"The Goalposts Keep Moving"
This is not really part of my platform for change, merely an observation as to how plans need to be made for every eventuality. This is also an observation on how polarized things are getting, it saddens me. It is becoming an "us vs them approach". We are ALL Albertans together and it is only together that we will overcome adversity.
When the proverbial stuff hits the fan, casting blame is not helpful. What helps is figuring out what to do next.
Our mayor Ted Clugston has been very vocal about provincial COVID restrictions lately, complaining about how “the goalposts keep moving”, wanting a regional approach. He even said he felt like Charlie Brown from the Peanuts comic strip where Lucy kept moving the ball when he went to kick it. I am not going to get into whether restrictions should be lifted. I am going to speak to his comments.
As a parent of 4 grown children, bonus mother to 7 more, grandmother to many, I learned a long long time ago; the nature of life is the goalposts always keep moving. You can have all the goals you want and even reach them but life happens. Variants happen.
Mr Mayor complaining about the goalposts moving is like a person without a spare tire by the side of the road saying “These tires should have been good for another 10,000km. I don’t deserve this! I should be on my way to __________, this isn’t fair!“ It reminds me of when my kids used to whine about locking their keys in their car. I had no sympathy, I had told them to get extra keys cut to begin with.
Was our city leader really banking on the re-opening dates being written in stone? I was at the meeting where Mr Merrick Brown (Director, HSE & Emergency Management) told everyone (including our mayor) that we would be at each phase for at least three weeks. Dr Deena Hinshaw said on Feb 8,
“We deliberately built in a minimum of three weeks between steps to allow us to monitor our hospitalizations, as well as our positivity rate, new case numbers and overall growth rate, to ensure that we are not seeing a rise in transmission linked to activities that have been opened,” Hinshaw said.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7627348/covid-19-update-alberta-feb-8-2021/
Did Mr Mayor miss that part or did he just ignore it? Were there really no plans made in case/when) the re-opening was delayed?
When the goalposts get moved, you have two choices. You can blame someone else or,
to quote Heartbreak Ridge,
“You Improvise, You Adapt, You Overcome”
The province has said “nay” to reopening right now. Now is the time to
“Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.”
When the province has shut the door and locked it on a regional approach to re-opening then you go to bat for your citizens. You say okay, you won't let us re-open regionally, then give us more financial supports for our businesses. You can also show yourself to be an example - show us how you can gather outdoors and have a takeout meal, showcase our local parks, our local restaurants and distillers. Worried about wanting to gather and have adult beverages without getting behind the wheel of a vehicle? Then show us your family gathering by Zoom, enjoying adult beverages in your own homes. This is an opportunity, don't blow it.
Lessons for the Day – 1 Life is NOT fair
2 You cannot control what someone else does, only how you react to it.
This is my late husband climbing on his load, one leg is artificial. When his leg was amputated he did not say, oh poor me. He Improvised, He Adapted, He Overcame
