Reflections2017

 A longtime colleague of mine called unexpectedly, stating she wants to come to Winnipeg to see how I was doing with my recovery. Her and her two children now live in Toronto.  "Are you sure? It is quite a distance."  "Yes, I know that," she stated. "But we haven't seen each other for ages. Your recovery is a perfect reason to come out west and visit. Why not organize a dinner with our old gang from the Food Bank? It would be great to see the three of you."  Our telephone conversation ended with her request.   Gee, I really don't know, I thought. I would love to. But this will be the first time I will be attending a dinner party following my operation. But it is not as if these people are strangers. We worked together for over three years, I reasoned. But...   I reluctantly agreed to carry out her wishes. I told her I would. I am not going to call her back and tell her I have changed my mind.   The first person I contacted about our litt...

 To tell you the truth, I didn't really expect to go back to teaching until 12 October. But here it is a few days before 11 September when my supervisor, the Director of the Health Care Department at the college where I teach contacted me to find out if I was well enough to substitute teach for a colleague. The Director was in a corner and reaching out to me.   With confidence I said, "Yes."   Shortly after I put down my cell, the demons arrived. There were many. Self-doubt crept into the recesses of my mind, crowding out my positive frame-of-mind. Am I really well enough? I haven't taught since late-May. Four months is a long time! How will it go? What about my hearing? I found some comfort in knowing that I would be teaching Microsoft Office Level 1, an entry level course. The curriculum is not a problem...ever. But the class size is so big. There are 22 registered. What about the physical classroom? Some classrooms have a lot of background noise; particularly...

 "Oyez. Oyez. Oyez." This Middle English phrase means "Hear ye. Hear ye. Hear ye." Along with shouting these words, the Town Crier rings a bell. He is dressed in eye-catching, colourful clothing and wearing a tricorne hat. The attention of citizens is captured almost immediately. Important public announcements are then made.  CancerCare Manitoba employs this proven Medieval English practice in the Radiation Department. Each patient when they have completed their last Radiation Treatment is invited to ring the bell. The staff that are present in the room smile and clap indicating their approval of the individual's accomplishment. People within ear-shot hear the bell ringing that acknowledges a milestone has been reached by another survivor.  This is a worthy tradition. The morale of all individuals goes up. There are smiles all around! ***  The bell ringing indicates the closing of a chapter in the life of the survivor. It also indicates the opening of a new one....

When you walk through a storm Hold your head up high And don't be afraid of the dark At the end of a storm There's a golden sky And the sweet silver song of a lark Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain Though your dreams be tossed and blown* *Songwriters: Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers  ***  In the early morning of August 20th, many of the world's population were both surprised and saddened to learn of the passing of Jerry Lewis in Las Vegas Nevada. For so many years (1966 -- 2010) he was the main cheerleader for the Multiple Dystrophy Association (MDA) Labor Day Telethon. During those 44 years, the Telethon raised the staggering $2 billion for 'Jerry's kids.'   Jerry's signature song for the Telethon was You'll never walk alone . Thinking about that song and fetching the lyrics from the Internet, I could not help but reflect on the CancerCare MB team that each and every person who gets cancer automatically receives.   I learned early...

 For the sake of argument, let's pretend that there are only 100 vending machines on the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) Campus. And for sake of argument, let's pretend that there are 50 slots in the 100 vending machines. I invite you to take a good look at a couple of them as you walk down any hallway. The common denominators in all of them is: fat, salt and sugar. Oh they come in different shapes, sizes and packages, but that is what they all contain. There is none or precious little nutrients in any of them. They are awash in fat, salt and sugar.   Why is this? The HSC is a hospital. It is a place people in the community look to for answers to health and wellness issues. It is a principal hospital in Manitoba for pete's sake! It has lofty ideals. Seek out their "Vision and Values Statement." I fail to see how an abundant source or cornucopia of unhealthy junk food provides the "best possible hospital experience." Do you? Probably not.    The HSC is repor...

Dear Reader: I was approached to address a number of undergraduate Health Care Students at one of the local colleges in Winnipeg. I was flattered and jumped at the opportunity. Following is my Talking Notes. Sun Wukong Winnipeg Manitoba 1 September, 2017 ----------------------------------------------- Oh those eyes - The importance of human contact   Audience: Undergraduate classes, Health Care Time: 15 - 20 minutes Resources: Testimonial  __________________________________  Good day. My name is Sun Wukong for those of you whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting. I am not a health care professional like you will soon be. Rather, I am a teacher of computers and have been for about 4 years. I have been teaching in some capacity or another since the early 90s -- that's the 1990s.   I want to thank the college, our department head, your instructor and especially you for allowing me the time to speak to you this morning on a topic I think is vitally important in ...