By Darren Lum
The new year brings optimism.
I have a dream when there will be better days ahead.
It’s a fitting sentiment for this time in our lives with so much uncertainty.
Art Ward, a Rotarian with well-known determination and commitment as a hotel operator, died last month, but will not be forgotten.
His legacy is rooted in how much he gave to Haliburton. Central to that was his belief in people and this community. Ward was from Arnprior where he was born and raised before going to university in Toronto. The transplant though could easily pass for any of the deeply-rooted founders of modern Haliburton for his commitment and dedication to making this place the best it can be and letting everyone know it. He embodied the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self.’
Last year, I was working through a difficult transition in my life.
It wasn’t easy, but I believed in a future that included Haliburton. Here I am. Still standing. I’m not only feeling better in life and in work with my promotion, but I have renewed purpose. I’m an integral part of a legacy that was started by the Echo in 1884. There are dozens of award plaques on the wall and a basement of archived newspapers, as evidence of the paper’s long-standing excellence and the service and commitment to the community.
We are all in a difficult and challenging place right now.
Some more than others with the recent provincial decision to return to a modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen, which is time-limited measure supposed to “preserve hospital capacity as the province continues to accelerate booster dose roll out.”
There is a segment of the population who are vaccine hesitant or concerned. There are others open to accepting the vaccine. Both believe what they are doing is the best course of action. The why is another thing between the groups. As I said earlier, belief is powerful. Let’s remember that respect can help smooth the rails when belief and conviction collide to enable discussion for change.
Belief isn’t the only thing to get us through this. We of course need a plan, which includes a sequence of executed actions to lead to a goal. The provincial government hasn’t exactly applied this logic to how they have handled the challenges related to the pandemic.
However, call me an overly optimistic fool, but I’d like to stay on the positive side of this train of thought for how life is playing out.
We can and we will. Let’s believe in each other. Maybe, if we all do that, it can bring about the change we all yearn for in this life of uncertainty. After all what’s the alternative?
