It took all of the 4 mile walk along a quiet stretch of the Muskoka River tonight to quell the 'unsettled' feelings in my mind resulting from this past weekend's G8 and particularly G20-related events in Toronto. The news coverage, the photos, the personal accounts, the emails from friends living or working across the dowtown city core left me with a wide range of impressions and feelings. So there is no usual blog this week. Just words - free associations if you will - about both the G8 and G20 conferences:
G8... Huntsville... waiting... buildup... preparations... g8 money... pink intersections... security... annoyances... fix... clean... plant trees... expectations... shop owners... anxious... waiting, waiting... sales?... business?... Medeved... desk... dinner... Cameron... swim... Africa... maternal health... abortion... money... unkept promises... women... children... dying... protesters.. where are they... press... outside the loop... not invited... deficits... reduce... cut... Harper... change language... all done... peaceful... on to the next... weather... helicopters... buses... exodus... highway closed... did we blink?...
G20... Toronto... getting there... fog... rain... Royal York... protesters... organize... signs... banners... placards... messages... poverty... money health... body health... walking... shouting... peace... peaceful... march... groups... unions... labour... first nations... children... surprise... pace... black kerchiefs... suddenly... fear... running... rushing... Soho Street... stones... bricks... sticks... windows... smashing... ScotiaBank... Starbucks... running more... fence... FENCE... keep AWAY from the fence... car fires... smoke... tires exploding... taking photos... what's happening?... policeman with hose... fire trucks... police?... POLICE... riot gear... horses... running... pushing... back... protect... warn... stay at home... get back... get BACK!... leave NOW... tear gas... rubber bullets... batons... visors... arrests... detain... detention... confusion... lawyer?... phone?... water?... family?... questions... why... whynot... night... 4 sewer rats... caught... night fears... tomorrow?...
Sunday morning... police... POLICE... POLICE!... university... arrests... snatch and grab... detention centre... protests... warn... warning 2... warning THREE... rain... march... Queen West... cornered... up against the wall... cold... scared... wrong place wrong time... court services wagons... arrests... detained... released... photos... plastic cuffs... plastic bags... no shoes... no phone calls... night... uneasy...
Monday... what happened?... finger pointing... accusations... recriminations... explanations... encore... more protesters... peaceful... forceful... Police headquarters... College Street... police... bicycles... more police... more protestors... movement...let's get going... walk... block the west... horses... City Hall... Queen's Park... day's done... relief... no fires... no broken glass... no broken bodies...
I know there should be - are - more words, more adjectives and verbs and nouns needed to express all that happened this past weekend. I feel we have 'come of age' here in Canada in some horrible new dimension. It will take weeks and months for us to sort this out. It will take open minds, listening, tolerance, commitment, resolve, recognition, forgiveness, healing.
Thanks for travelling with me on my footpath this week ...
Gillian
BBPP Weekly Health Check:
Mind: Tough work week; tough corporate customer; disappointing outcome.
Body: It's hard to keep dieting when so stressed and worried about work and money. Trying to figure out how to get this year's Christmas start-up sufficiently funded; Wondering about bills; wondering if/when orders will arrive; wondering how to fill them; worrying about finding shoe money for all this walking about. The stress comes out in nervous eating. The best I could do was try to use up more calories than I ate this week with the hope of, at the very least, breaking even. Won't give up...this is for life.
The Artist Soul: On the way home from walking tonight, I was still lost in thought about the Toronto vandalism and the disappointment of the protestors in not getting their messages heard... SO lost in thought that I nearly stepped on a poor beaver's tail! Not sure which of us jumped higher in surprise. Beaver jumped into the river; I jumped forward quickly along the river path. Second time in a month that I have been eyeball to eyeball with a big fat beaver! These creature contacts continue to feel precious - they are true soul connections. Animals communicate so directly, truthfully.
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