I guess my creativity is lacking, because without a camera, and therefore, a photo to get me started, I don’t write. And sadly, the camera remains unfixed, and a new one just out of reach.
In case you were wondering, I have been doing a whole lot of nothing the last few weeks. I have barely attended a meeting, haven’t written any letters of protest, and have even been avoiding the news. It’s curious, isn’t it? How does someone proclaiming herself to be an activist get so…lazy?
I think I found my answer today. I was enjoying the summer rerun of The Sunday Edition on CBC Radio while making ReBar Orange Yogurt Hotcakes. After thoroughly enjoying the recap of one of the “Twenty Pieces of Music that Changed the World,” I listened to a documentary, that was introduced like this:
And in hour three, the life of a political activist can be thrilling. But changing the world is not easy, and the personal toll on those who try can be enormous. We’ll have documentary producer Frank Faulk’s look at activist burnout.
Not to be dramatic, because the personal stories included in this piece were very much more intense than my own experience, but I did pay attention. I heard how one woman dropped out of activism after a particularly intense exchange at a meeting following 9/11, how a man who ran for Mayor -and lost- later commit suicide, and other sobering stories.
It reminded me that taking a few months off to enjoy my family, and my summer, is okay. In fact, it’s necessary. Although my little bit of advocacy, and activism isn’t much by comparison, it does take a toll on me. And it doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with me if I want to tune out for a while. And I have tuned out. I’ve been avoiding the CBC Radio news and current affairs programming, that normally I can’t live without. I can sing along to almost all the Top 40. Yup. Quite a switch!
But just to show that I’ve still got some substance left to me, I can say that I made 10 pounds of strawberries, and 10 pounds of raspberries into jam yesterday. It was freezer jam, mind you, but I was preserving all the same.
There is nothing quite so divine as toast slathered in raspberry jam! And particularly so, in January, when the taste of a fresh berry, one with flavour and sweetness that is, unlike those imports that have been on trucks for weeks, is so luxurious. Freezer jam can take me back to summer, and remind me to continue living through the dark days of winter.
We’ve got pickling cukes and some dill from the same farm where we picked up the berries, and I plan to tackle those this week. There’s only enough for a few jars, but it should do us for a first try. I’m going to track down the recipe of a friend of my Mum’s, because her pickles are memorable. Hopefully, I’ll have a camera soon, and can share the results and the recipe with you soon.
We’ve got lots of summer left to savour, with camping, a road trip, more tomato canning, and good times with family on the agenda. I hope, by the end of it, I’ll be feeling a little more motivated to get back to work on changing the world. Because in case you’ve been tuned out as well, I have a feeling that no one’s fixed it while our backs were turned to enjoy the sun.
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