Vancouver General Hospital Centennial Pavilion (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The year was 1986, and it was the third year in a row, that I was back at Heather Pavilion, at Vancouver General Hospital. This year I arrived in April and I stayed until nearly October. It was a long five months, and I rode out highs and lows as I received a kidney transplant, it worked really well and then failed despite best efforts.

All the tests, treatments, blood tests, sleepless days, and lack of privacy,   but eventually rejection. So after five months of effort, and new hope I found myself 50 pounds lighter, and back on dialysis.

I endured it all but not alone. My wife, my parents, my closest and dearest friends all experienced it with me.

“A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.” – William Arthur Ward

I had to learn to make it easier for them, and for me. So I told jokes, and made the nurses, doctors, students and visitors all laugh. I learned that you need to smile and laugh. You need to help others and yourself by smiling outside and it isn’t fake at all after you start. It really helped, and it even had it’s physical benefits I am sure. After all,  I survived, and not everyone did that year.

“Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It’s the sweetest thing one can do for oneself & one’s fellow human beings.” – Maya Angelou

We all have things that we need to deal with, life is change, and it will change until we die. My lesson was to not let life rob me of each day, or the chance to smile, the opportunity to encourage someone else while injecting myself also with the smile vitamin.

Sure there will be times when you have to be silent, and just be there but climb out of  those holes and don’t linger there, either for yourself or those who support and care for you.

A smile is a good place to start, even when you don’t feel like it maybe especially when you don’t feel like it.

Moma duck and her seven little ducklings.  This made me very happy, and with a big grin on my face I rolled down my window, and drove alongside and took a few picture of this nature parade.

Recently  I traveled to Orlando and could easily see Disney World from where I was staying. I didn’t visit there though.

I know it is probably pretty neat, and tons of creative minds of worked hard to design all types of ingenious rides and so on. But it doesn’t grab me. Rollercoasters and concrete, no thanks.

Last June I visited Jewel Lake, in central BC. I stayed in a two room cabin, no tv, no wifi, just a kitchen and two bedrooms and a wonderful wood stove. I had the best week, and all week wished my wife, and daughter were there also to share it with myself and my son.

The lake was a jewel, the wildlife was abundant, eagles, loons, glistening lake, chattering chipmunks, and air so fresh you felt you could cut it with a knife and drink it. I was seriously grabbed and time went slow as we soaked it all up together.

Whatever you like, be real to yourself, and not because 30 million people say they love it or you have to visit so and so because it close. Make the memories for yourself that you enjoy.

Enjoy who you are and not who you think you are supposed to be, don’t be perfect, just be yourself. 

I got to thinking that it would be nice to have the words for The Simple Life, so here they are!

Don’t need no TV I don’t need no phone
don’t need a speedy car to get me home
Don’t need no nothing all I need is time – for the simple life
go get your butt out off that lazy couch
put down the laptop and get out of the house
Don’t need no nothing all I need is time – for the simple life

I got a brand new scratch on my cadillac
try to call the bodyshop but my phone is dead
tried to email my brother but the wifi’s down
this stuff is haunting me all year round

I’m fixing one thing and another one’s coming lose
it’s making me think – how much it stinks
I keep on buying new things that I can’t really use
if it just gets you annoyed – then what is the point

Don’t need no TV I don’t need no phone
don’t need a speedy car to get me home
Don’t need no nothing all I need is time – for the simple life
go get your butt out off that lazy couch
put down the laptop and get out of the house
Don’t need no nothing all I need is time – for the simple life

I’m taking one step forward and three steps back
kick myself for letting go of the things I had
guess you don’t know what you got till that junk goes bad
never should have dumped that hand me down I got from dad

I’m solve one problem and another one’s popping up
ain’t it ironic how the problem get’s chronic
cause when you got it good – you just don’t know when to stop
don’t worry bout the earning – if it stops you from living

Duhm Duhm Duhm’s and Scooby doo’s

Don’t need no TV I don’t need no phone
don’t need a speedy car to get me home
Don’t need no nothing all I need is time – for the simple life
Don’t need no TV I don’t need no phone
don’t need a speedy car to get me home
Don’t need no nothing all I need is time – for the simple life
go get your butt out off that lazy couch
put down the laptop and get out of the house
It doesn’t hurt if you would try some times it’s the simple life

Thanks for checking out my blog, I really appreciate it.  I hope you will visit again.  I have been feeling so grateful for all the likes on my blog as people have looked around.  Really heartwarming.

One of the things I like about Toastmasters is that it constantly opens doors, and inspires me. Either through speeches that I hear or speeches that I give I am freshly exposed to look at something new and challenge my thinking.

Sweatshop project (Photo credit: marissaorton)

Fact:  85% of employees in sweatshops are women, frequently sexually harassed, paid 10 to 20 cents per hour if they are paid at all, in many many situations they are contractual slaves who are not paid. They live in worker dormitories, surrounded by barbed wire, armed guards and cannot have outside contact or visitors. They work 16 hour days or more, and are fined if they take bathroom breaks or talk. 

This week I needed to give a speech where I did some research, provided statistics etc on the topic. As usual I struggled to find a topic that grabbed me, and that I hoped would engage the listeners in my club. Finally after discarding some other themes, I chose “sweatshops” because it was a current news story that everyone was familiar with, and secondly because I realized that my understanding was so slight and I needed to or should know more. I felt like I am sitting here in Canada and blessed because I was born here, while millions are barely getting through life just because of where they were born.

Fact: An NBA Jersey that sells for $140 results in only 24 cents for the worker!

What an eye-opener it was for me as I did the research for this speech this week. Honestly I would like to have practiced more, and been able to give a powerpoint kind of presentation but none of it mattered. The scope of the numbers, and the understanding I gained from my brief research into sweatshops touched me more than I realized before I spoke. When I did my speech I was so grateful that somehow the unfairness and size of the abuse faced by women and children in incomprehensible numbers did come out.

Fact: 250 children worldwide are employed in sweatshops working in dirty, filthy, and unsafe conditions. 

There are a lot of education websites on the internet talking about sweatshops, be prepared to surprised, but now is a great time because if we share our outrage with each other, then we can motivate change. Change is possible because ugliness exists in ignorance, in the spotlight of media working conditions,  wages and sexual harassment of workers will shrink.

Let’s all Learn, Share, and support change by starting talking to each other, and using the tools we have, if we aren’t complacent, we will motivate the spotlight we seek.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you are motivated to learn more.

Here is where you might start Green America.

Related articles

• Are You Supporting Sweatshops? (everydayabolitionist.com)

This blogger has a fun, original and quirky sense of humor. I had to share her thoughts about her office.  I am glad I read while the weather is warm here at home this time of year and not just after I just spent shovelling the driveway of snow for an hour in December. (chuckle)

Here in the Okanagan valley, we have skipped from a coolish spring, to very comfortable early summer days.  This is valley of daylight hours, we get plenty, and in a valley where there are few days lost to rain.  I know when I moved here I thought the weatherman here had it figured out; it would rain after 3 a.m. and be all sunny by 6 a.m. – perfect!

This is close to Penticton on the north east side

Reading? I enjoy reading, and right now my book is “Snow White Must Die” by Nele Neuhaus, a well established author who is German and she lives near Frankfurt so it is not surprising that is where this novel takes place. So far I have enjoyed it, and it is a tense book, easy to read and I think it might be like “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – a superb series, don’t spoil it by seeing the movies first.  Looking forward to reading it, just not before I go to sleep.

I planted some seeds for various herbs and also for peas this year. The seeds have germinated and soon I will move them outside. The cilantro and other herbs I may put in a large flowerpot, this is an experiment to see if I can grow my own fresh herbs. Wish me luck!

We are in the 5th month of the year already, one-quarter of the year has passed. Surprised? I am and I am thinking about a holiday – I love it here in the valley of course but still it is fun to visit other places. This won’t count for a holiday but definitely will make a trip to Seattle this summer. It has been a few years since I have made it down to see the Mariners play, had popcorn, garlic fries, and enjoyed the atmosphere there. If you live close to Seattle, take in a game, and do the tour of the stadium if you are just visiting Seattle even if a game is not scheduled. It’s really fun.  The Space Needle is cool also, and everyone has to do that once in a lifetime if you live reasonably close to Seattle.

Sorry if this post meandered a little, enjoy your day, and count your blessings as I am doing this week.

Related articles

• April 20-21: Okanagan Valley (Penticton, BC to Kelowna, BC to Vernon, BC) (joshwillms.wordpress.com)

Dear readers, I have had a writing break and a holiday to Florida and learned that thinking about writing, and sitting down with discipline and writing regularly are two different things.

Florida ? I have never visited before, and like most tourists I missed most of it. I did manage to get a small sense of Orlando (confusing roads) and a bit better sense of Daytona Beach. (I was in Orlando for 3 days, and Daytona Beach for 6 days).

They have a climate that is great for plants, and boats and you could go broke selling snow shovels for sure.  I think it would have been insightful to go later in the year when the heat hits in July but it was a nice break in March also.  I learned that I miss the ocean because I live beside fresh water lakes.  We drove to spots along the ocean where we could see surfers and I did a full body plunge (no wet suit) once.  In the heat of the summer the ocean would be great but then so are the lakes where I live.

Of course travel is temporary, and restaurants become the same after awhile.  We had some excellent meals, saw some some beautiful bikes, chatted and re-visited the places we liked eating at the best.

I will remember eating Thai food and being served by a fun, and sassy Noon (her fun picture below).  I will remember the ocean waves, and St. Augustine.  Fun to visit, but my heart was at home and felt whole when I returned.

To everyone, thanks for checking out my blog, I really appreciate it!  The way to morrow is via The Kingston Trio – click here! 

Things are a bit different in Florida. Don’t worry though, it’s the picture that’s slanted because I was driving on the beach in Daytona, Florida.
Holidays are always a nice diversion and Florida was interesting, now I can say I have been to DB, and Cocoa Beach, Flagler, St. Augustine, and places in between.
It wasn’t as hot as I had hoped but was only March. Still it was warm enough for surfing and suntanning during the day but coats were common after the sun went down.

This area is so so Daytona Beach. I think I must be the first person ever to have a guided tour of the biggest surf shop in the world! The two girls in the picture are both managers in the store. One of them gave me a guided tour just because We aske

I awoke to Hog radio, playing my music (BTO – you ain’t seen nothing yet). Oh maybe that’s denial playing on the radio because I’m no spring chicken and I’m not in the best  physical shape of my life either.  I saw a man the other day parking his shiny hog on main st, he looked like a retired gent & older than me (it is possible !) but obviously capable.

It reminded me to keep looking ahead. Retirement beckons however so does opportunity!