Wednesday 17 August 2011

Neighbours

I was out tending to the shrubbery around our house this morning, when my neighbour from behind us came over for a little chat.  Seems she was out of the country at the time of the accident and did not hear about it.

She began the chat with "I haven't seen your wife around for a while".  I kind of expect these things to pop up from time to time.  So I explained to her what happened.  She teared up.  I teared up.  It was awkward.  The she told me about how Kim used to say hi to her all the time when she took our dog blue and went for a run.  Kim would talk to anybody, about anything.  The neighbour also talked about how Kim used to play with their dog, and just plain be very friendly towards them.  That was Kim.

She also told me about an accident she was involved in a few years ago that almost took HER life.  Because of that, she doesn't work anymore.  You live behind someone for ten years and don't say peep (Kim was the talker, not me), and then in one twenty minute chat, you find out so much.   We bid each other "so long" and she continued on her morning constitutional, while I continued to water the hedge.

Neighbours can be interesting people.  They say good fences make good neighbours.  I subscribe to that theory big time.  In the days after the accident, there was all sorts of media coverage.  When reporters from the various TV stations would summarize their reports, sometimes from right outside my house, they would talk about what kind of person Kim was, etc.  They got all of this from our neighbours, whom we (or at least I) rarely spoke with.  I subsequent chats with my various neighbours, I could figure out who said what, when.  That old CSI training I spoke of before.

I get the sense now that the neighbourhood is "watching over" Adam and I now, which on one hand is pretty cool, but, on the other hand, can be a bit unnerving.  I'm a private person, of sorts (This Blog & Facebook aside).  But I'll allow myself to be "comforted" when the situation calls for comfort.  I will chat periodically with our neighbours, but I am just not the social butterfly that Kim was.  They say opposites attract.  Truer words were never spoken.


Monday 1 August 2011

Realizations

Having taken the time to reflect on things lately, I have come up with a number of realizations.  Things that I have discovered.  Things I have to accept.  Things that will help me move on with my life.  And, just plain silly, stupid, funny things.
In no particular order:

  • You don't need to have the same last name to be a family.
  • Gardening is an acquired skill.
  • You need to hold the lid up on the clothing donation box until the bag is completely in.  If not, your finger will get badly damaged when it slams shut.
  • Mothers have the hardest job of all.
  • Stupid people were put on this earth to entertain us.  Some are just far better at it than others.
  • Surrounding yourself with good people makes you a better person.
  • Avoiding things does not make them go away.
  • Dogs get it, whatever "it" is.
  • Most media at scumbags, concerned only about ratings or sales.
  • As famous as some people would like to be, careful what you wish for.
  • Conversation is a wonderful thing.
  • Never take anyone for granted.  You just never know when they won't be around one day.
  • Appreciate everything and everyone in your life.
  • When doing laundry, don't put red stuff in a warm load with whites.
  • Patience is indeed a virtue I am still trying to acquire.
  • Revenge is indeed a dish best served cold.
  • Awareness of all the things going on in your life will help you move on in your life.
  • My beautiful wife is gone forever, and there's nothing I can do about it.
  • Those we sometimes hold in high esteem should sometimes not be held up there.
  • You can put just about anything into a stir fry.
  • BBQ's are like cars.  When the lid goes up, all of a sudden there are a lot of guys around.
  • Laughter is the best medicine, whether you are the one laughing or the one providing the laugh.
  • Life is short, so live it to the fullest.
  • Life is also Fragile, so, while living to the fullest, be smart about it so you can squeeze every drop out of it.
  • Time marches on, and it does heal most wounds.
  • Even through a terrible tragedy, when I count my blessings, I find I just can't count that high.
  • You never know how much bleach you spill until you pull that favourite shirt out of you closet to wear a week later.
  • Comedy is the hardest thing to perform.  But, when it clicks, its golden.
  • Hugs are both soothing and medicinal.
  • Chocolate is natures way of saying "Here, take a break, everything will be okay".
  • When you are 20, you think 50 is in another universe.  When you're 50, you try to remember 20.
  • When a kid grows from being dependant on you to helping you, that is a blessing.
  • Exercise is nature's way of saying "MORE!"
  • Hockey has the grace of ballet and the brutality of Gladiators, when it's played right.
  • You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
  • Clichés are there for a reason.
  • The right tool for the right job increases your chances of success by at least 50%.
  •  Pink Floyd music means something totally different to me now.
  • Just when you think you have computers figured out, a new error message pops up.
  • The keys on a computer keyboard are far too close together.
  • I suffer from typing dyslexia.
  • Water works on everything, whether in it's liquid or it's frozen state.
  • Telemarketers pick the worst possible time to call you about your ducts.
  • Every 30 seconds, 30 seconds go by.
  • More to follow…..