Learning and understanding

I was thinking about the core myths we use daily.  In my case, they include the belief that I am the master of my fate: that I can control the outcome of my life choices.  To a degree, that’s true.  If I decide to eat a salad, there are consequences to that choice.  In my case, it would mean a day or so of “digestive distress”, a polite way of saying that I’ll be unfit for human company! This served me well in many circumstances growing up. My determination (what some people called stubbornness) helped me through many difficulties and enabled me to achieve my goals. It has been such a central part of my psyche for so long that teenage me received a poster that commemorates it! Over the years, this pushed me out of my comfort zone to take on different roles, up to working on my communication style and changing some behaviours. Now, my willpower is not enough to get me through this.  I rely on it for a lot of strength, and it helps me to set goals, to plan and to focus on a future.  

As everyone knows, I'm an avid and voracious reader.  I was rereading some of my old favourites -- this time Asimov and Clarke -- and I was struck by how much things have changed. Science fiction has gone through many iterations from the early days (Jules Verne and H.G. Wells spring to mind).  It's always been a place to explore humanity separated from "reality" (No, I won't go into a discussion of Star Trek here!  I'll save that for another time  🙂). Issues like racism, morality and politics are all addressed using aliens, unusual situations (end of the world, leaps through space...) But the thing that stuck out most in my latest reading was the role of women and societal mores. Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein and Silverberg wrote during the "golden age" of science fiction, at a time when there were few, if any, women leads.  In fact, most of the books featured no female characters.  If they did, they were either vapid housewives who were an inconven

This week, I officially ended working.  It was a day that I knew would come, but I had planned it for "someday when I'm older." I had mixed feelings about going in to empty my office.  One part of me was hurt that my coworkers hadn't sent a card to wish me well, and I didn't want to meet any of them because I didn't want my hurt to show.  Another part of me cringed from the finality of emptying my office -- of giving in and admitting that things have changed.  The third part wanted to be back with people that I've worked with for over 10 years, and who are an extra support system.  Then, of course, was the part of me that wondered "what am I going to do with all the stuff in my office?" So last Thursday -- August 31, the end of the month, and (symbolically) Independence Day -- I headed in, carrying my laptop, phone and pass for the last time.  The comforting familiarity of being there, going up the escalator, walking past the line at Tim Hort