Families are isolated in tragedy while our politicians go on tropical vacations
My father was never an easy man to live with, let alone be raised by. If you had known him, you would have known of his crude humour and bitterness.
One could certainly describe him as being quite a miserable man, but he had a right to be.
He passed away peacefully, as peacefully as death can be, on Dec. 22 at the age of 59, succumbing to congestive heart failure, the latest of his nearly 30 years’ worth of seemingly perpetual illness.
Throughout my childhood and life there was always concern toward his health. Heart attacks, strokes, pacemaker, stents. Beyond the pain he endured he remained humble and in good spirits. Despite his temperament, he was a good man through and through, a good father and a good husband. I could not be more blessed to be raised by anyone besides him and my mother. I am who I am today because of them.
I keep saying that I deal with death in a different way than most people. I have become so used to numbing myself out from certain emotions. Perhaps, in this case, for the fear of holding onto any regrets.
I have never suffered a loss this significant, however and I am finding that perhaps avoidance is not the best option. I need to feel it. I did not see myself writing anything further unless I talked about my father to get it off my chest.
These times do no justice toward the process of grieving. I have always imagined delivering a eulogy for my father at his funeral. That obviously cannot happen during a pandemic where everything is shut down and limited.
So many people have suffered similar losses over the past year.
I feel like I should be angry. Angry, for instance, that certain politicians think that tropical vacations are appropriate while they demand that average Canadians remain locked away. While people are being dragged out of their homes, arrested and fined in Quebec. While others are being threatened with a Taser for playing hockey outdoors in Calgary or being Tasered, twice, for going to the YMCA in Cobourg.
I hold no anger, though. After all, airports have been open this entire time, right? So, did these politicians really do anything wrong by travelling? I mean, at least we had the world junior hockey championship to entertain us here at home. We all know, you can’t catch COVID when you’re playing pro sports. While COVID-19 ravages long-term-care homes and millions of Canadians are once again out of work, these hard-working politicians certainly deserve a break. I hope one can sense my sarcasm.
In the past two weeks there have been an additional 122 active outbreaks declared in care settings in Ontario, including 68 more longterm-care homes. Active outbreaks in other group living settings are up by 22 to a total of 103, including in Peterborough.
The problem remains the failure of our government to control the spread within our most vulnerable populations. The situation has been allowed to go from bad to worse within our long-term-care homes.
Some politicians seem to think they are immune to interference with their own lifestyles. Thankfully, we live in a democracy where elections can produce changes.
I hope the margaritas were good. I think we could all use one about now.
Perhaps there is some anger within.
Blatant hypocrisy tends to provoke this. I often turn to poetry in certain times. These days Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night” has been on my mind.
“And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”