From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – I heard a great story this week about how much fun a Charlie Pride concert was at Casino Rama, and I was instantly reminded of an epic battle that I had with my son. He was about five at the time and he fell in love with a Charlie Pride CD of greatest hits. It was his number one choice for the car … which, at the time, made for a refreshing change from the Barbie Twelve Dancing Princesses soundtrack that was my daughter’s favourite. There is a song that Charlie sings with the chorus, “shutters and boards cover the window of the house where we used to live.” It is the classic country sad song about an epic breakup. So, my five year old belted out: “shutters and bolts cover the windows…”  I corrected him, but then he explained why what he was hearing was right: “without bolts, how would the shutters stay on?” Who can argue with that?

This tale reminds me that there are certainly things in our day to day that we must correct or clarify, but then there are also bolts instead of boards that do not materially affect the outcome or safety of everyone in the car – so we can just let them be. I totally backed down from the argument. Now, twelve years later, I am pretty sure he would sing it the same way if he wasn’t too cool for Charlie Pride. We all see things just a bit differently and, most of the time, there is room for all of our different lyrics. After all, something has to keep the shutters on, right?

For all you do and the absolute creativity you bring each day, I thank you!

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – Last week I had the privilege of hearing Cormac Russell speak and, if you are unsure of who that is, please Google him and listen to one his talks about community and its strengths.

Cormac’s ideas about building on what is strong in a community reflect and expand upon the visions of many others. So rather than deciding that there is too little green space, not enough youth activities, no police presence or no convenience store open past 8 pm., he suggests that we completely change the conversation to noticing what a community does have – the church has a drum circle that is well attended, there is a small group that gathers to roller blade on Wednesdays nights, and Mr. Jones has an impromptu community garden on his front lawn. Cormac would say that spending time noticing what is already happening – and identifying the natural connectors who already exist in a community – is of paramount importance.

What does that mean for us? Community is a living, breathing thing that we are committed to promoting inclusion with and in. Cormac says that natural connectors often know over 80 people in their community, and can reach out to others to connect people of similar interests, passions or views. He says that when these people are gathered, they are often surprised and embarrassed to be called out as connectors … but a room full of 100 connectors, with all of their connections, could represent about 8,000 people in the community.

Let’s take some time to just notice the natural connectors, the active community members who – largely unsung – are putting people and ideas together all around us. They have so much to teach us. And to the connectors – thank you for all of the connections and ideas that you offer each day.

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – I learned how to put on make-up on the GO train about five years ago. Okay, that is not exactly true, but to be clear, my mom did not really wear make-up and mascara seemed straight forward to me – you move the brush in an upward motion along the lashes and try not to poke your eye out and you end up with a luscious dark lash of alluring texture.

Taking the GO train on a Saturday morning, I could not help but notice a young woman a few seats away who was applying mascara. In this case, ‘applying’ was a very different verb from the one that I had been enlisting all the years prior. She repeatedly applied the wand to the lash and then back in the tube and then back to the same lash – from the Ajax station to Eglinton. Repeatedly, she carefully built a layer of luscious allure like I have never even imagined possible. I was in awe at her dedication and not once did she tear up due to jabbing her eyeball or have to wipe away errant makeup from her cheek.

This was an epiphany! You can use the wand more than once to build up layers! My
mind was blown and I changed my habit the next day. And while the world failed to notice, I know that my luscious lashes have plumped up to a most dramatically alluring fashion since.

Learning is not something that you book time for from 9-11 on Thursdays or something that you are somehow finished with at a certain stage of the game. Be on the lookout – strangers, friends, coworkers and yes, even fellow travellers on the train – have a little bit of knowledge that could be important to making a new discovery about yourself, a new insight into the world or a completely revamped and invigorated beauty routine. So much is all around, just waiting to be noticed, taken in or considered.

For all you do, before, in and beyond an ice storm, I offer my thanks!

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – I went to an Annual General Meeting recently for a partner agency. Just like all of us when planning and executing these kinds of meetings, there were hiccups – not enough financial statements, no one clearly taking attendance of membership, and an unclear start time for the meeting. I was not bothered by any of these hiccups because I have yet to execute a perfect AGM and I know that there are a lot of moving pieces.

Behind me, however, there was a group of people that was bothered. Reading through the material, they pointed out everything they disagreed with; looking at the agenda, I heard them say, “Wrong order, wrong motion, just wrong and wrong.” It seems that nothing can fire up a small group like negativity.

I thought about the two very different reactions that we were having to the  same situation. For a lot of reasons I was completely content, and almost relieved, to know that everyone struggles with these big meetings … but right behind me there was a negative, almost angry vibe happening. Even though the reaction of the group had absolutely nothing to do with me and was no reflection of my work, their negativity brought me down. It washed over me and made me upset for no real reason.

This experience reminded me about a great concept called “emotional wake.” In our work with people facing big challenges, it is important that our wake does not wash over a person and make their challenges bigger but that it instead fills the space with something lighter and brighter – something like hope and understanding. A little  understanding and support from the group behind me would have lifted the whole room.  Cake could have helped, too.  🙂

For all that you do – and for all of the positive vibes that you sprinkle around – I thank you.

 

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – Awhile back I had great fun at a paint night fundraiser. I was amazed, it turns out that Mrs. Hutchinson was wrong when she gave me a D in grade 2 art… I totally painted a tree with fall leaves that looked unmistakably like a tree with fall leaves.

Also amazing to me was that the instructor had one model picture and gave us one single instruction set for each part of the art project. Yet, walking around the room at the end, no single tree resembled another. Each had different branches, different shades of colour, different shapes and different designs – all together different in some cases.

Two things were happening I think. Some people were interpreting the instructions differently without knowing so, while some were hearing what was said and then consciously doing their own thing. And isn’t that the case most of time? A room full of people hear the same message, but process the information through their own filters and take away different meanings. Or they hear the message, but knowingly dismiss some or all of it based on their own experiences that contradict.

It’s a funny old world because I am learning that everyone is right, everyone is entitled to what they know is right, and all interpretations of instructions are needed to make the robust tapestry of a rich community and organization.

And in case you are wondering, mine looked exactly as it was supposed to look.

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” –Henry Ford

I have been thinking a lot about teamwork this past week. I sometimes think that the term needs a makeover.

What does teamwork really mean? Of course, there is the old analogy that one piece of spaghetti is broken with almost no effort, whereas a whole pile is almost unbreakable even if a couple of pieces are weak inside the pile. Conversely there is the weakest link analogy, a long chain can be broken if only one link is not strong. So which is it – are we unbreakable noodles or a series of links ready to fall to pieces?

Here is my conclusion – both analogies are too passive. A team is neither links waiting to break or a bunch of spaghetti waiting for a disaster to strike. A team is about empowerment, respect, communication and common goals. A team is a collection or people with different skills, strengths, passions and weaknesses.

A team, in my opinion, is much more active, always rearranging – like a jazz band. It always sounds like its piece is rehearsed, polished and exactly right. Even if some members have an off-night or a few instruments are out of tune, together every solo, harmony and note fits perfectly – and no two performances are ever the same.

We’re better together. Many thanks for the part that you play in our song.

Teresa Jordan

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director – What does it mean that parts of the continent are united for one day in colourful socks? Maybe not vast amounts of money or fashion forward trends, but it does mean that, for one day, there is a bit of fun, a bit of unity, a bit of awareness that there is a whole big world out there offering a myriad of challenges and strengths. I am always thrilled with any activity that we can do that makes our big and widespread agency feel a bit more like one place, and sock pictures from all corners definitely fit the bill.

Cormac Russell is coming to Peterborough April 20 and I am so excited. He speaks so well about building on strengths and coming together to make things better. He talks about the concept of addressing head-on the idea that there are big parts of society that are not used to having their gifts received. Just think about that in a world that we try to make better and more inclusive. What we are really up against is a society where someone’s role is only identified by a challenge or a barrier?

What we are really talking about here is building on strength, building on passions, building on what is strong. So whether it’s wearing socks to remember World Down Syndrome Day and/or accepting gifts that others may overlook or fail to value, this team has it going on.

Thanks for all you do – seeking gifts, developing talent and welcoming everyone’s style … much thanks!

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director

A few weeks ago I first heard that a movie had been made of the book “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle. Hearing that made me remember when I first read the book – in grade four, in Mrs. Simser’s English class. At the time, I had three brothers and, mixed with the adventure of travelling the universe, magic and family bonds with little brothers, I was entranced.

Needless to say, that was a lot of years ago, so on a recent trip to Chapters I picked up a copy of the book to read again. It is a children’s book, so a quick pick, and I read it on a quiet, sunny, Saturday morning a few weeks ago. Not quite exactly as I remembered – I guess I had embellished a few parts about the magic in my memory over the years – but still a story about family and love and courage brought back warm memories.

Later that weekend, I was meandering around my Facebook page and noticed a post from one of my few Facebook friends with whom I went to public school . It caught my eye because it was the same cover, same edition of the book in her photo and the caption read, “Took some time Saturday to reread this book – still just as magical as in Mrs. Simser’s grade four class.”

I am astounded at the level of coincidence! Now granted, interest in the book could be classed as universal with movie trailers all around, but to read the same edition on the same day, having read the book in the same place the first time? Synchronicity or coincidence, two girls in their forties unwittingly relived a part of grade four on the same day, one in Ontario, one in Florida, from exactly the same edition.

Part of the awe of this is, of course, that seeds of wonder planted by Mrs. Simser had resurfaced. I think that there is more wonder around than we  realize. Thanks, Mrs. Karen Simser and thanks, Janet Pearson, for reminding me that wonder, a good story and a cool coincidence are still very real parts of what makes life interesting.

Thank you, too, for the magic that you create each day,

Teresa Jordan

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director

Netflix is completely changing how most of us watch TV shows and though I am slow coming to the party, I can binge watch with the best of them at times. Netflix is actually set up to keep you watching – the minute one episode ends the next starts; where you left off last time, it will begin again; and its always offering choices based on what you have already watched.

I have been watching a show called “Weekend Aristocrats” and it is more than amusing. First, you have to like old British estates and then you have to be entertained by old British Aristocracy. The thing that got me wondering this week is this – if Netflix is showing me a great list of shows based on what I watch, and Amazon is showing me a great list of items based on what I’ve bought, and Google is showing me ads based on what I’ve searched, it is becoming harder and harder to step outside of our patterns and learn new things.

There is that old saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” It is potentially harder now than ever, in a world peppered with information at our fingertips, to purposefully entertain a brand new idea, try a brand new way of doing something or delve into a new kind of show or book that we would never otherwise considered. I guess this means that we have to dig deeper to not let technology lull us into our comfort zone, over and over again.

I think the trick is to seek out a brand new culture, a new perspective, a new way of looking at the world – and try new things. Maybe we should all go down the ethnic aisle at the grocery store, get a book from the mystery section if that’s not usually our thing, ask someone what they really feel about a subject – and then just think about their answer, without offering our perspective. At the very least, a little adventure could broaden our list of shows that we like on Netflix and open our minds to be just a little bit more aware of all the differences around us. Differences are at the heart of community.

For all you do, much thanks!

Teresa Jordan

From the desk of Teresa Jordan, Executive Director

Last weekend at the end of reading week for my daughter, she was invited to a gathering at a friend’s home. In the planning she was asked to pick up another friend from an apartment building in Lindsay where my daughter had never been. So, being of the age where everything is answered by Google, she searched the address. With the Google maps reference she was still unsure where the building was so she looked at the Google earth photo. As she looked at the building, she did the “pan around” option and not only recognized the house across the street but found herself looking at a photo of her very own grandfather cutting the grass. Needless to say, she knew where she was going.

The whole story made me laugh, but also made me think about all the times that we find ourselves in completely unknown circumstances or roles or situations or locations.
And even though we are quite nervous and disoriented, a careful review or observation
soon finds something familiar. In a crowded room of strangers, one familiar face; in a
complex project of unknown outcome, a comfortable method; in a world that seems hostile and not inclusive, a safe haven of accessibility and community.

I know I now have yet another helpful mantra – if feeling a little lost, unsure or confused, take a moment, pan around and look for Grandpa Wally on a lawnmower. Doubtless he will be there, closer than I can imagine.

For all you do, and find and seek out, I thank each of you.