Musing

Thanks so much for your powerful musings of July 26 and to all the readers who responded. Although the situation in the Middle East is heartbreaking, now is not the time for tears but for action. I’m a Calgarian myself and I believe that as Canadians we should not only devote ourselves to peace keeping but to active peace building. For my part I’m involved in a project called “Follow the Women” - a cycling project which aims to bring women together from around the world to raise our voices, stop the violence and show that people from all different backgrounds can find a way to live side by side. All you ladies out there – can you ride a bike? Then you can work for peace. I invite you to visit the website www.followthewomen.com and to get in touch with me if you would like to learn more. Mark, thanks for giving all of us a chance to speak and show that we are not just passive lumps but that we absolutely do give a damn about what’s happening in the world around us, KS, Calgary

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Hi Mark. You’ve got it right... I’m sure you know how much this speaks to me right now. Drama it is. Have to go, and can’t wait… midsummer dream and nightmare all rolled into one. Packing in 25+ degree heat is not my idea of summer fun... but happiness, fun, sunshine, and life await…. 4 more days. Some days it’s all I can do to hold myself together, some days I can hardly contain the excitement. Still hoping to be really moved, though, inside… that’s what’s most important. LS, Calgary

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I am lucky that I can type almost as fast as I can think...I didn't necessarily expect you to publish it, I just felt a need to write it even if no one ever read it. Obviously people being uninformed about the world around them and then feeling they are qualified to make massive assumptions and sweeping generalizations is a BIG issue for me. Statements like, "some people just want to fight" and "They feel disadvantaged and place blame for their life situation on others who are ostensibly well off." are red flags for me. They are prime examples of how little common sense and critical thinking is used by too many of my fellow Canadians. It should be patently obvious to anyone who wants to do a bit of research that the writer's conclusions about why there are wars today are completely off base. And to say that all a person needs to do is "believe in themselves" and they can "realize their dreams"....YIKES!!! Well, I think I said enough about that yesterday. I type up to 50 words/minute; not sure how fast I can talk....but yes, when I am enthused/excited about something I do speak fast. I attended Toast Masters for a while this past year and it was helpful to have to consciously slow down. I am quite busy for the next couple of weeks, not with moving but with work, already committed social activities, getting away for the long weekend etc. so meeting is in the "definitely yes, but not immediately category". When things slow down a bit we can pick a time and place. I will be looking forward to it., BB, Calgary