The Blind Side

I watched The Blind Side tonight and was, as so many others have been, incredibly moved by it.

(Yes I cried. All of you who thought there was a chance I wouldn't, raise your hands....)

There was a persistent theme that stayed with me through the walk back to the hotel. Do we open our wallets because it's easier than opening our hearts? Is that our blind side?

I'm not for a moment proposing that we all go in search of someone in need of a home, take them in and "save" them from their life. It's not possible for all of us to do what the Tuohys did.

But we can do some of what they did. The education, the clothes, the home were all happy secondary benefits from their hearts being opened to a young man who had been ignored, passed over and forgotten.

How many times do we pass people on the street and look away rather than look them in the eye? How many times do we drop a few coins in a cup or a hat but don't utter a word to the person we're giving them to? It's as though we're happy enough to give away our money but don't ask us to connect with the person.

Charity is not just the benevolent donation of money, the latin word caritas is actually defined as unlimited loving-kindness towards all others.

But the donation of money is easier for us than the donation of kindness. It requires much less of who we are to write a cheque or drop a few coins than it does to spend time with someone.

If we truly want to be charitable to others, look them in the eye, smile at them - as trite as that sounds - touch them, acknowledge them. For some - be they homeless or colleagues or friends - it may be the only acknowledgement they receive. So many people feel invisible and so many are invisible to us that by recognizing their presence we shine a light on them and on ourselves.

And when there is complete illumination, there are no blind sides.

Forget New York....

...the city that never sleeps is Hong Kong.

or perhaps I should say the city I never sleep in is Hong Kong.

This is my second trip to this amazing little island and just like last year I am unable to sleep more than two or three hours at a stretch. Which is fine for a night or two but as I close in on night seven, it's making me a little punchy. And grumpy. With a dash of crabby.

I can't quite figure out if it's the energy, that productive hum that never seems to stop that keeps me awake or is it because I literally feel like I'm upside down and backwards?

Perhaps the 37 airplanes in three months is a factor?

Regardless - sleep deprived or not - this is a fabulous place. Some of the highlights:

1) Hong Kong taxis. They are all Toyota Crown cars (insert recall joke here) and they whip around the city in no time flat - taking a taxi here is a treat....

2) ...except when travelling up to Stanley Market. The winding streets and up and down of the hills is enough to test even the strongest of stomachs. I always seem to have a can of gingerale on me.

3) There is such an interesting mix of the West and the East here. You can get almost anything from either culture and it all fits together harmoniously.

4) Sitting in a restaurant on the Kowloon side watching the light show at 8 pm on the Hong Kong side - lasers, spotlights and seizure inducing strobes!

5) Shopping. Stanley has to be one of my favourite markets in the world. There is a jewellery store there that is simply amazing. Don't ask me the name but I sure can draw you a map to it. They will make earrings to match a necklace if they don't have any on display and they offer generous discounts when making bulk purchases.

I'll be sad to leave tomorrow (as I jet off to Sydney) but mostly I just want some sleep!

16 days to go

until the 2nd Annual production of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer!

For those of you who know me well you know the women and girls of the DRC have been much on my mind for almost two years now. This production, this fight, this call to attention is so important to me. I want to change the story of women and girls - especially in the DRC.

If you're in Ottawa, please come out on March 13th to the Theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. We have an amazing cast featuring Hedy Fry, Jason Tetro, Katherine Dines, Bill Welychka, Erin Blaskie, Alan Neal, Kerry Pither and Adrian Harewood. All of these busy people are giving up their evening and using their talent to make a difference.

There is an awesome silent auction as well.

Tickets are $30 and available at the CMC box office - 819.776.7000

More information can be found at www.hopeangercourage.com

At the heart of it all

Greetings from South Africa!

There is a saying that Africa is the heart of the world and I must say that after a few days here I can hear the world's heart beating loudly and with great strength.

Today is the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison. It is a day that proved, in the end, if you remain true to who you are and continue in pursuit of justice and freedom, regardless of the circumstances, then there is no prison man can build that will contain you. I feel so blessed and fortunate to be here on a day like this. I remember spending time in high school and again in university writing and campaigning for Mandela's release. I joined the protest at Carleton University demanding my school divest itself from South Africa if apartheid was allowed to continue.

In speaking with some of the locals here it is amazing to discover that people my age had no idea of who Mandela was until after he was released. How much can that turn your world on its axis? One morning you wake up to discover a man you never heard of, is a hero to millions and is going to change your country in fundamental ways. The love and respect with which these people now speak of him is a testament to the adaptability of the human spirit and is a signal that anything is possible.

South Africa - the new South Africa - still has many growing pains. The security briefing we received upon arrival was enough to keep us tethered to our hotel for the first few nights as crime here is rampant and violent (but we have since grown a little braver and have seen a little more - but cautiously). There are no more political barriers that separate the people but there are economic ones. The disparity between the classes and ultimately the races can be jarring at times. The drive from Jo'burg to Pretoria offers a wide range of what the country struggles with.

But all countries struggle and so South Africa joins the rest of us.

Long before Obama turned hope into a campaign slogan, Mandela provided it to over 25 million, from his tiny cell on Robben Island. He has said the poem Invictus was one that sustained him during his time there. "I am the Master of my fate; I am the Captain of my soul."

Let freedom reign.


*****

and for a little bit of levity, here is a photo of me being smooched by an elephant. Being that close to such an amazing creature is a gift...and will be the subject of another blog post.