Kind gestures in difficult times
Our city, over the years, has developed a reputation for many good and generous people, programs, and actions. I think the reputation is deserved. Here are two such recent episodes — one I experienced myself, and one I was told about.
John Boyko is a leading citizen and writer in Lakefield. He is also chair of the annual literary festival which takes place every summer, a highly successful weekend which started out honouring Lakefield writer Margaret Laurence in 1995.
The festival raises funds since its philosophy is not to schedule events in large facilities, but to stay local, and make use of Lakefield places, such as the parks and the College School auditorium.
One of these fundraisers was a ticketed talk by well-known Canadian broadcaster Steve Paikin, seen on TVO’s “The Agenda”: he is an affable and knowledgeable host about all things Canadian. Steve Paikin agreed to come to Lakefield, but it was one of worst winter weather nights of the year. His car was in a multi-car pileup on the 115 highway.
Paikin was unhurt but his car was so damaged it was unusable. Calmly, he called John Boyko from the Whitby Accident Centre and related the news. Three hours till speech time. John picked Steve up and they arrived at the venue with three minutes to spare, greeted by a sellout crowd. (Lakefielders are very aware of public issues).
Paikin delivered a fine, feisty speech and then retired to the Village Inn. But how was he to get back to Toronto? In stepped John Bruce.
Bruce was in the crowd that night. He had last seen Steve Paikin in 1977. They grew up in Hamilton and were teacher and student at the same school.
Bruce is another active citizen, whose most recent success was in rallying his neighbours to protest the planned location of a second fire hall in the park at the corner of Parkhill and Water Streets. Not a good idea. With their research and pleasant lobbying, the citizens got the decision rescinded.
Bruce delivered Steve Paikin home the next day. He says, “It was a pleasure to have two hours in the company of a person who believes in social discourse as key to a healthy democratic society.”
The second incident of pure kindness was on the day of my 87th birthday. One of my friends had made a donation to the New Canadians Center as a gift, and it was someone’s lovely idea to gather the volunteers, staff and clients together to sing “Happy Birthday,” in a 26- second video which they then sent to me.
That made my day, my week, my year.
The diversity and warmth of those people, most of them strangers to me, was memorable. I suspect the idea came from Marisa Kaczmarczyk, who works at NCC, and managed Jamaican Self Help for 15 good years.
Such gestures are what we can do in these times to beat back anger, fear, and pessimism. These, and perhaps reading the poetry of Mary Oliver, or the philosophy of joy expressed by Viktor Frankl.
If we Canadians are in a funk, it shows our sensitivity to the threats within and all around, and to the suffering in our world, but we also have to ask ourselves to what extent we have succumbed to “joyless prosperity,” as some wise person put it recently.
We can certainly think of small gestures to bring joy in darkness. I see so many examples of it in my daily life in this city, I am overwhelmed. At the hospital, at the pharmacy, at the YMCA, at FreshCo, in the neighbourhood, at the churches, the synagogue and the mosque: doors are held, smiles are given, small talk is exchanged, drivers wave you in, interest is shown, crocus bulbs break through.
The Buddhists are offering a session on joy and peace on April 27 at the Mount. Our local life is rich.