Welcoming 2021!

With the chiming of midnight, December 31st 2020, we boot to the curb what was likely the craziest year of our lives with a brushing of hands, a devilish chuckle and a satisfying smirk. Now, don't get me wrong, there were some things to commit to memory, but it was most assuredly a dichotomy of emotions, some ecstatic highs like retirement balancing some soul-crushing lows like so much tragic loss of life. New Year's Eve 2020 signalled the end of a decade that echoed the emotional rollercoaster of its penultimate year.

2020 has been appropriately described as a "dumpster fire" and it's universally accepted that it can't leave soon enough with it's pandemic-infused sense of doom, significantly altered state of existence, and trepidatious foreshadowing of wave after wave of spreading infections. With that being so, it has also prompted other changes, more positive in nature, as I "pushed the button" of retirement in January, we enjoyed an adult-focused vacation of significance, Maddi and Chris shared with us their beachside sunset engagement, and I dove headlong into the world of cycling and its body-altering effects. I've often described retirement to those that ask as incredible, life-altering, liberating and rewarding but tempering those emotions with the caveat that I'm unsure where social isolation ends and retirement starts. Former colleagues were quick to quip, "You picked the BEST time to go!" and I can't argue as I watch in horror at the complete "Cluster F*&k" that Ford and his cronies have made with Covid-19 and education. Like so many close to me, I won't be sad to welcome the beginning of a new decade, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that I'm missing the perks of it all by being housebound. In the end, they are all memories that will be dutifully filed into the cabinets of my brain, regardless of their energy signature, joining others garnered from a life lived well over the years I've been around.

Back at the beginning of this decade, 2011 entered into existence with a relatively low-key smattering of "Life's like that" moments. I was in the twilight years of a long teaching/coaching career and both of my children were students at good old Barrie Central with an 18 year old Maddi preparing for post-secondary life and a 15 year old Keaton still finding his way through high school. Athletics in 2011 are the most vivid memories of that year. The Sr Girl's Basketball I co-coached with the late Bob Caville shocked the established favourites before just missing the ultimate accomplishment, bested by General Amherst HS in the OFSAA final hosted by Brockville's St Mary CHS. "We're Number Two! We're Number Two!"shouted an unforgettable group of young warrior women. That was followed by the Sr Boy's Basketball team I co-coached with Doug Lowther that lost in the GB playoffs to Twin Lakes. Maddi and a bunch of her Swim Team mates qualified for OFSAA Swimming, making me officially the largest, baldest, most unqualified coach patrolling the deck. The "icing on the cake" was when the Sr Boy's Rugby program continued its successful ways with a hard fought, contentious OFSAA Gold over Trenton hosted by Belleville. Then, to top it all off, Maddi graduated from high school in June and chose to give the U of Waterloo a bunch of money as she steered herself toward her life's aspirations.

As the decade proceeded, the 2012-2013 school year was one for the ages as good old BCC secured 12 GBSSA championships, 9 OFSAA team medals plus a host of individual ones. culminated by the unheard of OFSAA Double Gold when both the Sr Boys and Sr Girls were OFSAA champions. As far as I am aware, no other school has accomplished in any OFSAA team sport. Despite coaching KP in a variety of sports in our past, this was the first time that he played for Central's Sr Boy's Rugby team, and we shared an amazing father-son moment in the muck and mud of Twin Elms in Ottawa with gold hanging from our necks. This was also the year that I finally "grabbed the bull by the horns" and selfishly chose myself as number one by embracing a life change that would culminate in an 80 lb weight loss and growing out the hair on my head and chin for 2013's 365 days ... I sometimes really miss my Yeard.

Much like the rollercoaster that was 2020, 2014 smacked us in the face as a family. By and large, it was another good year but the proverbial "monkey wrench in the gears" was the major concussion that KP suffered in the OFSAA final loss to Erin HS resulting in his becoming a 10-second-Bob. For the 9 or so hours following the end of the game, he could only retain 10-15 seconds of memory, a scary time for us as parents, only softened when a night's sleep seemed to push the reset button, restoring his short term recall, and signalling the start of a long summer of rehab. 

The start of the 2014-2015 school year had and ominous feel as the demise of Central was looming with the SCDSB's confirmation that her doors would close permanently in June 2016, despite the obvious mishandling of the new school build prompting its imminent delay. Maddi was crushing university and Uber excited about graduating, dreams of Physiotherapy on the horizon. KP had fully recovered from his concussion and was killing it in all of his chosen passions, including making a life path decision to focus on auto mechanics as a career, and culminated by the Sr Boy's Rugby program's 9th OFSAA Gold, convened by Ron Andrews and I at the Jim Hamilton Field in Midhurst in front of over 2000 rabid supporters. KP established himself as one of Central's best ever with an incredible last second try that was of mythological proportions, and I couldn't have been more proud, both as a father and a coach. This was the beginning of his realization of a dream as he would ultimately represent Ontario U19's at the July's Nationals in Regina Saskatchewan then playing his way onto the Canada U20 national team, early in February 2016. Were it not for an incredible 55m last second PK by the US, he would have played in the World Trophy Tournament.

* Edit: My aunt Faulene reminded me that my paternal grandmother passed in 2015 at the age of 101!

The year 2016 will forever carry the Black Mark of Central's doors being forever closed. True to form, we sent Central off with an epic celebration, 174 years in the making, with a reunion in June of that year. As the saying often used, "Don't cry because it's over ... Smile because it happened!" Central's past and present shared their collective grief with both class and dignity. The closing also created a significant change as I was forced to ply my trade at Barrie North in the fall of the year. Having said all of that, Joyce and I were proud as peacocks when Maddi walked across the stage to receive her BSc in Kinesiology from Waterloo while holding the hand of what would turn out to be the love of her life, Chris Cove, and we both acknowledged that our little girl would soon be leaving our protective umbrella. KP fell in love with the left coast following his U20 Canada experience, and hooked up with James Bay to play in the "Prems" for a season before giving tree planting in northern BC for the summer. 

2017, 2018 and 2019 became the "Swan Song" years as Joyce and I started looking to the future through the lens of retirement, watching our children traverse the pitfalls of adulthood, and navigating the inevitable life changes of aging as both our parents transitioned from our childhood homes to dwellings more suited to their octogenarian lifestyles. 

During those years, there were also loads of Life's Little Moments:

We sadly said goodbye to Joyce's father in 2018, shortly after his 89th birthday.

Joyce and I travelled to California for the 7's Rugby World Cup.
Maddi and Chris bought their first house and cat together.

Joyce's mother settled into a gorgeous little Sr's apartment in Haliburton.

Many of my nieces and nephews graduated high school.

My brother Rob became the 1st of the brothers to become a grandparent.

My brother Mike and his wife moved out west to be with her ailing father. 

Keaton secured his apprenticeship, first at Crappy Tire then at Midas.

My mother bought a condo on Barrie's incredible waterfront.

I said a sad goodbye to coaching, a passion for so many years.

I taught my first span of coach-free months ... and it wasn't too shabby!

Looking back like this, I have to admit that I've been blessed by many things over my life. I'm pretty sure I can handle staying inside with the love of my life for a little while longer or wearing a mask when we venture out for necessities. 

Look out 2021 ... Here we come!