Well, we survived another month of masks, social distancing and decreasing number of cases and deaths in Canada. So very proud that our nation has taken things seriously and the curve is definitely going down. Very happy that we have more options now and businesses are slowly starting to open again… though with many restrictions. I can certainly live with that especially as my husband and I are in THAT age bracket where we are very careful. Not everyone has been serious about this as Sauble Beach has closed once after opening due to non compliance to rules. Hopefully this is the last time they have to do that. Life has not been easy since March but this epidemic gives you a whole new meaning of what is important in your lives.
This also seems to be a time for reflection. Black Lives Matter as well as Indigenous people and people of all ethnic backgrounds are now having a say. I am happy to see many changes starting to happen. This has gone on for far too long. It totally blows my mind that some indigenous groups still do not have clean drinking water. This has continued for over 20 years. I had an issue with the sewer and they were there the next day. Why does this not happen for indigenous peoples???
When I worked on the Addiction/Mental Health unit I did not realize that the residential schools lasted until 1996 when the last one closed. I had clients who had been in these schools who had many issues to work on. I personally thought the schools had been closed much earlier. Boy was I wrong. Can you imagine as an indigenous person that when you had your baby, someone would take them and give them to another party to adopt? How cruel is that. Often, they were not placed in another native couple’s home but in a completely different culture where they would never learn their language.
I sincerely hope that many changes will continue to happen and that certain groups will not keep on getting targeted. I can’t imagine having to tell my children how to behave in a certain way so as not to aggravate a boss or police officer. I am happy to see that they are looking at including Mental Health staff on police forces to have these professionals do the wellness checks. That is a job I would have loved to have done in my younger days. We are trained to de-escalate people. In my 40 years in Psychiatry I never once had to shoot anyone.
Don’t get me wrong, there are exceptional caring police officers out there. Those that aren’t, need sensitivity training along with de-escalation methods. This should start to be a big part of their training. I am not sure if they are required to do psychological tests prior to training? I know that I had this before I went into nursing. Some people just do not have the right disposition to work with certain groups. I know in nursing when one of our clients was giving us a hard time, we would ask a fellow staff member to take them on for a while so that we could get a break. This is so important to do as some cases can be very trying. You can also learn from your peers more effective ways to approach a client.
Last weekend my husband and I and our two dogs Freckles and River went camping in our RV. The campgrounds were just outside of London so a very short distance away. We had a huge site which sat right by a stream. One of the willows arched over the stream to the other side. Yellow water lilies bloomed nearby. Young children were catching crawfish in the stream. Kayaks and small pontoons went up and down the water. It was easy to self isolate on such a beautiful site.
Our awning was out as there were no trees per se on our lot. Our immediate neighbours with their 10 year twins were great to talk to. I even got to go swimming in their large pool for 30 minutes. Only 10 people allowed at a time and I kept to the deep end. It was so refreshing after this heat. The dogs loved going for short walks. They also enjoyed just watching the action on the stream. You could hear the bull frogs too! It was a good time for me to read and for Jim to nap. This was wonderful to get away from our own backyard for a bit. I do love my backyard but a different venue was pretty nice. You meet such great people when you travel a bit.
Speaking of travelling… last night I went to P.E.I. via Zoom. I attended a Toastmasters meeting there. Jennifer had been at our club Forest City Toastmasters two weeks ago. She is travelling across Canada visiting other clubs and meeting so many people. At Premier Toastmasters in P.E.I. they had 4 guests from throughout Ontario because Jennifer had visited them as well. What a great spokesperson for her club. That is one of the great things about these times.
I was also very happy to get some resolution on my trip which got cancelled in June to New Brunswick to see the Grandchildren. I now have two years to rebook it. The flight and insurance will be reinstated. Yeah!! Our New Orleans trip with trip cancellation hasn’t even been looked at yet! It will likely be September before they even do. That trip was for April! I don’t believe we will be travelling anywhere south of our border for a long time to come!
Although it is a time of unrest at times, I can see the seeds of change starting to happen. We need to keep open minds to help in this process. We can all learn new ways to learn and grow and support others as they do too. We all have so much to give to each other. I love learning about other cultures. It makes my life richer. Plus I really love the different foods that are created. When you learn about others, you develop more of a richness in your own lives.
Keep safe, keep your distance, wear a mask, and continue to learn, grow and help your neighbours.
Happy Summer!
