From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – I have been driving for almost 24 years; in all of that time I thought convertible cars to be very windy, a little pretentious and definitely not for me. On what was I basing this judgment? On old movies I guess – driving long distances with the windows down – and knowing that it just would not be my style.

All of this changed one sunny afternoon in Ottawa a few years ago, which I spent with friends, touring for hours with the top down in a convertible. I loved it. Now, despite all of my preconceived notions and objections, owning a convertible is on my bucket list.

I think this story reminds us that, as planners and support staff, we need to make sure that decisions and goals are informed by experience and knowledge… and we need to work on experience and knowledge to support people to dream big. We may not be able to put all of the needed supports in place right away, but we’ll still have a record that the dream/goal exists and we can continue to make connections that move towards it.

There is always room for creativity, trying new things – and a tour of the tulip festival with hair blowing in the wind – in order to support excellence in planning goals.

Thanks for all that you do.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo, pexel.com

From the desk of Teresa Jordan – What is it about technology that makes anger well up so quickly and so unashamedly in me? I am generally pretty cool and calm. I work very hard to keep my composure in the face of some pretty nasty confrontations. But one delay in my web browsing, or a loss of connection or print job that I have walked all the way down the hall to pick up not being there – and I am an angry, teeth gnashing, eyebrow furrowing lunatic ready to project the offending equipment through the nearest window.

How did this happen? I never got angry at my Vic-20 for taking nine minutes to load my next game of Clowns. In my childhood, I waited 40 minutes for Mrs. Fisher to finish her call on my party line so that I could call a friend. And I have proven my patience quotient endlessly in trying to set up a driver’s test for my son. I can wait and be patient… except if my email doesn’t open instantly.

I guess this is partly what happens when things keep getting better and faster and more available, but I also think maybe the demands on my time have increased to match the time saved with the updated technology. It is like the classic analogy – the vacuum cleaner was invented so that the process of beating rugs – a task that used to take all day – now takes a few minutes… except that what was once a task done every two months is now one done every day.

Time savers have somehow sped up time and it is up to me – and each one of us – to take a minute to just slow down and take a breath. We are masters of our own destiny and we are responsible for the pause. Just don’t test me anytime soon by taking the batteries out of my wireless keyboard and expecting a Zen-like response – teeth gnashing may still occur but will be more enlightened. Relax into the pause whenever you can – it is summer after all.

Thanks for all you do!

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – At the beginning of June, a wonderful event was held in Peterborough called Art for Autism. It was a splendid evening at The Mount with great food, live music in each room, artwork everywhere you looked and artists ready to talk and share their insights. The charismatic Ellen Cowie was the organizer of the second annual Art for Autism, and I thank her for her dedication to community and to promoting the talents of everyone.

On that evening, I was completely enchanted by many of the artists, but if found one exhibit in the corner to be especially vibrant, bold colour and great animal themes leaping off the canvasses. I especially liked a picture of two ostriches, looking a little confused, with their heads together. The image was whimsical and full of laughter, instantly bringing a smile to all who paused to look at it. I spoke to the artist Cynthia Fox and marveled at her skill … and then she told me the most incredible fact. She had only been painting for a few years and had no training! Where does that kind of creativity and talent come from?

This all made me think of an article I once read that said if you asked a group of five year olds to put up their hands if they were artists, most would; however, in a room of 25 year olds, very few would. As we get older we redefine our talents and measure them differently – we are less free to confidently pick up a paint brush and boldly begin with one stroke of colour. I guess we start to identify only talents that we think are great in describing ourselves, and shuck off the 5 year old who once thought the future held art, professional sports and a music deal, all at the same time.

Thank goodness that Cynthia Fox found her inner 5 year old artist and brought it out for our community to enjoy. Thank you to Ellen, to our community and to joyful talents explored. Thank you to everyone who takes time to find and share hidden talents with others each and every day.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

Photo by Abby Kihano on Pexels.com

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – I love the dreamers, the big schemes, the passion for trying something new – I love that one man had a dream for the World Championship Soap Hockey and Music Fest in Haliburton.

Let’s take a moment to honour the risk takers. Where would we be without them? Nothing tried, nothing gained. None of the big festivals that now perennially pepper our annual community event calendar would have ever been started if someone had not taken the time to try something, make a poster, book a venue, work out a tour – take a chance. And while, yes, by all measures the event in Haliburton did not draw the thousands of people that were hoped for, it was an event, it was a start.

Events are a gamble and I think everyone has a story in which the crowd that was hoped for never arrived or, on the other side, you were slapping together bologna sandwiches in a back room because people were still arriving to wish Grandma happy birthday and the buffet table was getting low.

So here is to John in Haliburton, to Donna for making our scheme work, to everyone who has put together something to celebrate in a gathering, big or small. It’s all about building community, having fun, making connections, interacting with our fellow citizens on this journey and, usually, food.

Keep ’em coming, and pack extra bologna just in case. One can never predict what will be a huge success – maybe they all are.

I had the pleasure of driving to Haliburton this week in the glorious sunshine. I live on highway 35 and it is being repaved so, over breakfast, I planned an intricate route to 0avoid the construction. It involved driving through Omemee, Downeyville, Dunsford and to Bobcaygeon. I was so confident that the minutes of extra time slowing down in villages would definitely outweigh the time spent in a flag person’s ‘stop-and-go construction world.’

As most people who live in Canada can guess, there was a great flaw in my plan … there was construction in two other places on my well-planned route! First questionable idea, thinking that I could out plan construction, and second, thinking that I could out plan wait times!

Slow downs, waits, traffic clogs, back logs, collaborations that seem to always fall behind, are so much a part of what we do. There is always a surface that needs redoing in the middle of a project that seemed so simple at the start. Best laid plans to change or reroute often end up right back where they started.

But here is the great part – I made it to Haliburton, basically on time. I had a lovely, sunny drive and all was well.

Change work is hard; day-to-day work is hard; cooperative work is hard … but the destination and the view are worth the effort.

Thank you so much for your work from day to day, for your extra effort to plan and for your course adjustments, both well thought out and spontaneous.

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – Parenting “learning moment number 143” for this month alone – you cannot will things to happen.

My son was chatting to me as I was leaving Haliburton the other day and mentioned that his English class was having an exam potluck breakfast. First off, is that not just about the coolest thing you have ever heard of? Secondly, I asked him what he was bringing; he said that all the good stuff was signed up for already so he would probably bring nothing.

Problem-solving-hero-mom leapt into action and stopped at Fenelon to purchase watermelon, granola and some little macaroon things. Proudly, I showed my son the bounty and he replied that all that stuff was already being brought to the breakfast. I sat him down and told him the timeless truth passed on by mothers since time immemorial, “You cannot go to a potluck empty handed.”

In the morning, I checked again and asked my son what he was taking to the breakfast. He quietly indicated the granola and put it in his backpack. End of day, I first asked how his exam went and, second, how did your granola go over? “I forgot to bring it out of my bag” was the answer.

You see, the learning here is that you cannot, by the sheer force of an interac card, a last minute shopping trip and timeless lessons of mealtime ritual, force another human being to do something that they are not willing to do. This story is a great reminder that all we do is model, teach, guide and create experiences. The leap to actually pass around the granola is entirely out of our hands.

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – I sometimes travel a little with this job, and I sometimes travel a lot. In the early years, I invested in quite a robust make-up bag and stocked it with everything I could think of. In the first few years, I added more as the need arose.

Now, seven years into being an Executive Director, I am well covered in the make-up department. Yet every time that I pack to go somewhere, I throw a few things into my suitcase that might not be in the make-up bag – tooth paste, deodorant, whatever I see while packing my clothes. Inevitably, when I get to my destination, everything I need and more is packed in the make-up bag. Why do I not trust that what I need is already there?

Maybe it’s the same when we are faced with a challenge, a new role or tricky situation. We want to scramble for a hairbrush, grab yet another make-up remover, read up, talk to a friend. I think, though, that time has proven again and again that what we need is already packed.

You are learning and growing all of the time. You have skills and insights and experience all tucked away for when you need it – trust that it will be there when you need it; that all you know you will remember; that all of your skills will be at hand when required.

You’ve got this! Your make-up bag is overflowing with the competencies that brought you this far – it will not let you down now.

Thanks for all you do. Unpack and add to your kit each and every day.

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – Our recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) was a barn burner. I am so grateful that so many people stopped by to celebrate our first year. I know we will build on the successes of this year, and next year will be even bigger.

The day after the AGM, Community Living Trent Highlands hosted a training session and afterwards, there were sandwiches left over. A staff member took them to the nearest neighbour connected with our agency so that he could enjoy some free food. He had attended the AGM thought, and so his “not so thrilled” comment was, “Great, sandwiches again.”

I hold sandwiches in high esteem. I think we have learned over and over again that a sandwich and a drink are the ultimate ice breakers, the levelers, the conversation starters, the common link when we want to have a conversation, to learn about each other, to just spend time together. Community centres, churches and all gathering spaces in between understand that between two pieces of bread lies a story, a visit, a connection.

At the training, the comment was made that not taking time to develop a relationship is
like not changing the oil. Sure, you can work, support and engage with someone for a
time without really knowing that person, but it can’t evolve further than that once the engine blows up. I may have messed up that metaphor, but you get what I am saying. Stop, spend time, listen, break bread, have a conversation, develop a relationship and save a colossal engine failure later on. Let’s get excited when we hear “sandwiches again” ~ here comes another opportunity get to know someone.

Thanks for all that you do and for the all of the sandwiches you share.

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – The past Saturday, I had the privilege of thanking the supporters at the Trish’s Wish 12 km Walk-a-thon. This walk began as a one-time thing to support Trish, a high school student, with expenses in her battle with cancer. Trish did not survive but it was her wish to have the walk continued to help others. Now the Foundation of Trish’s Wish raises tens of thousands of dollars each year through several fund raisers, and supports youth in Kawartha Lakes who have medical expenses.

Being at the walk-a-thon with the community volunteers and walkers reminded me of the power of community. It’s not the dignitaries or the agencies – it’s people connected around a cause, connected by the wonderful bright light of an all too short life, connected by the drive to give back, to spread joy and help. This community power exists all over the place, but for this Saturday morning, in a sea of pink (Trish’s favourite colour) it was visible, tangible, and almost electric.

Trish’s Wish has helped many our families who experience barriers to lead a full life. As I said to the crowd, “The Foundation only asks if a young person is being held back from their destiny due to an illness or disability and then gives money to ensure a quality life.”

Here’s to Trish’s legacy, one of passing on the power of the human spirit to help others reach their unique destiny. Here’s to that human race. At the end of the day we are, after all, walking together to bring out the best in each other and our community every day. Here’s to all of you looking out for the magic of community all around – much thanks.

Want to have an argument? Probably you don’t – very few people do – but arguments are the stuff of life as we all try to get on with our day-to-day and all of the tasks and decisions that entails. What I have learned in the last week through training is that not everyone sees the world exactly as I do. I know most of you are thinking, “That is clear, what’s the big deal?” For me, though, the training was a deep dive not only into communication styles, of which there are many (and many people in the room shared a similar style) but also of motivations. Everyone’s motivators were very different, and the training made it very clear to me that we are all very different and consider diverse things as very important.

Arguments are, then, easily explained. Two people or two groups have a different opinion, are motivated by different things that affect their desired outcome and then, sprinkled on top, are different ways of communicating. This creates perfect storm, unless we can pause, take a moment to consider the stormy factors and think a moment on what it might really be like on the other side – what is really different, what could compromise look like, is consensus more important than ‘winning?’ And, finally, are my motivators getting in the way of really seeing the core of the issue, and can I flex to communicate in a way that is more compatible with how the other person communicates?

This is all a lot to think about when you are very mad or very passionate, but how significantly could it change our day-to-day interactions? I think it is worth a try. After all, if everyone thought exactly the same way, this would be one boring existence of mundane, “hi how are you?” Calm waters all the time never made a skilled sailor savvy in navigating the storms.

Thanks for all you do in storm and calm.