The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - The Weekend Special #38 - Tell Me Something Good (2)

Episode Date: December 4, 2020

Your letters this week were amazing ... so many this is the longest 'bridge daily" so far. Enjoy.

and hello there peter man's bridge here with the latest episode of the bridge daily it is friday week 38 the weekend special and you know what the weekend special. And you know what the weekend special is? For the most part, it's your thoughts, your comments, and your questions. And we're going to get right to it because there were lots and lots and lots of them. Without doubt, more than we've had in any other week of the 38 weeks we've been doing this. That's interesting.

Let me just mention a couple of things. It has been a difficult week. Once again, on the COVID-19 front, coronavirus. You know, it's hard to look at these numbers. And I'm looking at the overall Canada numbers posted as of last night. You know, there were almost 6,500 new cases of the coronavirus detected yesterday across Canada. When you look at the kind of breakdown province by province and the territories, there is the familiar pattern. Very difficult from the Quebec-Ontario border west. Not so bad in Atlanta, Canada and the north.

And look at those Atlanta, Canada numbers. No new cases in Newfoundland and Labrador. Six in New Brunswick. Eleven in Nova Scotia. One in Prince Edward Island. And when you look up north, one in Yukon, none in the Northwest Territories. Five in Nunavut. Those are the kind of numbers we're hoping to see once the vaccine really starts to roll in.

But that's not happening today. It's not happening next week. It's going to be months before we have a significant number of vaccines out there that are going into the general population as opposed to specific areas. Healthcare workers, absolutely. The vulnerable elderly in long-term care homes, etc. Absolutely.

And that'll start, hopefully, within a matter of weeks. But, you know, with any luck, by the late spring, early summer, midsummer, those kind of numbers that I just read off for Atlantic and North should be the kind of numbers that we're looking at across the country. But we sure aren't looking at them now. Quebec, 1,470 new cases yesterday. Ontario, 1,824. Manitoba, 367. So bad that the Palliser government, which has really been under attack from their citizens. Manitoba Premier on the air yesterday kind of pleading with people to stay at home for Christmas. Don't go anywhere.

Quite emotional. Emotional to the sense that I saw clips of him running on American news channels this morning. Kind of talking about there's compassion, there's leadership. Well, many Manitobans are saying, where was it two weeks ago? A month ago? But nevertheless. The Tobins are saying, where was it two weeks ago, a month ago? But never the less. Saskatchewan, 262 new cases. Alberta, staggering numbers.

More new cases in Alberta than any other province in the country yesterday. 1854. And B.C., you know, B.C., beautiful B.C. that we were looking at and was being highlighted by news organizations around the world, they had almost 700 new cases yesterday. Overall yesterday, 82 deaths as a result of COVID-19. We can't forget these numbers. We can't get overtaken by looking at the numbers in the States.

This is us. This is our country. And we're still dealing with a very difficult situation. Hope around the corner. No question about that. We can see the better day. I think we've passed the halfway mark, but we've still got a long way to go.

And this next couple of months are going to be very difficult. Christmas is going to be difficult. You know, I think you've got to heed that advice. Stay home. Small Christmas. What we're planning this year. And Cynthia loves to cook Christmas dinner and have all the family and extended family, as many as can get here, there. Not this year.

Be very quiet Christmas. All right. That's the reality of the situation we're in. People have asked for an update on the book. Extraordinary Canadians, it continues to do extremely well. Like really well. Way better than we thought it was going to do. Number one for three weeks in a row now on the Canadian nonfiction bestseller charts.

I'm doing very well. I think a couple of places actually sold out. You know, the big chains, the big box stores sold out in the last week. But they've reordered and you should be able to get things. I know many of you still want to take advantage, podcast listeners, of the signed book plate. If you send me an email with your home address and proof of purchase, I'll send you a book plate. Now, I'm almost out of them again. I think this is the third time I've run out of book plates.

I've had so many people asking for them. And I don't mind at all doing it if I have the book plate, right? So I would suggest if you want a signed book plate for Christmas for somebody, you better get the book and you better get in the email soon, right? Because the next batch of book plates may be the last one before Christmas. So I will sign as many as I can and get them out. So send me at themansbridgepodcast at gmail.com, themansbridgepodcast at gmail.com.

It's been a good week on the podcast front. You know, we started the new podcast, Bruce and I, on Wednesday, a podcast within a podcast, Smoke, Mirrors, and the Truth, and the people seem to be hooked by that title. They love that title, and I think they love the content of the podcast. It was a good one. I'm very proud of it. Yesterday's podcast with General Rick Hillier

has received a lot of attention too. It's even been picked up on some news stations in terms of some of the comments that he made. General Hillier, of course, in charge of the Ontario distribution of the vaccine when it's on hand, which should be very soon. So those and the earlier podcasts of the week have all done very well this week. In fact, the podcast has done extremely well for the last few weeks. And we're proud of that.

And that's perhaps why there's interest on a number of fronts in trying to align themselves with the bridge in some fashion. And when and if there's more to tell you on that, I will obviously share it with you. All right, time for letters. As I said, there were lots. There were, in fact, hundreds of emails this week on the theme of tell me something good about these last eight or nine months.

And obviously I have to make some decisions. First of all, the ones I'm going to read from, I'm in very few cases going to read the whole email. I'm going to lift out a paragraph or a sentence or two from each one, or we'll never get through this. But there will be one that's deemed, from my viewpoint, the number one. And it will get a signed copy of Extraordinary Canadians sent to their door. Okay, so let's get into it.

First one is the first time in the history, I believe, of the bridge where we got a poem. A poem. We got poetry. We are so cultured here at the bridge. We have poetry from Mary Jane McIntyre in Collingwood, Ontario, up there on beautiful Georgian Bay. So here's Mary Jane's offering.

This year, a pandemic pulled out the rug. It was bad news if you liked to hug. So we kneaded and seeded. Sometimes we pleaded. All together we'll conquer the bug. Thank you, Mary Jane. Don't give up your day job. But listen, that's not bad.

That's not bad for the first ever, a poem arrives at the bridge. Crystal Steers writes from St. Catharines, Ontario. Once again, keep in mind, just reading small portions of most of these emails. Crystal says, today's podcast was called Winters Here, Finally, and I had to laugh. You see, Peter, I'm not a huge fan of winter. Honestly, I'm one of those Canadians that books trips to New Orleans, Florida, the Caribbean for January and February most years, so I can avoid as much of winter as I possibly can. Crystal lives in St. Catharines, Ontario. The snow is a blessing, a good thing for me this year. It signals the change in the season, sure, but it also signals that the world can change in drastic ways and still be beautiful. It reminds me that with change comes new life, new things to

appreciate, and new experiences to be had. So I may not be in love with winter, but I am embracing the fact that winter is finally here, and we can all celebrate the beauty of it. We can all watch kids play, animals leave footprints on our trails and yards. We can all find something about it that we do love. Another wonderful lesson of 2020. I'm learning to enjoy even the winter weather here in Canada. Well, welcome to the party, Crystal. Gwen Daly. Gwen writes about coping with the pandemic and she's looking for something good.

She talks about her husband. My husband has been a paramedic for 36 years. His left hip finally gave out and he went on sick leave in mid-April. I'm not grateful that he has had to suffer, but am grateful that we have had the past seven months to spend together and that he did not have to weather the pandemic as a paramedic. It's not easy at the best of times, but right now would be so, so difficult. We live in North Bay, Ontario, and our cases have been low, but right now in the second wave, our cases are climbing. He finally had his hip replacement six weeks ago, and he's doing great. I'm grateful that he's home with me. My father is 93 and until the end of October lived on his own in Russell, Ontario. He was okay to

live on his own as he had visitors frequently. However, when COVID hit, the visits ceased except for his bubble. He decided now was the time to move to Russell Meadows' retirement home. It was a difficult decision for him, but was the best decision. He spent four weeks in isolation, but just yesterday was able to leave his room and mingle and eat with others. He's so happy about this. I don't know if it would have had the same impact any other year. We, his four sons, and I are grateful he made the decision. We call him every day. We cannot wait to see him in person, even through plexiglass. By the way, he still watches the National every night before he goes to bed. I'm grateful for my dad, who has experienced World War II as a boy and knows that this pandemic is serious.

We have three kids who all have significant others. Two are nurses, one is a paramedic, one is a school teacher, and the others are all working, thankfully, but are in the community every day. They're all doing their best to be safe. It's a daunting challenge, and we check in frequently. We also have two grandkids under the age of five, and both are completely fine with wearing their masks. One's in school, one at daycare. Probably helps that the masks have Spider-Man on them. Very cool, you know. I'm

grateful for their resiliency. These people, our family, are everything to us. We're sad we cannot be with them as much as we want, but hopefully 2021 will be different, and perhaps we will cherish those times we are together just a little bit more, and we will be grateful. Nice letter, Gwen. And what a family. Do you see that list of all the ones who were involved in some manner in terms of the front lines of this, whether they're in the health care, whether they're in school teaching? That's amazing.

Mrs. Robin Ward from Edmonton, Alberta. It happens less now, but during last spring's lockdown, it was wonderful to see so many families out doing things together. I'm an active walker. There were so many different groupings, parents, toddlers, babies in carriages, dogs alongside, parents and teenagers, all out walking or makeshift skiing down a hillside or playing frisbee. It was wonderful to see. During that time, I made a list of things I was grateful for to get away from the angst that seemed to be all around. Seeing so many families out doing stuff together was one of the things on my list of gratitude. I used to stay overnight once a week with my elderly father who lives in a senior's facility.

I can't do that anymore. Now my father and I mostly go for walks outside together. I'm grateful he's able to walk and that we were able to do that together. And it becomes extra special when, with our busy lives, we're able to grow in numbers. Recently, my father, my brother, and his dog and I were all able to join each other to go for a walk together. That was wonderful. This winter, we will try for family visits outside around the fire pit. I'm not sure we'll be able to gather enough blankets to keep us all warm, but other than on the very coldest of days, Dad and I will be out walking. Thanks, Robin.

Barb Butler from Regina. Admittedly, I have not listened to your podcast from the beginning as I was attempting to carry on with life, but when it became apparent I was going to have to find ways to entertain myself, that's when I found you. I've admired you for years, and because you had worked in Churchill for a time, Churchill, Manitoba, gotta love it,

and I had worked in the Paw, Manitoba. Now, Paw is like, you know, when you live in Churchill, Manitoba, gotta love it. And I had worked in the Paw, Manitoba. A Paw is like, you know, when you live in Churchill, the Paw is like Miami. It's way south. Anyway, sorry. You were in Churchill. I worked in the Paw. Well, we were practically related. I'd always meant to email you and tell you, but with COVID has come a certain amount of put-it-off syndrome, and I didn't. That is, of course, until today when you mentioned Canadian Pickers. I love that show too, and was immediately struck with another thought. Wow, he's just a normal guy, and we like the same show. I was thrilled. And then you

mentioned you met the executive producer and you asked if you could be on the show. I was so excited at that possibility, but my excitement came crashing down as it was revealed the show ended years ago, was just in reruns now. The story I just related is a perfect example of 2020, the highs and the lows, but it also made me think of how little things can make me happy. The best-selling author and I enjoy the same TV show. That's my good thing about 2020. Look for the little seemingly insignificant things in life as they are everywhere and can make you smile. Matthew Balfi. Matt's from Muskoka.

When schools were shut down in March and we were both forced to work, this is Matt and his wife, we were both forced to work from home, we needed to really try to balance each other's priorities, meetings, and work around those while trying to help the kids stay sane. My wife and I had rarely ever had to work in such close quarters before, which wasn't without its challenges and stresses. Something I came to realize over the six months that we were home together was this. Women take the brunt of everything related to parenting. Men have it easy, to be honest, and I really did not have a full appreciation for this until being at home, trying to do the dance of working plus homeschooling plus marriage plus

plus plus. It's a lot, but we managed to figure out a way to make it work. When school started back up in September, we were both finally afforded the opportunity to get back to work in a somewhat normal way. However, before and after school programs were not happening, so things were not as simple as they would seem. In my past life, I probably would have assumed my wife would have taken on the responsibility of sorting this scheduling challenge out and gone on my merry way. This time around, I felt more engaged,

so we decided to work out some flexible hours with our jobs so that one person would be home with the kids in the morning before school while the other would be responsible for picking them up. It's created a better sense of teamwork and responsibility for us as partners, which is a good thing. We're looking forward to a day when we can get past this by way of a vaccine, but until then we're finding that through better teamwork, communication, and understanding of each other, that we can make it through a stressful time and come out stronger on the other side. Matt from Muskoka.

This one's from Catherine Kelly, sorry, Keely, Catherine Keely in Ottawa. The positives from this very informal project of looking for positives. In non-COVID times, I really enjoy writing, slice-of-life type missives, usually when we're traveling. When travel slammed to a halt on March 13th, the captivity newsletters, that's what she calls what she writes, afforded me a way to keep writing. People share and even read them aloud to family and friends.

When every day feels like Groundhog Day, a little something to look forward to for both me, writing, and my audience, reading. Now that I'm all the way up to day 257, I realize they will provide a nice chronicle of what we have been through these months, including working from home, school online, mask wearing, and not seeing family and friends. Thanks for making me stop for a minute to consider and reflect on something good that has come out of all this. Well, you know, I think I can remember the very first week

of the podcast going daily because of COVID saying, write it down. Write down your experiences. Because this is history. And it is, and it still is. And it's, you know, it's family history more than anything. This should go into your family archives. You'll have generations in the future reading what you and your family went through. And they'll want to know. So it's never too late to stop that process.

And good for you, Catherine Keeley of Ottawa, for doing it in your own special way. Astrofozy writes from Richmond, BC. Man, I'm just looking at the clock. This is going to be a long podcast. Astrofozy writes, I'm an elementary school teacher i think as a bunch we look for the silver linings in any way and everything we can many ideas came to mind and a common thread in all of them was time this pandemic was given me time time to slow down plant a garden time to teach my kids to cook really cook not rehe. Time to take long family walks by the river.

Time for the kids to be bored, enough they figure out new ways to play with each other. No small feat. For Tween and her annoying eight-year-old brother. Time to call my mom. Time to read a book. I heard there's a good new book on the Canadian non-fiction bestsellers list Yes, there really is

You should get it Just look up to the top of the list That's the one you want Time to remember and re-evaluate what is important And find ways to do what matters and let other things go Shutting schools is hard Working from home is hard No swimming, art classes Shutting schools is hard. Working from home is hard. No swimming, art classes, etc. is hard.

No visiting friends is hard. Uncertainty is hard. But the slowing down of our pace of life has had positive impacts on my family, and I hope others are also able to find some gifts of time as we continue to work our way through this difficult situation. Astrophoise in Richmond, B.C. Here's the shortest letter we've ever had, so it gets read in its entirety.

Christine MacDonald in LaSalle, Ontario. Learning to be comfortable with myself by myself. Yeah, there's a lot in that, isn't there? Learning to be comfortable with myself by myself. Wendy Gamble.

Where's Wendy from? Not sure. I'm a COVID-19 survivor. I'm a fit 57-year-old woman who's happy with life, extremely careful, and always ensuring I kept safe from this crazy virus. I still caught it, but survived. I'm so thankful for a safe recovery, and today was my first day out. I'll continue to preach the safety of life as it is today with COVID,

but I now see life differently. I'm so grateful. Life shines through for me brighter than ever before. That's positive, Wendy. Sharon Morrison writes from Yellowknife. I live in Yellowknife, and since March, we have been in lockdown once when the pandemic hit us. Luckily, and as of today, we have no new COVID-19 cases. We live our lives, for the most part, as if the virus was community spread and active. Since I tend to focus on potentially things of good,

that's what I usually find. Right now, something that is great is my life, is that my relationship with my husband of 30 years, if awesome, and it keeps getting better. Because we're no longer committed to many of the social obligations and work travel, we have more time for each other. It's like a second honeymoon. We have fun together in the evenings, playing crib occasionally, watching some shows on Netflix, and sometimes shutting everything off and sitting down on the floor with some snacks and some wine and having great conversations.

By the way, I didn't see your book at our local Yellowknife bookseller. That's not a good thing. So the positive way of looking at that is, it's so popular in Yellowknife, they've sold out at the local bookseller. The negative way is, hey man, local bookseller person in Yellowknife, have you not ordered the book? You might want to join the party. It's the number one selling book in the country. Canadian nonfiction, that is. I may have said that before.

Gregory Yarker. Kingston. Gregory Yarker Kingston Each day I walk my dog Roxy through our neighborhood Here in Canada's first capital of Kingston, Ontario Shortly after the pandemic first reared its ugly head Painted stones started adorning the path along our daily journey Small stones decorated with encouraging messages like, We got this. Be joyful.

Share love. Often the messages included clever wordplay like, We can beat this. B-E-E-T. With a painted picture of a purple beet. I've included a picture of one of my favorites, spread happiness with the illustration of three peas in a pod. You know, I've seen a few of those around Churchill, and I saw them early in this, in the spring. So it must have been somebody's idea that got some play around,

certainly around the province of Ontario. Greg's talking about it in Kingston. I've seen some here in Stratford. Michelle Dextra or Dextras in Canada, Ontario. Just outside of Ottawa. My husband and I are cyclists and we have gone on cycling trips in France almost every year for the last 12 years. So of course this year was a bust. No way were we going over to Europe. Now what is positive about that? We have a mini schnauzer, Max, that we

adopted the year we retired 12 years ago. He's an integral part of our life. He gets us out walking. Can't just put him out in the yard. We're on the 12th floor. He makes us laugh every day. Max was diagnosed diabetic this year. All the medication and paraphernalia needed for a diabetic dog, and don't forget the vet visits, costs a lot of money.

So no European cycling trip this year. Money saved has gone to keeping Max healthy and alive. Of course, we would have found the money elsewhere, but this pandemic has kept our budget in check. I have a lot of people talk about that, how they just, you know, they see a lot more money in their bank account. Those of us who are lucky enough to, you know, have jobs, have contracts, have work. We're just not spending as much as we used to. And that's a bit of a savior for those who have lost jobs and are living on some kind of support system that they're not spending as much as they used to. Aaron Conser, Sherwood Park, Alberta. We've heard from Aaron before.

My one good thing this year, rediscovering my gratitude for little things. When I hear about my girl's favorite things of the day, have silly moments with my husband, or just sit down with a good book and a cup of tea, I'm reminded of how much I have to be grateful for. I have a family that I love with my whole being, a career that I'm passionate about, and a community of people that are encouraging each other in this challenging time. I'm incredibly grateful that you've read so many of my letters on your podcast. I have read a Nice. Mark Hale from York, Ontario. Her name is Cleo Fay. She's a four-month bundle of joy. Cleo was born in late July, and being first-time parents, it's been quite the positive experience thus far. My wife, Esme, and I are over the moon, happy, and little baby

has certainly been something good during this pandemic. We've been navigating all the rules and sticking to our own little bubble. Up until recently, we'd been doing distance driveway and outdoor visits with family members. Technology has been so helpful for family members to see Cleo through screen time. Spreading the good vibes to family and friends with pictures and videos has certainly been uplifting for all of us. Every couple of days, there's something new that Cleo is doing, and it's been so fascinating to watch. As of late, she's been getting a kick from watching me drink water from a clear glass and then doing a little giggle at the end of my sip.

The simple things in life can be so much fun through the eyes of a baby. Being a parent has reminded us of the basics of patience, communication, empathy, and understanding. We all need to practice these basics when we get back to the old hustle and bustle of life at some point in 2021. Knock on wood. Thanks, Mark, for reminding us of that. An old friend of mine, Marilyn Tronholm, we both have spent a lot of time at Mount Allison University, where we both had positions of influence at Mount Allison over the years, including my time as a former chancellor. In fact, they just named me Chancellor Emeritus at Mount Allison University.

I'm not sure what that means exactly, but it sounds good. Here's Maryland's note. Something good from this pandemic. Atlantic pride is soaring. We've led the nation alongside our northern communities and fellow citizens in the territories in holding COVID at bay with few infections and very few deaths. In fact, we are among the best worldwide. People are buying homes here, often sight unseen, in unprecedented numbers. Individuals and families who had moved to other provinces and countries are moving back, or at least letting their hope known far and wide.

From our coastal villages to our major cities, real estate is at a premium. It's very good news. I studied, worked, and lived in Toronto during the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I never lost my pride in being a maritimer, but too often felt the unspoken disdain for our life being from down there. Frank McKenna, former Premier of New Brunswick, amongst others, gave us a big boost in self-esteem during his decade as Premier, but didn't last as fervently or substantially as many had hoped. Will our newfound pride last beyond COVID? Will our communities remain attractive for citizens young and old? Will our economy prosper sufficiently to sustain this current influx of people and even more crucially, keep our graduates and young families here?

Will immigration increase in each Atlantic province as it has in PEI? I hope that each of these questions will have positive answers in the future, but for now, it is good to be here in Sackville, New Brunswick, and to be so very proud of our governments, our health care professionals, and my fellow citizens.

We are united as never before in this battle, and we pray that our fellow Canadians will begin 2021 with hope for each other and for the world. Thanks, Marilyn. Catherine Millette in Ottawa, Gatineau. I come from a very large family, nine siblings. When we were young, our home life was pretty difficult. And as we grew up and left home one by one,

some of us seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth. We lost touch with each other, and those that stayed in contact often faced those difficult relationship challenges that stem from unmended childhood issues. Many years passed without contact, between some even decades. We have struggled a lot with our relationships over the years, and now here we are in our 50s and 60s with wonderful adult children of our own, and we hardly know each other. Here's the good part. Something has broken through all of our baloney of the past since the start of this pandemic. As we have all been more or less confined to our homes across the country,

six of the nine of us have been in contact with each other more regularly now than ever before. We've created a family group chat that includes some of our children. We made a secret Santa gift exchange, gifts we had to make and mail to each other. Mine went all the way to Revelstoke. We will open them together on Zoom. Just today someone suggested we do a birthday gift exchange. Must buy something local. Which means we are committing to one full year of keeping in touch.

Because of some very strong members in my family, ones who got things started, and because of those who proposed some simple giving and sharing activities, we are uniting in our own physically distant way as a family more than ever before. That's something pretty darn good. I love that letter, Catherine. You know, and I think we all, well, maybe not all of us, but many of us can touch that cord in our own lives. Okay.

Let's see. Where are we going to go with this one? Laura Sajoli. Crofton, British Columbia. I manage the pregnancy outreach and early years program at the House of Friendship in Duncan, British Columbia. We serve all families interested in accessing our services during pregnancy and the early years. Along with everyone else, our team has been pivoting

and thinking up creative ways to ensure that our families are well supported and remain connected with health and community services. We switched to Zoom programming, moved groups outside during the nice weather, rented large indoor spaces to ensure physical distancing, and delivered care packages to over 100 families every week. Good for you. We also started a show called Cooking with Joanne. Joanne Charlie is passionate about food, Cowichan culture, and family. During COVID, she's been walking at the track,

beating everybody else on weekly Fitbit challenges. She feeds thousands of people a year through our programming and at community events. I started pestering Joanne about running online cooking courses. It's been great. Gradually, we scaled up and our team began delivering the ingredients to families who signed up for the online event. Now we're running Cooking with Joanne every two weeks with an average of 30 families joining us online. They cook alongside as Joanne gives out directions, tells stories, and at the end families post photos of their creations on our group Facebook page. This week's meal is pork teriyaki stir fry sounds, fabulous, with meat from our local butcher and trifle for dessert. We include enough food so

families can make round two at their leisure. Some of our families who have vehicles are now volunteering to distribute the food to other group members, another added bonus. I love that story. But there was another reason I loved Laura Sajoli's letter. It carried on. It was much longer than the excerpt I've read. But then she got into, signed off, sincerely, et cetera, et cetera. Then there were a couple of kind of PSs. There were N PSs.

There were NBs. What's that? Notabene. Notabene. And the last one I found fascinating because, you know, as soon as I saw that letter come in from Laura Sajoli, not a normal last name, right? But there was something familiar about it to me. I went, Sajoli. Ijoli back in my earliest days after I left home. When I was 17 or 18.

Joined the Navy. Went out to the West Coast. So, Laura's final line. Peter, apparently my dad was your roommate way back in basic training. Rod Sajoli. Yeah, I remember Rod. Absolutely remember Rod. Basic training was at CFB Esquimalt on Vancouver Island.

We were in the Navy together. So basic training is where they have you up at, you know, or whatever, some ungodly hour, 5 or 5.30 in the morning, running up and down hills. Taking orders and learning to take orders, respecting orders. They kind of break you in basic training. They want to make you obey, right? And this was the 60s. And for some of us, that wasn't the easiest thing we ever learned. But it was also a great time.

And, you know, Victoria was a wonderful city to be taking basic training in. And Rod was a great guy. We had a great group. There was, I don't know, 16 or 18 of us who went through basic training together and then off we went to Camp Borden in Ontario, which is near Barrie, for basic primary flying school, we flew little chipmunk aircraft, single-engine aircraft. Then we went on to Port of Chapre, where we were in advanced flying training,

flying C-45s, expediters, bug smashers, they called them. Anyway, it worked out for some, not so well for others like me. Well, I guess I should say it worked out pretty okay for me. As somebody who, you know, who left the Navy in the second year that I was there, I kind of fluked my way into broadcasting out of Churchill, Manitoba, not too many months later. And things worked out fine for me.

But hearing how Rod's daughter ends up writing me on a podcast all these years later, so that was 1966. We were roommates in Victoria to Squamish. And, well, that's quite a few years ago, isn't it? But great to hear from Rod's daughter. Sharon Morrison writes from Yellowknife. Second. This is wonderful this week, right?

Because we're really reflecting everywhere. The north, the east, the west, the central, the whole bit. Sharon Morrison in Yellowknife. I live in Yellowknife, and since March, we have significantly curtailed our whole way of life. Luckily, and as of today, we have no new COVID-19 cases, but we do live as if the virus is active and community spread. Wearing masks and social distancing is widely observed in our community. The most positive thing that my husband and I have experienced since COVID-19 is the revitalization

of our relationship. Although we have been happily married for 30 years, over the past nine months, our relationship has become even better and more romantic. Since COVID-19, we are no longer committed to attend many of the routine social obligations and work-related travel. We have more time for each other. It's like a second honeymoon. We have fun together in the evening, playing crib occasionally,

watching some shows on Netflix, and sometimes shutting everything off and sitting down on the floor with some snacks and some wines, having great conversations. Did I already read this letter? I don't know. I'll have to go back and have a look. Starting to sound a little similar to one I read earlier, Peter.

So let's have a look. It is. It's the same one with a couple of little changes in it. Oh, Sharon, you snuck in a double. She wrote last Friday just after we closed out the entries for last week, and then she wrote again yesterday. Anyway, the reason it reminded me, because her last line's the same as it was in the first one

Which was She still hasn't found that book Yellow-Eyed Bookseller We've got to do something about that Anyway I digress And we're at 45 minutes into this thing And I've still got a raft of letters

Including the one I'm going to give the book away to. So let me try to speed up here. Spencer Stinson, on December 17th, almost a year ago now, my wife and I welcomed our little boy to our family. Prior to the pandemic, I had a two-and-a-half-hour round-trip commute daily to Detroit, Michigan, from our rural setting out here in Blenheim, Ontario. My company has been exemplary in its handling of treatment of employees and protecting them since the pandemic began, moving the majority of us to full-time work from home from the beginning of March as the reports began coming out of China.

Definitely something good, in my opinion. Now on the really good part, the amount of time I've been able to spend with my son and seen him grow due to getting this time back every day is immeasurable. Morning commute time is now morning play time and all the bedtimes I probably would have missed due to being stuck in cross-border traffic have been eliminated. I truly cherish this time I've been able to have with my family and being able to see my son grow since moving to work from home setup. I know 2020 has had ups and downs for us all, but this truly has made 2020 so much better for me and my family.

Thanks again for the two book plates. The books are on their way to their end recipients in time for the holidays now. You're welcome, Spencer. Anastasia Sparling in Fairmont, Grey Highlands, Ontario. During these troublesome COVID times, I found a youthful inner strength that I didn't know I still had. Farming on my own in the Beaver Valley, I usually have some seasonal part-time help.

Not so this year. Help was not available. My son helped with heavy lifting when he could. At 71 years of age and just about five foot two, I know my limitations. Never one to despair, I rolled up my sleeves and did what I could on my own. The greenhouse work, tending the vegetable gardens, picking the berries, harvesting the garlic crop, and planting next year's garlic crop as well. I also found inspiration to venture into a new project, growing shiitake mushrooms in my own red oak logs. I'm often tired at the end of the day, but never bored. I attribute my inner strength and work ethic to my loving, hardworking parents. As a toddler living in Lanigan, Saskatchewan, she survived the Spanish flu. Her grandfather and four siblings died. Perhaps I've inherited their strengths and determination to get things done and treasure

every day as a precious gift. I still have the winter to contend with. Lots of snow blowing and shoveling. And she sent along a picture, and yeah, there's a lot of shoveling to do there. Megan Rondo. I graduated from the University of Alberta back in 2009 with a double major in sociology and history. When I was attending school, I was living at home with my parents, who lived about 40 minutes west of Edmonton. While I did take courses that I was interested in, a lot of time I chose courses based on times so I could limit the amount of driving I had to do, especially in the winter months. For example, I took a 400-level course on the history of the Social Credit Party in Alberta,

just because the timing of it worked well. 2008, Megan hated that class. Surprisingly, I have referenced that course a lot in recent years in conversations with friends, so at least it has been useful. I've wanted to go back to school for a while and would eventually like to do my master's. I put off going back to school because I never had the time. Between working full-time and having a four-year-old, my free time was limited. This year, I had more time on my hands, though, and at the University of Alberta, the majority of courses were being delivered online. I registered as an open studies student for the fall semester and took Human Ecology 300, Policy Development and Evaluation. It's been nice to dive back into school and it's been rewarding to be doing well in the

class too. Still got it. I'm taking a course that really interests me and I have the time to attend the lectures and do the assignments. This would have been much harder to do were it not for the pandemic. The only downside about the course is it makes me feel old. I'm 34, but the majority of students in the class have to be in their early 20s. I had a group assignment and had to write an essay together that discussed policy topics that are important to each of us and talk about the similarities and differences it was clear from the topic that i chose affordable and accessible child care that i was the outlier in the group i'm taking another course in january

and have also enjoyed the distraction that taking a course brings megan rondo and edmonton and Megan, believe me, 34 is not old. Enjoy it. 34 is great. The 30s are great. The 40s are great. The 50s are great. The 60s are great. And so far, the 70s haven't been bad either.

So enjoy 34. Okay, what am I going to do with this one? This is a really long letter from Marilyn Myers. She writes from Sioux Lookout, Ontario, and it's basically a story about how, well, just like a lot of other people, the pandemic's changed our work patterns, and in some cases, where we work.

And Marilyn's husband, who was kind of thrown out of work by the pandemic. She talks about that, so I'm just going to read a short section. A phone call from a principal at Sioux Mountain Public School sent my brave husband packing his car and driving 19 hours north. He landed in Sioux Lookout, the hub of the north, located four and a half hours northwest of Thunder Bay. I remained back in town to finish house projects, prep the grounds for winter, and leave the house

in the capable hands of our oldest millennial son. By Thanksgiving, I was more than ready to reunite with my husband of 35 years and his new world. I was struck once again by the incredible beauty of Canada's north, beauty that shifted in a few weeks from autumn scenes of golden tamarack and glistening blue waters to snow-dusted ridges and evergreens. We enjoy a stunning view from a cozy, rented cottage overlooking Pelican Lake. We watch CN rail trains snaking around the hills and distant shorelines, reminding us that although we're remote, we're still connected to the rest of Canada. And she includes a beautiful picture looking through the lakefront windows out across the water. For us, the pandemic gave us something good out of something bad. A new home away from home with a basket full of new adventures and blessings.

Yeah, she goes on and on. And it's great. You know, she's got great word pictures in terms of what it's like. I know Sue Luck. You know, that might surprise Marilyn, but I was, you know, after those Navy days and after the Churchill days, I was based in Winnipeg, and one of the assignments I got was responsibility

for Northwestern Ontario, because from the Winnipeg CBC station, we put out a newscast every night that only went to Northwest Ontario from the sort of Manitoba border right through to Thunder Bay. And so once, one week a month, I would travel in Northwestern Ontario. So I knew Northwestern Ontario really well, you know, from the Southern parts of, you know, Fort Francis, Emo, up to Kenora, Vermillion Bay, Dryden, all the way out to Thunder Bay,

coming back from the southern route of Atikokan towards Fort Francis. But there's a great corner on the Trans-Canada Highway that's east of Kenora and west of Dryden at Vermilion Bay, right in the heart of kind of tourist country in the summer. A lot of Americans come up there to fish for walleye, what they call them. We call them pickerel. Whatever you call them, they're wonderful, great tasting fish.

But anyway, there's a kind of a, what do you call it, a T section right at Vermilion Bay and the road north goes to Sioux Lookout and Red Lake. And so I know that road well and I know that corner well. Bobby's Sports Shop. I don't know whether it's still there.

Best fishing tackle you can find anywhere in northwestern Ontario. Bobby and his twin brother Alan ran it when I was there. I think Bobby's passed, but I think Alan still runs it. At least he was a couple of years ago. So I know that area and I know that drive up towards Sioux Lookout and you're quite right, Marilyn. It's a gorgeous part of the country.

Okay, we've come to the end. We've come to number one for this week and it's my choice. I'm sure there are ones in there that you've just listened to that you went, man, that was a great letter. They're all great. And, you know, as I said, there were dozens and dozens and dozens more. So it wasn't an easy task to kind of narrow it down. And I know that we're approaching an hour on this podcast, which would be the longest

version of the bridge we've ever had. But it's been worth it just to get to Sheila Strickland's story. And Sheila's from Pitbo, Ontario. P-T-B-O. So I'm going to read this, the whole one. I've just discovered the podcast. Yesterday, actually. I began listening this morning.

Congratulations on evolving into this next step in broadcasting. Where were you for the last nine months? So what has been good for me in this pandemic? In a nutshell, the deepening of my relationships. My husband and I just celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary this week. We eloped to Spain rather than wanting to spend all that money on travel than ceremony. Our time together has been the same as many long marriages, ups and downs, challenges, joys, but we never lost the sense of partnership, being allies. Even now, bubbled together in the smallest house yet over the last eight months, we find space for each other, anticipate each other's moods and needs, encourage each other in action, still talk about absolutely everything.

We have not yet fought, nor really in all of our time together. I so appreciate him and the relationship we have together. We're lucky. He would love your book. Our children are in their late 20s, in two different cities than us. Continuing to support and parent, as we always do, has been full of challenges,

particularly in keeping mental health discussions on the table and supporting their changing views of where they're at in life, encouraging them to change their lot if that is what they need to do. I live by a letter I received from my mother decades ago. She was in France, me in British Columbia. Our first big separation. And then she quotes from the letter. If you're not happy, then work at it.

Sage, I will say our relationship with our children as adults is now deeper, more honest, more real-life topics discussed than ever before. We've managed to get them to allow us into their inner world, and the pandemic has brought us that. My siblings, in-laws, and friends, it's been all about supporting one another. Everyone's going through something, and this pandemic has given me and my group the opportunity to talk real about things more than ever before. This has made me love my people even more, and hopefully they me. My friendships are deeper and more honest because of this pandemic. I feel blessed, quite honestly, at all of this, that the quiet and isolation has brought into my life, enriched. Thank you for asking the question. Sheila Strickland in Pitbow, Ontario.

Sheila, you're going to have to write back to give me an address. I like Sheila's letter just like I like a lot of the letters because many of them touch on this same theme, this theme of deepening relationships as opposed to relationships that have fallen apart as a result of the pandemic. And we all know that has happened too. But the purpose of this exercise has been to try to look for personal examples of things that have been good about a difficult time. And in many cases here, as you've heard in these letters, that good has come from the building of a relationship with somebody who was already very close. In some cases, like Sheila's, it was partly with her husband.

But in other cases, like the letter from the person who grew up in a big family but had lost touch with so many of their siblings, some of that has come back together. So it's kind of theme. It's kind of a thread through some of these letters. And it's really encouraging and inspiring. And I think reminds all of us that there are people who are close to us or should be close to us,

that we can reach out and touch through all of this and make that relationship better and more meaningful. All right. We've gone over an hour. And for the three of you who are still out there, it's always a treat to read your letters. And I read them all. I don't read them all on air, but I read them all.

So don't be shy. The weekend is upon us. A weekend where we are having to face the current new reality. And that is stay at home. Unless you absolutely have to go out. And if you absolutely have to go out. Do all the things that you know you have to do. Wearing a mask.

Socially distance. Avoid areas that are crowded. And if you go out for a walk, that's great. You know, get some fresh air in your lungs. Just be wise. Be careful. Be smart. Be kind.

And smile when you can. Okay, we're into December. Next week's week 39. I'm Peter Mansbridge. This has been The Bridge. Thanks so much for listening. We'll talk to you again on Monday. Thank you.