Musing

Hi Mark, you don’t have to print this, but I am from High Prairie not Fairview. No big deal, but I thought I would let you know. Take care., LW, High Prairie

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Mark, I just read this Report prepared by the executive director of the Bow Waters Canoe Club. I found it very well written and that it might give you something to "muse" about. I think your musings are working on the higher levels of Maslow's hierarchy, and I wonder how many people have managed work out the self actualization level of the hierarchy for themselves. I wonder whether that self actualization is something that each of us gets a taste for, once in a while, whether with kids or grand-kids, our involvement with charities or clubs, our businesses, our gardens, our artistic pursuits or otherwise --- a taste that fades and is replaced witha new search for self actualization? I think I should get a copy of Maslow's body of work and figger out what he was thinking about... Executive Director’s Report – June 2006 “Voice of the River” It’s now June, and we are well into our 2006 canoeing season. We have over 65 trips on our schedule, with more to come by way of our BWCC Forum and weekly Updates. Thanks to Committee Chair David Campden and all of our volunteer tour coordinators for making this happen. Membership Chair Mollie Cole has been working since January on initiatives to make our new members feel welcome and to get them involved with the club as quickly as possible. She put a lot of thought into the timing of our New Member Orientation sessions and our New Member Canoe Tours. She has also overseen (and personally worked at) many of our publicity events, including the Outdoor Adventure Show and our Wednesday Open Houses. Vice President Mike Kelly continues to take a leadership role in all that is going on around the club. The Spring Group Lessons component of our Lessons Program is well past the half way mark. Lessons Program Coordinator Karla Handy tells me we currently have 23 groups booked, with a projected total of 1,012 students. In addition to this, we’ve already completed several of our Adult Canoe courses, and Karla is processing new applications for our Youth Summer Camps every week. All of this activity is made possible because we have a wonderful set of facilities built right here on the canal. These include our clubhouse, where we store some fifty canoes, our old boathouse with additional storage space plus a boat repair facility, and last but not least, our dock systemand eddy makers. As I’ve noted in the past, we are the beneficiaries of the work done by our founding members who dared to dream big dreams. If you’ve ever wondered what might have motivated them to move beyond creating an annual canoe tour schedule, you might take a look at the work done by Abraham Maslow (1908-1970). Maslow created his now famous hierarchy of needs. Beyond the details of air, water, food, and sex, he laid out five broader layers: the physiological needs, the needs for safety and security, the needs for love and belonging, the needs for esteem, and the need to actualize the self, in that order. Paddlers who join our club have likely satisfied the first two levels of needs, and have arrived at the “belonging needs” level. This includes the desire for friends and perhaps the need for a sense of community. Bow Waters certainly offers such an opportunity. In terms of overall development, Maslow believed that we move through these levels a bit like stages. As I see it, our club’s original “movers and shakers” eventually moved into the two highest levels. They were able to look at the bigger picture and beyond themselves. They had an interest in building something for future generations of paddlers. Over the years, and including present times, we have been fortunate inattracting members who also have reached the top two levels of Maslow’shierarchy. These are the folks who keep the dreams alive. They would concurwith Eleanor Roosevelt, who said “The future belongs to those who believein the beauty of their dreams.”

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Comments re: - no expectations
“but what of someone we do not know, want to get to know - having expectations - finding someone quite different indeed from the expected, from the norms I know, from my pre-conceived expectations” Mark, Thank you for a lovely evening on Saturday. You are indeed an amazing, polite, interesting, entertaining, easy going and generous man. Of course I would like to see you again as you are, might I add, not “the norm” type of guy that I normally meet. On reading your musing on Sunday I wondered: What expectations did you have? What is the norm? “she is a delightful Jane Curtin look-alike with dimpled cheeks & disarming Irish accent;” - “WoW” Thanks! we enjoyed a delicious dinner last night; lots of interesting conversation but it quickly became clear I am not the sort who interests her; an interesting friendship opportunity perhaps if explored further but I sense she's not so interested in that or in me; “ Oops! What do I say? Interested in friendship! - “is it really as simple as whether a childless non-golfing borderline vegetarian cat keeper restless to return to Europe might be compatible in some way with me? Am I really such an odd ball? Makes me feel like a real weirdo! I know loads of childless women but I guess like attracts like. The words childless, cat keeper, vegetarian, however, sounds negative. Oh well, maybe I am going a little odd as I near my twilight years. Do keep in touch, Regards, PF, Calgary