I’ve had my say

Over the years I have been very vocal on many subjects and not afraid to make my point of view public.

Reading last week’s letter written by Stephanie Eldridge (good letter by the way) really got me thinking. I’m tired of politics; sick and tired! Whether at the federal, provincial, municipal or even at board levels of various organizations, politics is always in play.

Having been involved in some small way at all these levels at one time or another, I’m worn out and not afraid to admit it. Most people involved in the aforementioned areas really have my greatest admiration. They are determined to put in countless hours of their lives trying to implement positive changes at the level they work. Even though I may not always agree with what some individuals are trying to push through, the majority of them continue to work diligently to better those around them. Kudos!

Over the years I found I preferred to try to make a difference by volunteering. Now there are many in this area alone that volunteer countless hours to various organizations and the time they give of themselves seems to have no boundaries. Quite simply, I greatly admire them!

My pet areas of volunteering in the past were with local schools and picking up litter for many years in connection with Waste Check, Communities in Bloom and Clean Nova Scotia. (I’ve had to give up the latter due to problems that arose with a damaged nerve in my neck.)

I write a short column once a month in the Tri-County Extra (that comes with the flyers) called Bettering Our World. It gives easy solutions to anyone to make our world a better place by doing, or not doing, simple things in our everyday lives. I enjoy writing this column and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Besides this column I help to keep our property in centretown clean, I vote in every election as everyone should (it being an important civic duty) and I obey the law. Oh yes, I don’t add to the litter problem, either.

You’re probably asking why I bothered to write this letter. Well, the fact is I’m learning to keep my inflammatory opinions to myself. I’ve fought the good fight for many years when trying to sway other’s decisions. Be it littering, building an arts centre in our downtown, having to pay to park at hospitals, and so on. I’ve come to the conclusion that individuals in certain positions are going to push through their agendas and no matter what I may say publicly, it’s not going to change a thing. Over many years countless individuals have called me or come up to me in person to thank me for putting out there exactly what they have felt but weren’t comfortable in saying publically themselves. In the past this was a huge boost to me to speak out about various topics and to all of you a huge thank you for your support. But, I’m retiring from being a public s**t disturber. These controversial opinions need to come from the ‘younger generation’ now, as they are the ones who will be most affected.

As of January 2017 I left the workforce entirely and now devote myself to my favourite hobbies. I still volunteer a bit here and there, but as the old saying goes: “older but wiser.”

Cheryl Burchell, Yarmouth