Favourite
~ here in my-

~ secluded loft,

~ processor — and
“ write my weekly

B6 Terrace Review — Wednesday, January 9, 1991

__by Fae Mooney

things

When I sit up

tucked away from
the world — just
me. and my word

column for the
Terrace Review, |
‘sometimes feel a
bit anonymous. But
I don’t mind, I
kind of like it.
From the top of
this page no
picture of me -—
smiles back at you. Just a teapot. But that’s O.K. I like it like that.
When I waik down main street, I’m just another anonymous resident
going about my business. And that’s O.K. too.

But every once in a while I’m reminded that what | do is very
much like a child who is absorbed in play by himself. Thinking
that no one is watching, he is uninhibited. He feels free to ex-
press his imagination. And in his play he is oblivious to any au-
dience. But when he does discover that he has been watched,
what bashfulness and awkwardness! ,

That’s what happened to me a few weeks ago. I experienced _
the equivalent of stage fright. A minister whom I respect took my
Remembrance Day article on war and pinned it up on the church
bulletin board. There it was for all the congregation to read.
There I was, feeling bashful and awkward, performing before a
live audience!

Every once in a while I am reminded of this fact — that I’m

‘not really just talking to myself. Someone out there actually
reads what I write. When I receive a letter or a phone call from a
reader who expresses. appreciation for a particular article —
WOW! It’s right up there among my very favourite things.

The Importance of Things

Over the year that so recently came to an end, I have shared
with you some of my favourite things — like hugs and rainbows

- and mugs of hot cocoa. Today I would like to share with you

some of the comments I have received from readers.

Here’s one from Vancouver. ‘‘I love to read articles about
‘things’,”’ Johanna wrote. ‘The world revolves around ‘things’
and we don’t pay enough attention to them. I-mean, what really
can be as important as chewing gum? Nothing. It is a very im-
portant ‘thing’.

““Chewy Grisdale... wherever he is, 1 hope he reads the
article,”’

CHEWY isn’t a thing; he was a ‘dreamboat’, a genuine 1959
teen idol. And he appeared in the September 12th Wednesday
with Fae: muscular, tall, blond and blue-eyed. He was a hero, the
star player on our home town provincial champion basketball
team. Chewy was good and he knew he was good, And — he
chewed gum. With a touch of arrogance and a hint of defiance,
Chewy chewed. On the basketball court, he chewed. At school,
his head held high above the crowd of kids congested in the halls,
he chewed, In front of the principal, he chewed. With conviction,
Chewy chewed.

‘(In spite of what Miss Manners says, I chew, too.)

Miscellaneous Things

Maureen suggested, ‘Write. an article about disappearing ball-
‘point pens. Where do they go? Should they have built-in beepers
so we can find them?’’

Good idea. Must get around to investigating that someday.

What's that? Yes, but...

Excuse me, It’s my conscience...

It's OK. I’m not procrastinating. Really. I will get around to
investigating it. Someday.

_ Procrastination. Terrible thing. 1 wrote about it once. It took a
long time. You know, it’s not easy writing about

_ procrastination... And there is not much information on the sub-

ject either.

The Best Kind of Things
HUGS were my favourite thing in the July 18th issue. Given or

‘received, a hug can make a happy day happier, a sunny day sun-
nier, a special moment more special, a memorable experience

“more memorable... A hug enriches our lives, Nicest of all, a hug
comes with a guarantee: its benefits are guaranteed to last long

after the hug has ended.

“May I have this hug?”’ Hugging is for everyone, and there is
a hug that will feel just right for almost every occasion. A bear
hug, named after those who do this kind of hugging best, can

make an un-béar-able day more bear-able. A strong hug-mie-tight
gives the feeling of warmth, sccurity, and support. Then there's

the 4-fraine Aue, where inly the cheeks, arms and shoulders

touch. And the tender and gentle cheek hug, the sandwich hug (a
hug designed for three), and lots of other types of huggable hugs:
the group hug, the side-to-side hug, and the back-to-front hug. A
proxy hug is for when there is no one around to hug. The proxy ”
hug is given to a cuddly pet, who in return hopefully will purr or
wag a tail,,. You can even give yourself a hug — embrace a fond

memory, a past success, a cherished moment, a dream... It’s nice ~

to know that even an anticipated hug can have an effect as
beneficial as the real thing. ;
Considered among the best of the hugs is the custom-tailored

hug, It’s the one that fits and feels the best. Expert huggers“itisist ,

that the highest form of hugging is the. heart-centered hug. Not
only do two bodies embrace but two hearts as well. It’s firm,
full, and lingering; gentle and caring; tender, open, and genuine.
But the best of all hugs, according to my friend Jim, is the
hug-that-ends-with-a-kiss.
Mmm, to experience the warm, deep pleasure of an affec-
tionate embrace. That truly is one of my favourite things.

A Warm Kind of Thing |

As comfortableas a warm embrace is a warm bed. Jonathan
Swift said it better: ‘* ‘Tis very warm weather when one’s on
bed.’’

And so did Stephanie Wiebe.

Time zones was my topic for October 24th, and a reminder
that during the night between Saturday and Sunday of that
weekend we would gain back the hour we lost in sleep last spring.
Standard Time was returning. We could lie cozily in bed and en-
joy that extra hour. a,

If great minds think alike, then I’m in good company. A few
weeks ago in her weekly column, Stephanie Wiebe humourously
expressed her “wonderful inner satisfaction with her time zone”’,
In the early morning hours, while our fellow Canadians back east .
are already out there braving the blizzards, she relished the
thought of still being in bed, snuggled up and warm. That’s my
idea of a good thing, too.

A Funny Thing

Laughter, that can be a very good thing. The wonderful thing
is — laughing can make you feel good!

The sad thing is, though, nobody wrote me anything funny...

Rainbows and Promises

Winter isn’t the season for rainbows. A rainbow can’t be seen
through ice crystals. But the memory of sunshine viewed through
raindrops, magically transformed into a vision of mystical
loveliness, can be viewed again from within.

In my article, Looking on the Bright Side, from August 15th, I.
quoted from an essay on rainbows: ‘‘Does anything else present a
sight so prominent, so seemingly touching the world, yet so im-_
possible to reach... and this beauty both most peaceful and most
stirring at once!

‘The rainbow,’’ wrote Fred Schaff, ‘“‘exists for no practical
purpose, and that is precisely its great value, The rainbow is pure
beauty and wonder... To be even one rainbow richer is wealth in-
estimable.’’

As inspiring as a rainbow was this letter I] received from Sonea:

“J enjoy your column very much and ‘On the Bright Side’
brought to life on paper the beauty of a rainbow.

“But I was sad at the thought that a rainbow had no practical
purpose.

‘At the very lowest point in my life, through stress and depres-
sion, I lost the will to live. Then I saw two rainbows: one in the
doctor’s office as a poster, and the other from heaven, and they
gave me hope —- at the time I didn’t understand why. Three

‘ years later I read thc Bible for.the first time — and there in the

book of Genesis was God’s promise to his people with the sign of
a rainbow in the clouds that he would never again flood the
earth. And so it is with each person going through the storms of
life — no storm shall overtake them that trust in Him — and as 1
gained more knowledge of God’s word and His promises, my life

has been filled with rainbows — a different one for each prom-

ise.

““Two very special rainbows gave me hope and put meaning |
and purpose back into my life — and I love to share God’s
‘bright side’ with others who can’t see rainbows — for He has a
promise for each one,”’

Thank you, Sonea, for permitting me to share your beautiful
letter,

And thank you, dear readers, for your response and your en-
couragement this past year.-

It brings pleasure to’ me knowing that what I write brings
pleasure to someone else. That definitely is one of my favourite
things. .

City fronts
sound-

proofing
money

Terrace city council has agreed
to cover an estimated $25,000 bill
for renovations to the Terrace
RCMP building until the RCMP
can come up with the money
themselves. The renovation work is
required to soundproof two inter-
view rooms and the cell monitor
room and to improve the acoustics
in the communications room.

The sound problems were first
identified in 1988, but it has taken
this long to determine who should
pay the cost, According to city
administrator Bob Hallsor, the
RCMP first believed the city
should pay. After many hours of
discussion, however, it was
decided the building was originally
built to RCMP specifications and
that the RCMP therefore should
pay for the necessary work.

The urgency for getting the reno-
vation work done was illustrated in
a letter written to Hallsor by the
RCMP’s Financial Services and
Supply Branch in Vancouver in
December, 1988. "Concerning the
Interview Rooms, they report, and
we quote," writes superintendent J.
Kolmotycki, " "The adjoining
Juvenile/Female Cell is able to
over hear conversations in. the
interview rooms and visa versa’."

The obvious RCMP concern, a
breach of confidentiality due to an
unwanted listener overhearing an
interview or lawyer/client conver-
sation, could result in the case
being thrown out of court.

But, even though the work needs
to be completed as soon as pos-
sible, the RCMP don’t have the
money right now. Their fiscal year
ends March 31 and the money for
their next fiscal year isn’t due until
April, so they asked the city for
help. Some "What if... 7" concerns

were expressed at the committee
level, but a Committee of the

Whole eventually agreed to recom-
mend to council that they have the
work done, pay the bill, charge the
cost of the job to the RCMP on
April 1, 1991, and, if necessary,
begin charging interest on the
outstanding amount on May 1,
1991,

it
a

Dave Parker
.LA. for Skeena

635-4215

al vieeeminand Ae et

Cece re ane I nis daniel eng RO