Hi Neighbour,
Can you believe it? TGIF on the Boulevard is 3 months old! Time for a bit of introspection, I think. I’m happy with the blog, after a few missteps, and I think it’s a worthwhile (ad)venture for GBRA in 2021. I’m happy with the variety of topics and the contributions from other writers. But I’d like to hear from more readers, with comments and suggestions, or articles of less than 500 words, on any topic that isn’t political or commercial — like an ‘op-ed’. Email it to admin@gbrra.org or phone me (604 980 8436) and we can talk about it. If I’m out in my garden, please leave a message.
Socrates wrote that a meaningful, psychologically healthy life is an examined one. But that wasn’t possible, when I was a young adult and starting a family. I was flying by the seat of my pants. No time for introspection, or self-reflection. I hadn’t time to bless myself (an Irish expression). All my focus was on the here and now, i.e., what the kids or family needed. To a certain extent, my husband was a stabilizing force for me and the kids, and that helped, as I filled our calendar with plans for educational experiences. But I don’t remember having the time to examine our life — we were too busy. Decisions had to be made, often by me, and I wasted no time in making them.
The only time I remember making a somewhat long-term plan for the family, was when I thought we should plan for a road trip to Disneyland. We talked about what we needed to do and how the kids needed to save some of their earnings from delivering the North Shore News (those were the days, eh?). We had 9 months to prepare for our first family holiday. I opened bank accounts for each of the kids, to deposit $20/month. The plan worked. Each kid was able to contribute to the cost of gas and to buy a 3-day pass to Disneyland, plus whatever souvenirs they wanted. We had a station wagon and camped wherever we could, even close to Disneyland. My husband did all the driving, directed the tent-pitching and took lots of memorable photos. And no one got lost or injured. It was great! And I felt that the planning had been essential to guarantee a successful trip.
Fast forward 20 years and I started to learn about strategic plans that a business or organization should have — goals to be achieved in a reasonable period of time and to be re-evaluated, periodically, to see if they still fit. I don’t remember being taught in school or university about having strategic plans.
Well, our 2021 plan for the GBRA blog, has successfully passed its first quarter. Cheers and thanks to all the neighbours who helped us get this far…
Fiona