My husband says I have a flitting mind. He’s right.
Is it a blessing or a curse? I haven’t decided. I do know that an active mind keeps you busy, because you need to follow through with all those ideas you want to implement and that makes for a very busy lifestyle.
My mind really does work overtime but not always in sequence. As I was recently in Nakusp for a Southern Interior Beetle Action Coalition (SIBAC) AGM, I took the opportunity after the drive to go for a walk along the lakeshore, a lovely relaxing experience.
The pathway links up to Naksup’s city park and is dotted with numerous park benches and gardens along the way. I couldn’t help but wish that this was possible at Christina Lake.
I walked around the city, walked to my meetings and walked to go to dinner; it served to increase my desire for our walking bridge across Christina Creek, not only for safety but for the experience.
I will continue to look for grants to help park and recreation achieve this.
I did leave that meeting with a $50,000 grant to help Christina Lake enter the age of online marketing, broadband, hotspots and social media.
Walking is such an easy excuse to let your mind wander. Graduation just took place and our grandson will soon enter the world of “time-to-decide direction” and “there is no such thing as a free lunch” and “one day you will need to be a card carrying, taxpaying citizen.”
What was I doing at that age and what do I want the graduates to realize? Well at that age I was raising a family. I went back to school at the ripe old age of 30 and loved it.
I discovered education was fun.
I guess I just wasn’t ready for that enjoyment until later. I hope the youth of today understand that they really can be anything they want to be, that decisions are now made by them – the direction their life takes is in their hands and should not to be blamed on others.
Graduation is when the rubber hits the road and you become the one to choose your own destiny. Do you have all the answers? Not even close, even if you think you do.
Is life along the way easy? No. Life lessons very rarely are. It is though, a phenomenal time in your life so remember don’t cheat yourself – be all that you can be.
Off to Nelson for the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust (SIDIT) AGM. I will chair that meeting, which just like the SIBAC meeting of yesterday, involves dedicated individuals. Those who believe in volunteering their time, attending time-consuming meetings (because they matter) and because they make a difference to communities all over the southern interior. If you want to make a difference you can. Yes it will put demands on your time and energy but it can be very rewarding.
Stop. Let’s talk about blessings. It’s obvious that at Christina Lake, we are extremely fortunate to have many of those who volunteer to make a difference. It works for us and along with volunteering comes the feeling that you helped your community remain vibrant and successful. Those who do not volunteer really miss out on an experience. I hope that parents will teach their children to put into their community what they expect to get out of it.
Having said all that, a few nights later found me at the Rossland ski hill as chair of SIDIT for a ground-breaking ceremony.
The next Friday a lunch meeting to show the SIBAC administration and CEO the welcome centre which they helped fund by providing a grant. Saturday was Grad and Sunday I started the triathlon at Christina Lake, baked 50 potatoes for the Grand Forks Rotary Club – they provide chili and baked potatoes for the event and make shrimp dip and twice-cooked potatoes for my grandson’s grad supper. That was my week. Have a good one everyone.
– Grace McGregor is Area C director for the RDKB.