encouragement

I had lunch today with people who I rarely see but communicate with every day electronically. It’s an e-mail chat group by invitation and has about 12 regular posters and maybe 30 total. A diverse group is putting it mildly. These are some of the Ottawa folks who meet quite regularly face to face. Because the lunch was 18km away and I had to bike to it, it was more of an adventure than just a lunch. And a storm was brewing too, but as it turned out, our timing was good and it didn’t rain until I got home.

We talked about various things. Richard gave me a “Hard Rock Cafe” pin and I thought it was because the restaurant we ate at was called the “Hard Stones” and there had been some disparaging comments earlier. No, it turned out that Richard remembered my brief reference to the cafe in my “Notes from Abroad” “book” that a few people have read and he wanted me to have it for that reason. And then he said that he had really enjoyed reading what I had written and I took that as a real sign of encouragement. I know other people have said they enjoyed reading it (well, everybody who read it really). And Betty who I call my biggest fan. (Aside from Norah that is. And Peter is in a different category altogether - I just realized how difficult it is going to be to thank everyone at the Oscars.) But you know how sometimes the timing just has to be right. I have said that message is always there, you just have to be ready to hear it. I suppose this was one of those moments. Anyway, I feel very ready to continue writing my teen book, flog my sewing book and start on this idea I have for “religion as social control”. Good grief, no I won’t be calling it that. And I haven’t even thought of the pitch. But I know it is in me to write it.