There are countless people, events, works of art, monuments, inventions and creations in this world that have spent their lives under-appreciated or otherwise ignored.    We go about our daily lives, largely taking most things for granted, and not really paying attention to the impact the simplest of devices may have on our lives.  In fact, with today’s general acceptance that everyone gets a voice and an opinion, we often tend to think of ourselves as experts on matters we really have no business commenting on.  Sometimes our comments may be innocent, while otherwise they’re steeped in ire; I read a post just a couple of days ago where our township announced that, due to the poor driving and weather conditions and for the safety of the team members on the waste collection services team, collection would be postponed.  Unfortunately, the only comments that followed were complaints about the cost of the local transfer facility drop-off costs, dissatisfaction for the number of trucks on the road, or that regular services are lacking on the best of days; not a single comment of appreciation for keeping people safe.  I suppose I found that post triggering, because I spent the days that followed trying, with effort and purpose, to notice the things around me that perhaps I don’t give the appreciation I should on most days.  Here are just a few, and in no particular order:

Anyone who helps to keep our lights on and services running

Given the preamble, it would make sense for me start here – with the people who spend their days, evening, weekends, holidays, on-call stretches of time, ensuring that we have the comforts we’re used to, no matter the situation.  Their work days are not structured the same way that most of us ours, with a start and an end, namely because they are the mercy of whatever event, natural or otherwise, that has knocked out the water, the phones, the Internet, the power, you name it.  Lighting doesn’t strike with a schedule, and snow doesn’t fall when we want it, so they are the beck and call of whatever nature decides to do it’s thing.  And while we’re at home, feeling angry because we can’t search our social, they are outside in the worst of weather trying to make it right.  While we complain about out road being torn up and traffic blocked because of a water main having frozen and burst, they are the ones who received the calls at 3:00 in the morning to rush over in the minus 20 weather to try and break through the frozen ground to find the source and attempt to fix it before the morning commute starts for the rest of us.  Yes it’s the job they are paid to do, but they didn’t ask for specific situation, and just because someone collects a paycheque for the work they do, it does not mean that entitles the rest of us to push our anger and frustration onto them.

Elemental

The first time I saw the movie Elemental, I thought it was ‘meh, ok’.  I’m not sure if that’s because I was tired, not in the mood, who knows, but in the subsequent viewings I have come to truly love this movie.  From its story and the animation style, to the music and the overall message, I think this has become top tier Pixar and it hasn’t received the love that I think it may deserve.  Accused by critics of being clumsy, basic, vague, lacking cohesion, dull and doomed, I can only assume they saw it  with the same expectations I had upon first viewing and never went back to that well.  I respect opinions and that not all art is meant for everyone, but I think this movie has far more going for it than a ‘lack of Imagination, sloth-like pacing, and general incompetence by all those involved in its creation’, as one commenter suggested.  I can appreciate it may miss a few marks, but it does have heart, a beautiful design and my kids understand its messages and overall themes, but even if you set all of that aside – they love it.  In any case, given the exercise I gave myself this week for noticing those things under appreciated, this stood out to me as the girls and I watched it for our movie night, and I can’t get the

The Spork

How often do any of us pay attention or offer appreciation for the ‘simplest’ of things we use throughout our day?  Be they random or commonly used – a pen, a whistle, a toaster, a toothpick, a coffee cup – just every single thing we use was invented by someone throughout history.   Eating our lunch at the ski hill the other day, I took particular notice of the fact that we only need one utensil to enjoy our meal, the sport.  I’ve never really thought about the spork or its history before; in fact I thought it was a relatively new thing, coming around only in the past decade two at most.  How foolish was I.  While the word ‘spork’ wasn’t trademarked until the 1970’s (which is still way older than I thought the utensil was), the actual invention itself dates back to 1874, from the mind of a doctor named Samuel W. Francis.  151 years later, here I sit on a ski hill, appreciating Samuel’s work and the convenience he has provided my family.

There are countless things and individuals we take for granted throughout our day, and I could continue listing them all here, one by one, but I’d rather finish with an exercise instead.  From the random utensil to the invaluable people who ensure our lives continue as comfortable as we live it today, I challenge you to take a single moment to acknowledge a single thing throughout your day today.  Thank someone for what they are doing in your neighbourhood, show appreciation for the item you’re holding by researching its roots, or take a fresh perspective and give some work of art a second chance.  If the garbage truck doesn’t come today, or the busses get cancelled, or your flight gets delayed, make a conscious effort to not default into getting angry, but reflect instead on if you would want to risk driving on those roads.  As we consistently try to encourage our kids: it feel so much better to start with gratitude.