History, again…

History. With a capital “H”, I often think of it as a course in high school or perhaps a major in university. History is so much more than that! I’ve written before about History and how I love it. I devour novels that use historical characters and expand or embellish their worlds. I especially love authors that are able to take historical fact and weave fascinating tales that may or may not have happened. I talked about my love of historical novels in a previous blog titled, History. So why am I discussing it again? Well, lately I’ve heard a few things that don’t align with my own thoughts of history so I thought I would consider it in a different light. We often hear and talk about mindfulness and how we should be in the moment, not in the past or the future but in the now. I don’t completely disagree, especially depending on the situation (doing yoga, praying or mediating, driving my car, etc.). However, I think we need to value and honour the past more than we do. That’s been a big element of how I approach the work on this house. I don’t believe in gutting it and replacing the inside with everything new. I feel a need to respect its history as I make changes and refresh it.

History is the foundation of the here and now. Who we are, where we are, what we have, and what we do, are all based on the past. Often those foundations are built on perceptions. We may think that history is fact and therefore, should provide a particular message or guide as we move forward. And yet we find that facts can be altered by the eyes seeing them. This has been especially true during the COVID pandemic where fact and fiction have become blurred. But that’s not what this blog is about.

Looking way back in time we can track the development of our current world. The shifting of the earth’s plates created the shapes of our continents and oceans. If we look a lot closer to our own time, we can see how certain shifts in attitudes and prejudices contributed to two world wars. And those wars were the building blocks of my grandparents’ lives. Our elders lived through the Great Depression and world wars which left lasting imprints on how they lived, how they taught their children, and how our world grew. And how about innovation? I know that a lot of what we have and take for granted is because of the history behind their creators – cars, computers, medical advances. Yes, there were some brilliant ideas from which they grew, and they continue to grow and improve based on the history of what came before.

I often think about the impacts of the past – my parents’ past and the lessons they taught me, as well as my own decisions and how those put myself and my son on our paths. Those past events and resultant impacts are my history and my son’s. Sometimes history is global, sometimes local, sometimes personal, and sometimes all of those. For instance, the war in Ukraine is going to be a historical event for future generations and will be part of my own history. I believe it’s critical to know our history so that the decisions and choices we make are informed by the knowledge that has come from past events. Closing your eyes or mind to what has gone before takes away the opportunity to learn and improve.

I spent a week on holiday with my mom visiting my son. Unfortunately my son didn’t have the privilege to grow up physically close to grandparents and didn’t get the same type of hands-on exposure to them and their stories like I did with my gram. None of my grandparents were really far away but my gram was in my hometown, and I was blessed to spend daily time with her. My son was blessed with lots of love, just not lots of close contact. I hope the time he does have is precious to him, as I know it is to my mom, and that he soaks it in.

A few times during the week my mom would say how like me my son is and I found he would say the same about my mom and me. It’s funny when you don’t always see it yourself to realize how that connection to the past lives on. And it pleases me to know it. Whether I’ve passed on something great or something less than great, it means he’s learned from me. And some of those mannerisms or characteristics may have been passed to me and then to him from generations long gone. This is our history.

I want to make an impact on my world, for the better. There can be times of doubt – I’m not a world leader so how can I? So the question becomes, how can I contribute at my level? Well, I do so by engaging with like-minded people and doing my best to teach by example; by living my life with intent and integrity. Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world.” So what does this have to do with history?

History is how we’ve come to our beliefs and choices. But it’s not that history teaches us to mimic or think or do the same. It’s the lessons that we learn from the past – good and bad. History has taught us about the impact we have on our environment. We’ve learned about the effects that production has on the world – hunting, mining, forestry, and so on. We know what they have done to our world and are working to counter the negatives while still benefiting where we can.

And there’s the history that’s closer to home. My mom grew up poor and her father instilled a love of the arts – reading, theatre, music, and she has shared that love with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. My dad had a wicked sense of humour that includes laughing at yourself. I know that will carry on for generations. There are times when my son says something and the first thought that comes to mind is, wow that could have been Dad saying that! There are some funny areas where history creeps in, too. I love the sound of my kitchen porch screen door as it slaps closed. Interestingly, my mom does not and it’s because that’s a sound of poverty to her. I took my uncle for a drive around our hometown on Canada Day and discovered all sorts of little bits of history about the town that I didn’t know before; funny tales of when he and my dad were kids.

As I’ve gotten older I find myself wondering if I’m only open to these tales of the past now that I’m looking at my “second half of life”? Did I listen to them when I was younger? Yes, but did I really see them as anything other than funny little stories? Did I judge the storyteller with the arrogance of youth? Does youth (and what is that definition?) dismiss what is shared or do they appreciate it? I probably felt my parents and their generation didn’t “get” my world when I was younger. I think my son feels that way right now. We want to blame the generations before us for the ills of the world but not give them the credit for building the good foundation blocks. Today’s youth gets the benefits of technology and certainly contributes to the improvement of it, but they didn’t create it. Is the past appreciated?

Do we only appreciate history as we grow older? As youth, do we look at our elders condescendingly when they share their histories? (It seems from all I’ve seen and read, our First Nations people have a culture of respected and valued storytelling and shared history from which we should learn.) We are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past if we’re unwilling to learn from history. We can see it in the world right now with the rise of nationalism and racism. My mom and my aunt always point out they are Jimmy Myers’s daughters and can survive anything. Well, I’m my mom’s daughter and I inherited the strength of survival, too. I will contribute to this world in a positive manner, respecting history to make it a better place for the generations to come.

I’m sharing these pictures for a couple of reasons. The orchid on the left looked like it was dying and now look at it! It’s got such beautiful blooms! The hydrangea in the middle has been an ongoing project since before I moved into this house. I couldn’t believe it when I returned from holidays and it had burst into bloom! The orchid on the right has been a consistent producer of gorgeous flowers so I‘ve included it as a success story.

This series of pictures is an example of some of the changes I continue to make. Some people might question the removal of trees and I admit that I don’t like taking them down without a very good reason. These particular trees were at risk of damaging mine or my neighbours’ property in the event of a severe storm and had grown to a state where they were impacting my ability to park in my driveway.

The middle picture shows the state of the area after tree removal and the bottom picture shows a cleaned up space with freshly planted lilacs. I’ll need to plant two more to really fill it in. I’m excited to see the new growth with fragrant lilacs in the spring.

I’ve shared this picture before and am sharing it today because I used it for the first time in the publishing of this blog. The desk, chair (really comfortable, by the way!), and bookshelf are all antiques and I think are perfect in this room. Hopefully the room will be painted and set up in the next few weeks!

Some pictures from one of my best holidays! Hope you are able to take time to re-energize and celebrate our world this summer.