The 5 ring circus

Here we are in the summer of an Olympic year. Well, a year later than an Olympic year, but we are all astutely aware of the reason for the delay. Like so many across the globe, I have made pronounced butt creases in my rocker as I sit in front of my "big" screen to follow the elation and heartbreak that is the Tokyo Olympic Summer Games. Naysayers, hiding behind arguments about professionalism, complain that Games' time has come and gone, and they're no longer interested in watching. Curiously, these are the same people who wish to talk about the many newsworthy moments of the games in our conversations. Well, I will get up on my soapbox in vocal favour of the human drama that plays out each Olympics.

Sure, it feels vaguely strange to refer to them as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when its 2021. Sure, there are acknowledged biases in the "have" nations and "have not" nations matching up in competitions. Sure, hosting the games in a pandemic almost guarantees that Japan will shoulder the massive debt of the games for years to come ... Montreal '76 anyone ... despite the majority of citizens vocally opposed to hosting. Having acknowledged all of that, for me there is no better stretch than when either a summer or winter games in on because I will always see them as the penultimate sporting competition. As a former elite athlete, I LOVE IT!

Some of you who know me will have heard me opine about my viewing preferences in a variety of choices where the nature always includes the likelihood of an upset. It is my esteemed opinion that NCAA, CIS, Club, High School activities are far more entertaining because of the greater chance of a "David and Goliath" scenario. A perfect example was the Women's Road Race where amateur Anna Kiesenhofer won gold by creating such a massive lead that the peloton actually forgot she was that far ahead, a direct consequence of riders not being allowed to have radio contact during the race. Another example was only shocking to those who have not followed basketball outside of North America when France convincingly defeated tradition powerhouse and NBA-laden USA in opening pool play.  How about Canadian weightlifter Maude Charron shocking the field by easily winning the 64kg class for gold, just the 2nd medal Canada has ever won in weightlifting? Yet another was Tunisia's Ahmed Hafnaoui's gold in the 400m Freestyle, a race that the 18 year old beat the powerhouse Aussies and Americans to the wall.

While up on my soapbox, I'll admit that I am not a massive fan of the inclusion of professional athletes in Olympic competition, and that I am absolutely thrilled when the amateur outlasts the pro, even though I know that even those deemed amateurs by the IOC rules are far from true amateurs, I'll capitulate that in some cases, it's entertaining to watch the pros perform together like 1992 Dream Team. I know that I'm in the minority on this, and I have had more than my fair share of discussions with buddies over beverages and snacks, but I'm entitled to hold an unpopular opinion, and I simply prefer to spend my viewing dollars on stuff that interests me ... 'nuff said.

One thing has become glaringly obvious though. 

My heart breaks for the athletes in Tokyo's maelstrom of Covid-19 infections, having to endure daily (or even twice daily) nasal swabs and symptom declarations while attempting to keep their mental focus. Exacerbating the situation, athlete's support networks and loved ones cannot be there in emotional support to share in their life-altering experience. Even worse, once their events are complete ... hopefully to the best of their ability ... the expectation is to vacate the premises ASAP, no chance for collegiality, cultural exchange, or celebrations. Listen, I totally understand why, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. For me, that is the difference between the Olympics and World Championships. The Olympics was designed to be a huge stew pot of personalities from all corners of the globe where new connections and networking can occur with the potential to significantly change lives for the better by effectively "shrinking" the globe. I have always been impressed by the videos and stories of athletes whose competitions were complete, cheering boisterously in the stands at the competitions of new or old friends, maybe even taking in that particular activity for the very first time. Who doesn't remember Canadian Skeleton Gold Medallist John MOntgomery casually consuming a pitcher of frothy celebration as he strolled through Whistler village? In a pandemic plagued Olympics, that doesn't ... and unfortunately shouldn't ... happen.

Perhaps it's habit.
Perhaps it was intentional.
Perhaps it just happened without any conscious thought, but I have long held that the Olympics is the penultimate sporting competition, bigger than professional Championships or other international tournaments. I always fostered the dream of both qualifying for and being successful at the Olympics as the gold-plated goal for any athlete that I had a chance to interact with. I have been gifted a blessed life, both as an athlete and as a coach, but I was never good enough nor able to will myself to sacrifice enough to qualify, but I swell with pride each time a young person I have assisted in their Olympic journey, earns the right to compete. There have been a few over the years, and this year is no exception, with Central alumni Kayla Alexander (basketball) and Kaili Lukan (7s rugby) representing their families, their schools, their home towns and their country so admirably. Former Team Ontario Rugby standouts I was blessed to coach, Lucas Hammond and Andrew Coe, were huge parts of the men's 7s Rugby that fought bravely before settling for 8th overall. I'm not so vain to think I was responsible for their success, but my heart still swells with pride from the small role that I played in their journey. Besides, I always have cherished the ability to develop friendships with those I coached, creating an emotional bond that makes cheering them on even more special. 

Some of those friendships created were bolstered by Social Media, allowing former athletes and their parents to continue to be linked so I can follow their progression to Olympic dreams, while others grew to become more than just athletic based commonalities, stitching together stronger bonds of connection through face to face interactions apart from sport. The Lukan family has graciously accepted me into their group, and I am flattered to be able to include them in my friendship circle. Older sibling Megan was a part of the women's 7s Rugby team that won bronze in the Rio Olympics, and I truly thought I couldn't be any more proud of a former athlete until the youngest sister Kaili followed her sister's lead, earning her own spot on the Canada 7s for Tokyo. That is no shot at Megan in any way, shape or form, but I was only blessed with two years of player-coach interactions with her due to her tremendous successes outside of Central's walls as a member of Canada's national basketball program. Partially due to knowing Kaili for longer since I had coached older sisters Alyska and Megan, combined with the timing of our interactions since they occurred in her senior years, and included the success of an OFSAA Silver medal, we developed a tightly woven relationship with a deeper investment. I am astutely aware of how hard it's been, how much sacrifice has been given, how much sweat equity and pain endured.

Proud as a peacock, as the saying goes.

The next few nights will be a steady diet of CBC's hosts and oft-repeated commercials interspersed between the best value my money can buy as each athlete gets the Worhol-inspired "15 seconds of fame" for all the connected world to see. I'll always cheer for the upset, the underdog, the unsung to rise above the expectations and realize something special, be it PB or podium. 

Citius. Altius. Fortius.

That cursed bicycle!

Two things crossed my retinas recently that generated the impetus for this post. One was an editorial on the CBC news site about why cyclists and drivers clash, and the other was a FB post about how cyclists are destroying the planet.

Every time I'm out for a ride with other bike-minded folk, we of course talk about our bikes, what we've seen or done on a recent ride, or the state of our lives as impacted by the cost of maintaining/improving our bikes, but we are invariably reminded of our other common link when an unpleasant encounter with a vehicle occurs ...  the "What's the deal with that guy (or gal)?" discussion. Why do you think it is that every conversation about bikes, cars and pedestrians is so contentious? Why does almost every cyclist have multiple stories about nastiness directed at them, regardless if they've knowingly done anything wrong?

If you think about what makes cyclists different, one big thing is that they're a visible minority, all bedecked in their fancy stretchy clothes. They're people who have chosen a behaviour that is different to what most others do, or have done, because while most people have physically ridden a bike at some point in their life, a relatively small number has chosen to make it their main form of exercise. However, that alone can't be the root since we could easily find other groups that are visible minorities through chosen actions but don't generate the same visceral reaction. Vegetarians, as an example, are a group of people who have chosen a lifestyle that is different than the majority, but there are very few people actually "road raging" on vegetarians. My very biased guess would be that it's tied to the fact that a large number of motorists don't like to share.

Something I have heard motorists say is that all road travellers should be equal, exactly the same, and anyone using the road should be equally responsible. It's a lovely thought because we're all taught from childhood that you should share equally and everything should be fair. Motorists would have us believe that their anger is born of their assertion that cyclists are aggressive, they blatantly break the laws of the road, and being on the constant vigil for cyclists is annoying. Of course, my bias (fully acknowledged) is that when totalled, rules transgressions by motorists far outnumber those of cyclists. Cyclists are not completely innocent ... far from it! ... but the scorecard is not as one-sided as many motorists would like us to believe.

It would be lovely to be equal, except for the fact that the threat isn't equal. The idea that two entities should have the equal responsibility when one of them poses a vastly greater danger to the other lies at the crux of the matter. Many drivers have no idea why people ride bicycles. If you speak to people who cycle, they talk about the great exercise, the pleasure of the ride, how it's faster than walking, eco-friendly, and sustainable. The overwhelming majority of angry motorists complain that the only reason they could see for riding a bicycle was to save money, leading to some sort of resentment, saying something like, "why should I have to look out for this person who's on the road because they're too cheap to buy a car or too cheap to pay for bus fare?"

Another very interesting take on this centers on the idea of empathy. Many drivers can attest to having stepped off the curb into traffic as an accident, and the commonality of the mistake allows them to forgive when behind the wheel. Many have never gone road cycling, felt what it's like to have a car pass within a hair's breadth while sending shards of road debris slicing into shins and thighs, or to slam on the bike brakes as the car turns right without checking a blind spot. They most certainly have never been nearly blown off the road as a transport or large truck impatiently thunders by, angered that they were "stuck" behind a cyclist for an extra 3 seconds.

Again, I fully admit that I am decidedly biased about this argument.

As a purely "tongue in cheek" take on the those that take issue with cyclists, check this little piece out:

The bicycle is the slow death of the planet - Thank you FB's Megan Doreen and Yvette Moore
General Director of Euro Exim Bank Ltd. got economists thinking when he said, 

"A cyclist is a disaster for the country's economy; 

does not buy cars and does not borrow money to buy; 

does not pay for insurance policies; 

does not buy fuel, nor pay for the necessary maintenance and repairs; 

does not use paid parking; 

does not cause serious accidents; 

does not require multi-lane highways."

"Cyclists do not get fat and are neither needed nor useful for the economy. 

They don't buy medicines. 

They do not go to hospitals or doctors. 

Nothing is added to the country's GDP (gross domestic product)."

"On the contrary, every new McDonald's restaurant creates at least 30 jobs: 10 cardiologists, 10 dentists, 10 dietary experts and nutritionists, and obviously, people who work at the restaurant itself."

Choose carefully: cyclist or McDonald's? 

It is worth considering.
P.S. Walking is even worse. Pedestrians don't even buy bicycles.

Falling on my own sword, have I gone through a red light? Yes, after checking both ways multiple times and having no cars in visible sight lines. Have I turned without signalling? Yes, although I try very hard to signal every time. Have I ridden two abreast? Sure, but only on country roads where the traffic is nearly non-existent.

One beneficial thing about being a cyclist is how cognizant of them I am when behind the wheel, while driving defensively, obeying 97% of the rules of the road ... Hey, even though everyone in my family calls me an "Old Fart" for driving so slowly, I still speed a teensy bit.

See you out on the road.
Please make sure you see me and give me some room.

I'll do the same for you.

I'm losing friends and I'm sad

This is my 58th year walking this planet, and while I have lived through a variety of experiences, none of them adequately prepared me for my present point in life as those I have developed friendships with are passing on at what I consider to be a young age. Obviously, my cultural influences prepared me for the passing of those who were significantly older than me, and while their passing was saddening, it was not crushing. Some of those who have passed were my age, give or take a couple of years, and their passing was a stark reminder of my own mortality, a shocking figurative slap in the face. Unfortunately, some have passed that were significantly younger than me, most through extreme bad luck or happenstance, and they pose great difficulty in both understanding and grieving.

I recently wrote about a good friend from my Queen's Football days who has been battling a life threatening illness for a couple of years now, after receiving word that his illness had progressed to the point where treatment was no longer effective and could make what time that was left difficult and overbearing. Obviously, that news was a figurative punch in the gut that dropped me to my knees. The photo to the right is from one of Queen's Football1983 Vanier Cup 25th reunion and captured the joy and happiness of my weekend perfectly. From left to right is Scotty Bissessar, Jamie Pendergast, Bobby Wright, Ross O'Doherty, and John Larsen. Sadly, Bobby passed away a few years after this photo was taken and John is battling like a warrior as I write this.

John Larsen was co-captain of the Gaels in 1984, an honour that he held in very high esteem since it signified the respect his team mates had for his station in the team. I can clearly recall the level of my personal respect for both his contributions to our on-field successes and for his off-field leadership abilities. During our playing days, John and I developed a good friendship, laughing loudly, proudly, and genuinely over a wide assortment of college shenanigans. Over the years since graduation, we have shared a number of great reacquaintance moments through reunions of significance, gatherings for celebrations and, unfortunately, the untimely passing of other team mates and coaches. Every single one of those interactions were a jumble of stories, smiles, laughs, hugs and (of course) slags ... that's all a part of the brotherhood we share with Queen's Football. 

During one of the celebrations of life that I have endured in the past, it was pointed out to me that in this point in human history, some have fallen into the rut of focusing on the things at the end of their noses, and have lost their way a bit when it comes to sharing what others in their lives mean to them while those dear were still alive to appreciate the sentiment. I recall that thought causing a shudder in my soul, prompting me to decide a change was in order for my own life, and I have consciously endeavoured to let those who were important to me get that message "straight from the horses mouth". In that vein, I shared a wonderfully comforting phone call with John recently, and despite the toll it was taking on his energy levels, I felt strongly that it was having a similar effect on him. I really wished to make the long journey to him, to share a physical touch, an eye to eye exchange, and an oh-so-familiar smile, but his worsening condition has made that impossible ... for now. Perhaps in the not so distant future, it could happen, but if not, he and I can grasp tightly onto the memories that have caused us such great happiness over the years.

My prayers to John, his wife Andrea and his two children for the soul-crushing trials they are enduring right now. I am resolute in the hope that the family will find the necessary strength.

In my life's connections, some call me lucky, but to me it doesn't always feel that way. 

By my calculations, I have interacted with over 8000 young people throughout my time in education, be it in the classroom, in the gym, on the pitch, or out in the "real world", and I haven't had to deal with many losses. Those that did meet with an early demise deeply affected me, and made me question my faith in the powers that be or the order of things. 

Unfortunately, I have another loss to deal with.

I recently received a message from a former player Jasun Springer that his good friend, and former team mate, Doug Coppin, had met with a tragic accident, leaving behind a loving partner and 4 amazingly beautiful children. I coached against Doug in high school and when he did some of his post-secondary learning at Georgian College, he earned a spot as a member of the Men's Basketball team when I was charged as head coach. Still clearly pictured in my memories are Doug's incredible smile, infectious laugh, and amazing attitude. When I sat down to write this tribute, I looked in awe at the happiness and love that is portrayed in the dozens of photos that populate his Facebook page. Doug loved largely and completely, always having time for a friend in need or for a loved one's assistance. There are loads of quotes and anecdotes available on the internet to share at times like these, but for right now, none really bring light to my darkness over such a horrible turn of events. 

Rest in Peace Doug. You were a limited edition.

I have been reminded on numerous occasions by well-meaning friends that death is inevitable, but that doesn't make it any easier to cope with nor understand, especially when it affects the young. I'm not a church goer, but I do have faith and see myself as living my life using religion as a guidebook, and I find myself questioning the true meaning of life when really great people suffer the ultimate price after what I see is a relatively brief stay on this earth. Everyone grieves significant loss in a personal way, and while being deeply affected by these passings, I gain great comfort from writing about the effect they have on me. 

Hence, this post. 

As a warning to my family and close friends, I urge you all to grab your love ones close, plant a wet sloppy one on their forehead or cheek, and tell them how much you appreciate their presence in your life. 

The Peaks and Valleys of Life!

This past week was most assuredly one that was peppered with the full gamut of emotions! From staving off the decline of the physical me through a variety of activities, to the soul-enriching enjoyment of rekindling new and old friendships, to the heart-wrenching horrible news of illness besetting an old friend, it was akin to surfing the churning waves of the north side of Oahu or navigating the raging winds of a desert storm. 

The beginning of the week started out well as Joyce and I found a few new trails in the Guelph area for some gorgeous walks and rides. One worthy of note centers around the trails that mirror the Speed River that runs southwest through the city from Guelph Lake down to the Eramosa River that runs east-west through the center of downtown. As we wound our way northeast toward the lake, we marvelled at the beauty of the green spaces that seem to have been at the forethought of Guelph's architects. The trail connects with the hiking/biking trails that are a part of the Guelph Lake Conservation Area, providing kilometres of forested beauty to enjoy. Communing with nature ALWAYS does our hearts well and this was no exception.

Building on the recreation theme, I was able to get out into the splendid countryside of Wellington/Halton counties surrounding the city for some fantastic bike rides. While I was astutely aware of the KM's I was riding, but it wasn't until I looked at the Strava feed that I realized how close I was to Cambridge or Acton or Fergus ... CRAZY! With the continuing money pit that is cycling, I chose to purchase a new headlight-taillight combo that were full of safety bells and whistles, so my 100 km ride on Wednesday was supposed to be the maiden voyage to test them out. After fuel/hydration stops in Rockwood and Fergus, I discovered in Arkell that my new taillight had disappeared somewhere between Barrie Hill and Arkell ... $50 down the drain! That should have been foreshadowing of what was to come later in the week!

Thursday proved to be epic swings in mood. 

We pointed the new RAV4 northeast for an early morning commute to Barrie so that I could commiserate with my longtime buddy Ron Andrews about a project we have in the works for our commemorative goal post pieces. We enjoyed a wonderful catch-up that included seeing some of Ron's latest passion with woodworking and epoxy. After a brief visit with my mom, we raced out to Oro to join some BNC buddies with some golf, some beers, and some barbs, certainly not in equal amounts. The plan was for a midday tee-off at Shanty Bay GC to avoid the forecasted rain for the late afternoon, but 5 holes in, we were smacked upside our collective faces by a torrential downpour. Being football types and full of machismo, we soldiered on, steeling ourselves that it would blow over, but as the intensity increased, we abandoned all hope at the seventh hole. Our decision was punctuated with the piercing blast of the airhorn from the clubhouse signalling that the course was closing due to the weather event. Dragging our sopping wet selves to the car, we decided to laugh it all off and reconvene at Gary Hamilton's personal patio for some postgame banter and reconnecting. It was during the incredible munchies that Gary's wife Pam served up that the reports of a tornado touching down in south Barrie started to come in. This was one roller coaster day with peaks and valleys in ridiculous proportions! The day was capped off with a pleasant secondary visit with my mom before the long drive home back to Guelph. It was universally agreed that it was a crazy day and our hearts were full with concern over the tornado victims, but we were truly relieved that no one lost their life, while at the same time heartbroken by the devastation so many were going to have to contend with. 

The end of the work week started out in glorious fashion with a terrific ride southeast to the fringes of Milton and back, but was set on it's head with a text from longtime friend Mike Schad with news that one of my good friends from those Queen's days was losing his battle with a life threatening illness. The bottom fell out as I stared in disbelief at the message on my phone. John was one of the toughest, strongest, and grittiest individuals I knew so it never entered my mind that he wouldn't better such a situation. The messages exchanged between all of us on the group chat about our shock and dismay were unsettling to say the least, but it then came to light that Mike had been "kicked in the teeth" by the pandemic with the passing of his father in the spring and being barred from crossing the border to console his mother and family. That bottomless void you develop in your soul when confronted with such piercing news was like a full power laser pointed directly at my gut.

Shocked only half covers it. 

Which leads me to be sitting in my faithful rocker, legs up, laptop in a familiar position, spilling my guts across the electronic pages of this post. You really have to step back, take stock of the good in your life, and hug your loved ones tightly, offering a personal prayer to whatever power you believe in with thanks for all that you have received because life is fleeting and can change in a moments notice through the swirling behemoth of nature's fury or cellular malignancy ravaging a body from the inside. 

God Bless you John.
Soldier on.

V-V-V-Room!

I'm pretty confident that mine and Joyce's life (is that even grammatically correct?) is significantly different from the average, but since we LOVE our life, we wouldn't choose to change very much. Besides, changing the already-happened is nigh to impossible, and we feel strongly that we have always made the correct decision, factoring in the time, place, and circumstances at that point in our lives. Financially, we are comfortable in retirement with my teacher's pension plus the savings + investments we have made over the years, impacted by consciously deciding many moons ago that having one of us stay home with our children and being a single income family was worth foregoing the acquisition of stuff.

We have not regretted that decision ... not even for a second!

One of the many impacts of choosing the single income pathway has been less expendable income to treat ourselves with purchases that, from where we stand, did not jive with our frugalness. We have always driven used vehicles because we couldn't justify the almost automatic depreciation of a new vehicle once it was driven off the lot. That is not to say that we chose clunkers! Quite the opposite! We put in the work to find quality new-to-us vehicles, and were rewarded by those decisions with long car-owner stretches with very few "bumps in the road" ... pun intended. Even my dearly loved my Toyota Tacoma was a 5 year old truck when I purchased it, but it never let us down, even for a second.

In light of selling our home of 30 years for well above what we had budgeted for when planning retirement, we were giddy as kids at Christmas when we agreed that the time had come for the special treat of a new (well, nearly new) vehicle. Once again, we put in the work to find the right one for us, whittling down the list of possibilities to either a Toyota RAV4 or a Subaru Forester. After visiting dealerships to physically touch and feel each choice, we found a couple of that would scratch the itch and set ourselves to the task, eventually landing on the lot of Georgetown Toyota and meeting salesman Nick. He had a few choices for us to look at, but we settled on a ruby red 2020 RAV4 XLE AWD with 11,000 km on it. It was a recent off-lease option, and after the obligatory duck 'n dodge of car haggling, we were pleasantly surprised with GT's trade-in valuation of my beloved Tacoma, allowing us to make the final retirement transformation from sort-of cool pickup driving fogeys to full-on SUV driving old fogeys. When we picked up the RAV, we pulled out of the lot wearing massive smiles like teenagers sneaking out to park on Lover's Lane, the jitters of excitement tickling us both under the chin.

You know that we had to put in some KMs right away, because that's what one does with a new car purchase, so a trip to the nearest IKEA in Burlington was a great reward for our tremendous decision. We didn't even see the ridiculous rain we drove through as a nefarious sign of impending doom. The shopping trip was a resounding success, the RAV4 making us feel like Aladdin and Princess Jasmine on a magic carpet, and we arrived home with an improved sense of satisfaction about our decision. 

Plusses all the way around.

We're planning a trip back north today to meet Maddi for some wedding planning options up in Haliburton plus a visit with the MIL Pearl, feeling like the stars of the main float in the Macy's parade, the queen's wave and stupid grins aplenty as we show off our "cherry" (it's a deep red, remember?) to anyone interested. We'll be using the 3+ hour trip to figure out the plethora a new-to-us bells and whistles our new baby has to offer, not the least of which is Apple Car Play and the host of safety features that seem to be standard these days. 

More of the crazy change thing I was writing about in an earlier post!

The changes keep on coming!

They say that change is inevitable, and while I completely agree with that sentiment, a steady stream of changes can foster some trepidation, to say the least. Most of you know that Joyce and I recently sold our home of 30 years, loaded up the truck, and downsized our way to the condo life, but what you may not know is that two type-A personalities with severe cases of non-clinical OCD like ourselves find the seemingly endless series of adaptations exciting and vexing at the same time.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the downsizing of a 3 bedroom detached house to a 2 bedroom condo with all the decluttering that 30 years of living large can accumulate. While I feel that we have done Yeoman's work on sifting and sorting, choosing and chucking, it has certainly not come without some furrowing of our collective brows. We really balk at creating more than our share of contributions to the landfill, working diligently to steer unwanted items to a charity or new owner, but that's sometimes difficult to do in a new-to-you neighbourhood. 

That change is most definitely negative.

While on the topic of condo life, it is taking us a little time to adapt to things that we took for granted while living in our home in Barrie. I wouldn't say that we are passionate "hug the earth" types, but we certainly try very hard to do the right thing, reduce our footprint as much as we can, recycle everything possible, and divert everything that can be diverted. We're not yet sure if it's a difference between Barrie and Guelph, or (more likely) a difference between house and condo living. Easily the most annoying for us is the apparent lack of organics collection for our building. It was completely feasible to go a full month with less than a regular green garbage bag of trash thanks to a concerted food waste diversion, but we have noticed a weekly garbage chute drop is the norm here. Combine that with limitations on what can go in the recycling, and we find ourselves perplexed. We are asking questions to find solutions, but nothing at this time.

That is certainly a negative change.

Something that was unexpected was the consternation surrounding how to proceed with the proceeds of the house sale since we have rarely found ourselves in that particular situation. Once we inked the contract for the sale, we made a conscious decision to find a rental for 12 months so that we could "test the waters" of a new neighbourhood and a different style of home. We knew that we would eventually be faced with choosing to purchase our own space, be it property or condo, but had to seek counsel from our financial advisor how to best invest the lump safely while also looking for some growth. We were extremely fortunate that the sale price of our home was significantly more than we had planned for when contemplating retirement, so we were eager to do some things that seemed like dreams not so long ago:
(1) We wished an upgrade from our pickup to an SUV like a RAV4 or something akin.
(2) We wished to give our two children a gift to spoil themselves with something they would never consider to buy on their own.
(3) We wished to spoil ourselves with something fanciful ... mine will be DEF bike related!
(4) We knew we needed to create a "nest egg" with real estate prices steadily rising.
All of this lead to some pretty serious book keeping and decision making, the discussions surrounding the redistribution of funds being pretty ominous, considering it was a financial future in the lurch. 

While it's exciting to have the money, the change is closer to the negative pole than the positive.

When we finally agreed that Guelph would be the destination, I reached out to a couple of people that we were already acquainted with that lived there, looking to connect and hopefully foster our friendship. One couple in particular that we were eager to meet up with was Bill Price and Megan Reid, basketball buddies from our Camp Olympia days and high school games. We were flattered when they treated us to most delicious Earth to Table pizza, a local popular restaurant near the downtown core along the banks of the river that flows through the middle of Guelph. We had a great catch-up lunch!

It was most assuredly a positive change.

One intriguing modification was the discovery that the Guelph area is a nature lover's paradise, what with numerous green spaces, hiking trails, and preservation areas within a few minutes drive of our condo. On one recent hike, we were approaching a threesome with a dog that was significantly far in front of it's owner. We slowed to make sure that the pooch heeded the calls to return, and on approaching the group, discovered that it was an old Queen's Football team mate Paul Barsanti who was out enjoying nature's beauty with his partner and step-son. Small world, but to make it even weirder, it turned out that Paul lived a 5 minute walk from our condo. We had a great catch-up and promises were made to get together in the near future as the pandemic restrictions eased.

Linking up with old friends like Paul is absolutely a welcomed change!

I guess if you treat this post like a report card, we are faced with two negatives, a so-so, and two positives, so in the end it's a "push", using cards lingo. We pride ourselves on being "glass half full" types so we will see this all as a learning process with anticipation of better things to come.

Embrace the changes!