly
I said “you rotten kid”
He said
“How would you like it –
if I called you
“You rotten mother””

Hearing those words spoken back to me made me feel like an arrow had pierced my heart
I didn’t like it.

My son is now 29
I have learned much from him about the power of the words I chose to speak.

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As I write this I am watching bits and pieces of the Olympics in Beijing. Already many things are touching my heartstrings, and I am conscious of what I am responding to. I am looking beyond the athletic prowess of the competitors and who emerges with the ultimate rewards for their efforts. I see the faces of children; I see the faces of young men and women. No matter what country they are from, people are basically the same.

I am thinking today of the power of the accumulated energy and intentions of everyone involved in the presentation of these Games, particularly the individual athletes, their coaches and trainers. I am thinking of the hard work and commitment of everyone. Mind boggling. I am thinking of personal sacrifice of the athletes’ families. Every individual has their personal story.

I am thinking that much good will come to the world stage from this year’s Summer Olympics far beyond the value of the athletic performances.

China is showing the world its best face. As I referred to above, I am seeing the faces of people at this Olympics this time. People who get up each morning and put their pants on one leg at a time, just like we do. People who care about their families. People who love and are loved. People who work hard and do their best. People with hopes and dreams. This same description applies to all peoples of the world. We can have personal favourites. We can cheer for our country. I am cheering for everybody this year.

While watching the Canadian broadcast today I had a blessed awareness. I believe that these games cannot help but influence in a positive way how our North American populations will see the Chinese people in our countries. We will see them through a more positive, accepting filter. I am imagining people being more open to eye contact and smiling at strangers.

We are more the same than we are different – and this is a good thing.

Linda Iler

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A beautiful day for a bike ride, leaving early before the heat of the day makes me doubt if this is a wise thing to do. I tucked some cash into my back pack just in case I might hit a good yard sale or need to make a phone call.

Four or five miles into my ride as I approached an area near the Windsor Yacht Club I was surprised when the chain fell off my relatively new bike. My first thought was a lazy one – to give up and call Joyce & Len (sister and brother-in-law) to come and get me. Second thought was to walk the bike back to Lauzon Road, a distance of about a mile, where there is a bicycle shop.

Nice summer day. Warm. Who wants to wear socks and running shoes? Not me. Flip flop sandals are much more easy breezy, cool. Unless you have to walk a good distance in them. Notice I said “have to”as opposed to “want to”. On this lovely first day of August day, I had no choice.

I observed as the bike man quickly put the chain back on track. Your fee? “Nothing”. He accepted my $5.00 handoff and gratitude. I had a fleeting thought that I should drive straight home and quickly rebounded to my original plan of taking a fairly good distance ride to visit my friend Gail in Tecumseh. Never give up.

As I recounted my tale to Gail she offered a pair of latex gloves to protect my hands from grease, just in case it happened again. And almost like the glove theory was being tested, on my way home I lost it again – the grip of the chain on the sprocket that is. I propped up the bike stand and went to work. I was tentative, not confident that I could pull this off, but gratefully it went on with relative ease. As I knelt at the bike under a shady tree along busy Lauzon Parkway I noticed a vehicle pass me, pull over to the curb lane and pause. As the repair had been completed, I slowly approached the vehicle to give my thanks and received some advice. Next time use a stick to put the chain back on so I don’t get my hands dirty – and have someone adjust the wheel to a more efficient position.

My adventure today taught me two things – how to fix a slipped chain on a bike, and when cycling always wear sensible shoes… just in case.

Some of the blessings of my day were the almost free bike repair guy, a considerate driver who stopped to help me, the gift of some latex gloves from a friend, and a Granny Smith apple in the middle of the road around the corner from Gail’s house, just when I needed a bit of shoring up. All it needed was a bit of shining up on the pantleg of my new Bermuda shorts.

I am posting a photo with this post – no comments please about headgear and bare feet. This was taken 5 minutes after I received the bike as a gift, touring around my driveway/parking lot.

Linda Iler

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