volunteer

Health, Sport, Active Living VS the Arts

The Eureka Notion

Eureka

A woman senior is especially vulnerable.
100% of 0 is 0. That appears to be how the world has balanced her worth.

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$00000000.00

A contest George? You think that life is a contest between Health, Sport, & Active Living on one side and Arts on the other? Really? You think the only active healthy people are hockey players ... Might depend on how much bench time they occupy ... ice-time? That too.
Let's face it George. We canna all be hockey stars. Nice job if ye can get it. Or as they say around here "GO MAN GO"

Or maybe ...

Go mamm go ... Are there any women on the TITAN TEAM?

TITAN GO"

Health, Sport, & Active Living
So ... You asked ... What does art have to do with Health, Sport, & Active Living?
Think George ... Think ...
Not sure huh? No George ... Martial Arts is not quite what we are all about. However, I did once design a poster for a local martial Arts Club. That was many years ago George. Sigh ... Just one more in a long list of volunteer efforts to support healthy activities in my community. Artists do that sort of thing, did you know, George?

There were other periods in my life when I visited people who were in hospitals and special schools. The idea was to share my art gifts with them, teach them to draw or share conversations that perhaps only an artist might be willing to share. One of these people had never gone to school, living his entire life in a bed or a wheelchair. I encouraged him to draw and read and think outside his small room in the institution where he lived. I pushed his wheelchair on walks outside the building when the weather was fine. The only other activity provided by the institution was the occasional game of Bingo, which is hardly more of a healthy sport than Art, do you think George?

Think of Arts as one more option George.

Imagine Granny as Queen

Just imagine a place where Granny is a queen

What’s that, George?
You wonder, do you? You wonder whether we have Grannies who are treated like Queens in New Brunswick?

Not exactly … You might say that Grannies have been the heroines … Errr that is the same as heroes … Don’t you know? …

Taking up the slack … Doing so much work … unpaid unsung and unknown … Hmmm … The Grannies might say … Somebody has got to do it otherwise it won’t get done …

What it is like … Living in New Brunswick … an NB lifer

What if all those good kind Grannies of New Brunswick were to go on strike? Who would raise the funds for all those organizations that bring hope to communities?

Would taxes go up because government had to hire more staff to take care of people in hospitals … Feed people in homeless shelters … Would there be more old folks falling out of windows in special care homes?
And who would cook the meals and nurture the grandkids while mum is off to work or school?

And who would play music in the homes and churches? Who would provide respite care for an invalid spouse or aging parent? Who would spend countless hours in a palliative ward?

Who?

The Golden Award

Porridge
Well George … Does everything have a day?
Even porridge?

Seems so … October 10 th 
http://www.worldporridgeday.com/
I must remember that for next year George

I might  even have a chance to win a golden spurtle award … To tell the truth George I had not previously heard of the golden spurtle either.

Sounds even better than the golden toilet-brush award I won a few years ago.  Spoiled me.  Ever since … Well I am not nearly so excited about cleaning toilets anymore.

Spurtle-operator … Sounds almost impressive … What if I were to spread the word that I have recently become a spurtle operator? And if I were to win the spurtle award? Would I receive cards of congratulations do you suppose … Things like “so excited  for you … You must be so proud of your attainement … You see how things get better if you learn to keep your mouth shut … Didn’t I tell you things would pick up if you tried to be a bit more positive?”

Something like that … Do you suppose George? Or would it be the usual polite blank stare of utter boredom.  Would comments on this new occupation be ignored outright because nobody really honestly gives a tinker’s darn what you are doing these days.

That is … Unless it is a professional international fund-raiser where you get to wear the same t-shirt as everyone else and everybody has so much fun walking or running together to raise money to send to the charity of the day.
I say professional because such charity-events are very professional and well-planned even though they may take advantage of an army of unpaid volunteers. But guess what George? Somewhere in the charitable organizations there are often people being paid large salaries. Then there are the free trips.  These days George it is the professional charities that bring in the real money, especially if you can score a couple of lucrative board positions.

You want me to name them, give you particulars about which charities … You want documented proof? Not a report George! You don’t expect a report! Without paying me? Surely you do not expect me to work for nothing?  Hmmm no George … No board either … sorry George … Not available … I’ll be too busy operating my new spurtle promotion enterprise.