Paddy’s Ponderings

Today is Pink Shirt Day in support of an anti-bullying movement. I wore pink and I share my story so that others may not feel so alone. I also share in hopes of making the world a better place. So, tonight, I thought was a good time to write a little about my thoughts and feelings on bullying. First: Kids aren't the problem. Kids are not born bullies. They are not born with a heart full of hate for someone from the BIPOC community. They are not born with a mind full of disdain for people that don't belong to the same religious community that they do. Children do not come into this world with a preconceived notion about class and how that should affect their opinion of people. Children also, rarely come into this world damaged by abuse and neglect looking for someone to use as an outlet for their own pent-up fear/rage/helplessness. Kids also are not the ones who tell the principal that little Johnny couldn't possibly have bullied little Adam as that's "just not who ...

  Trapped. That’s my word for today. Trapped.  I feel trapped in my home, my community, my province, my country. I know, I know, some of you are probably thinking, these are first world problems. According to the state of my mental health, it may well be that, but it is also something that is wreaking havoc with my anxiety. Just thinking about it elevates my heart rate and makes me nauseous.   I am not going to wax too political as I truly try to keep most of those thoughts to myself, though the rest of my world is pretty much an open book. That said, the numbers do not add up  on either side of the argument and much like the US election, the numbers  have a tendency to  be skewed to benefit whatever side is representing it .  Let's talk about Alberta . Our #'s are down. All the numbers. Including the testing numbers,  which has to make a person question why – why  are we  doing half as many tests now as we were prior to the latest lockd...