unto others

not unlike many people of my generation and subsequent cohorts, i have a certain disdain for organized religion. the roots and ramifications of this societal trend have been debated elsewhere with more oomph and insight than i could ever hope to offer, so let's not get into (all of) them here. what's nagging at me this december is that this discomfort (to put it more lightly) with churches, synagogues, mosques, etc., and with the various figure(head)s and tenets they house and espouse, can lead to the misconception that religion isn't still informing our day-to-day lives, our worldviews, our decision-making.

after all, for many of us there are certain biographical truths that can't be denied. i, for one, am a caucasian of dutch-irish descent, who was born in canada in the late seventies, attended a french catholic elementary school (despite never being baptized *gasp*) and has always been enthusiastically involved in december's decorated evergreens, "silent nights" and after-eights (*licking of lips*). add to that the fact that Mom and Dad repeated and put into very regular practice mantras like don't take your luck or luxuries for granted and do unto others as you'd have done unto you. suddenly, claiming that religion (and christianity, more particularly) hasn't been shaping me since the womb becomes awfully asinine.

(i can hear you now: blah blah blah! this has nothing to do with coffeeshopping. well, just hold your horses!)

with xmas fast approaching and my visits to the coffee shop generally intact, i've been thinking more than usual about luxuries and luck and Others.

it began last week when i realized i hadn't seen Cherub -- the older man who, on three separate occasions, gave me a gift in honour of his february birthday -- in a long while, and subsequently learned from the café manager that he has very likely passed away (the result of his rather massive brain tumour, chances are). the unhappy absence of Cherub made me think of Paco, whose whereabouts remain unknown, if only to me. which made me think of Luigi, whom i haven't seen since the spring. remembering Luigi's trembling fingers then made me think of Frances's quaking walk and of a couple of other regulars who seem to face more than their fair share of challenges.

it's not shocking that you then perceive your own set of circumstances in a differently coloured light. among the numerous luxuries, big and small, in my life is an almost-daily hot chocolate. absolutely delicious and -- for reasons i don't pretend to understand -- motivating! but it's $3.60 a day. hardly chump change, especially when you multiply it over the course of a month, not to mention a couple of years. indeed, my admirably-if-not-aggravatingly frugal mother is surely rolling in her grave over this (even if i like to think she's simultaneously smiling because she sees how far those delicious frothy mugs go in propelling my work)! my point: if a $3.60 hot chocolate can make it into my daily budget, there must be a little extra cash to spare for other, less self-indulgent purposes. and, despite my disdain (please see above), i don't mind one bit if Religion-Infused December feels like an important time (vs the only time, let's be clear) to share.

so, for the duration of the month, i'm instating a second daily ritual. in addition to a hocho, every day will include a $5 donation to a different not-for-profit organization, each of which is inspired by a particular individual. the line-up thus far:

dec 1: the brain tumour foundation of canada, in honour/memory of Cherub.
dec 2: the parkinson society of canada, in honour of Frances.
dec 3: the alzheimer society of canada, in honour of the gentle, elderly italian man who regularly wanders rather lost through the coffee shop, repeatedly showing off photos of his grandchildren and asking people to help him use his cell phone.
dec 4: out of the cold, in honour of Paco.
dec 5: the post-traumatic stress disorder association, in honour of Luigi.
dec 6: simcoe community services, in memory of my brother Graham.
dec 7: the breast cancer society of canada, in memory of Mom and Aunt Linda, and in honour of Aunt Tricia.
dec 8: wikipedia, in honour of anyone (laypersons and academics alike) anywhere doing research about anything at all.

i'm accepting recommendations and requests for the remaining days of december and will report back throughout the month. you are also welcome to partake, in whatever capacity suits your own budget and/or heart strings.

and now back to translating…