Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

Break A Habit

Napanee, Ontario

A sign outside a church reads if you want to break a habit, just drop it.

I like that. I passed by the sign in the greater Napanee area. The downtown proper of Napanee isn’t so huge, only 5,000 residents. But the place had a powerful enough impact on me. Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. MacDonald, spent his youthfulness in this area, and also delivered his last speech in the town hall which Daruka and I visited while greeting the staff. More important than this (and I say it almost tearfully), my dad had walked these streets when he first landed in Canada from Holland. Yet, before he fathered me and my five siblings, he worked as an hired hand at a dairy farm going back over 6 decades ago. I took the time to walk some of those same streets just to absorb. Those were simpler times I’m sure.

Daruka had almost missed me on the road as I took a quick water discharge in a corn field.

“Hey, Daruka!” I shouted after I had done my business. He heard me although he sped along. Believe it or not your lungs and voice projection improve from walking. Daruka turned around his vehicle and brought me Adam from the Napanee Fever News Paper. Adam fired his questions as we sat by the corn. Daruka also brought me to see Meghan of the Napanee Guide. We then made our way to MYSM for a radio interview. I also met Serge who along with his wife just opened a yoga studio on King Street. There were a host of people I met in the town and it looks like they were able to accept whatever I felt they could receive. You can’t always go terribly deep into spiritual subject matter. I find it works to give something light and to give some warmth.

Dave, a campsite owner, wasn’t about to venture deeply into a spiritual arena. Yet, he was good enough to slot out a spot in his campground at Mohawk Bay. It’s a kind service he offered to us. No charge whatsoever. Dave has a big heart, and so he rendered a service that was unobliging for him. A good soul indeed.

35 Km