Carry on

Sometimes things don’t always go the way you want. Maybe you keep holding out — another day, another month — hoping that just beyond that point things will be better. You find your ways to cope, your distractions. Sometimes they’re healthy, sometimes they’re not.

I signed up on an online relationship site again. And, while it may not be the best time in my life to be open to a relationship, the responses I’ve received have been interesting. They are very kind words from people I’ll never meet, those who have already “rejected” me, but have felt the need to write nonetheless. A little extra boost and I carry on.
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Will you stay or will you go now

Saskatchewan’s aggressive recruitment of South African doctors is … having devastating consequences.
Some rural areas of South Africa are now left with just three doctors for every 100,000 people. In Saskatchewan, where officials frequently cite a physician shortage, there are roughly 136 for every 100,000 people.
read more:South Africa suffering as Saskatchewan takes its doctors, Regina LeaderPost, July 27, 2009

Truth is, it’s not just South Africa. It’s most of Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, South America and other corners of the world.
Attrition of skilled workers and professionals is not an abstract concept. If you don’t incite emmigration, you won’t need nearly as many volunteers to “fill the gaps.” (And fill the gaps poorly since they don’t know the language or the culture.) And family units and the extended community won’t be fragmented when that person leaves home.
We are just plan greedy. We are quick to claim our rights. But just who do those rights belong to? Have we limited someone else’s right to improve our own?

Shut yer trap

The latch on my front door hasn’t been working for months now. The latch, while still present, did not spring back out to catch in the frame. This was noticed by an awesome friend-slash-housesitter.

A failing front door is not something to announce to the masses. You know, safety and all. Fortunately the deadbolt worked and helped to keep the insides in and the outsides out.

After calling Weiser, they happily sent me a free replacement. [Isn't this sounding like my leaky tap story?]

Being independent and self-reliant, I set out to install the new piece.
1) Unscrew handle…check
2) Slide out front and back handles…check
3) Remove cylinder…check
4) Insert new cylinder…check
5a) Close door and set deadbolt while running to the bathroom…check
5b) Realize handles were not replaced prior to shutting door. No easy way to unlatch door. Consider taking door off hinges. Try understanding latch mechanism first by studying broken latch. Poke and prod a bit. Slide a thing-a-ma-bob over. Latch unlatches. Open door…check
6) Handles won’t go on. Realize cylinder is inserted in wrong position. Rotate 90 degrees. Cylinder aligned…check
7) Slide on handles…check
8) Tighten screws…check

Please note: steps 5a and 5b are optional and completely unnecessary. However, they do add a certain amount of excitement to the overall process.

Losing control

When life throws unexpected and often frightening things in our path, the ground opens up in front of us and we’re forced to confront the void. The void reminds us we’re not in control – that at any moment we can fall and not have any idea how far.
via Jan, (read more: Forward into the Void | the view from her)

I’m not good at giving up control. Maybe I am better than I once was. I don’t always submit well or humble myself; let other people have the right-of-way. I have moments of putting myself before others.
So when polite manners dictate that I put my soul on the back-burner or when I’m asked to provide an opinion, as long as it is in-line with the unstated plan, I don’t do so well. Maybe it’s the pretence of having a say, an opinion, a voice, of being able to contribute that edges me ever closer to the precipice.

Where the streets have a name

Theory not put into practise is useless, but practise that is not informed by theory is dangerous

stated Marc Spooner, U of R professor [LeaderPost Online]. Spooner did some government research (which I wrote about in “Home(less)“) and, believing in the necessity of the practical application, also created a map of resources: shelters, food, clothing.

Maybe that’s how Spooner loves his neighbours. He has tried to do something about this issue. And I see a hidden gem for everyone else in the city. A common excuse is not knowing where to start. Spooner’s list is not only for those who need support, it is also for every other citizen with a hand to lend. These are the places already making a difference. These are the places (with you) that could make more of a difference.