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Courage, Grace Vanderzande
Today, as I sit and pick at the keyboard thinking about my January 2025 column, it is Boxing Day 2024. I do know it is a day when businesses hope for a big day of sales, to wrap up what must have been a difficult year. My only thoughts today linger with an old Boxing Ring photo from 1952 Vimy Barracks Kingston Ontario that I held in my hand as I pondered my column.
Thoughts about the man, who was my father. He was in the Signal Core. The Korean War was happening during this time. This small-statured, muscular man who barely weighed in at 120 lbs. The man beside him was taller and heavier.
Legend has it that the man who was to be his competition in the light-weight class, whom he was supposed to fight, had bowed out. The officials ruled that the man in the next weight class was to compete. Apparently, the man who was obviously double his size looked down at him. The smaller man looked up and into his eyes with a look of confidence and a grin.
This was before my time, but legend has it that the scrappy young man would have won had it not been that someone had spit into the ring, and he slipped. Legends and stories are subjective, and this is the version I like to believe.
That man was my father. He faced so many battles in his life, and I like to think that I inherited his courage.
I have stared down opponents in my own self-confined ring. I tried to face the competition with the courage I had always picked up from this photo. I have been “eye to eye” with cows who thought because they were bigger who could have me high tail out of there. My legs would be shaking, and my voice would crackle, but most times I stood my ground. I must admit the running thing did happen. I do remember slipping on a bit of manure. Sounds a lot like spit to me.
I like to believe my instincts are good. A losing battle I am wise enough to retreat from. After all, self-preservation is also in my genes.
These last few years have had us all face things we never could have dreamed up. So many different punches. All that swaying left to right, back to left, then the bell finally dings. You get to stop just for a moment. I am tired of doing this. Sometimes, I just want to keep sitting in the corner and stay still. Not think, not feel, not move. What an impossible thing that is if you are already in the middle of it. A res, yes, but to “throw in the towel”, in my world, is not an option. Photos like the one above keep me going.
People, long before history documented existence, all around our world, take on obstacles every single day. Challenges that we have no idea of the strength it takes. They had, and have no control, but they keep moving forward.
Legends and stories passed down from generations before will continue. I choose to believe that there is a strength in all of us. The good news is that there are those among us who have so much courage to spare. They can carry us through as well as themselves. If we need to sit and rest in the corner for a bit. Most will understand.
The world is full of challenges, and also unbelievable compassion and courage. It is easy to believe the worst when you repeatedly listen to and absorb the negatives while quickly skimming over the positives. I am not talking about politics.
Legend has it that the man who boxed in that ring also jumped into the political ring. A failed attempt that showed me his courage. He tried. That was enough for me. He may not have conquered all his challenges, but he did not sit on his hands and cry, “poor me, we are doomed.” He showed courage to try to change what he thought was wrong. I am sure there were times when he had to sit in that corner of the ring and when a bell went off, wondering if he was doing the right thing. He rested his body, but his mind kept thinking. You cannot just give up because you were placed in a demanding situation. You must fight.
Not everyone is a fighter, but being silent is not going to help any situation. Words have power.
Ding…. the bell goes off. Left, right; slip and fall. Darn spit.
He did not give up. That my friends is known as courage.
Legend has it that we can change the world, by never giving up. It does not even have to be the entire world. Fists are not required. A little bit at a time is a start.
Grace Vanderzande