Daily Inspiration: “Embrace your inner quirkiness quotient! Be a square snowman in a round world!”

“Embrace your inner quirkiness quotient! Be a square snowman in a round world!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Might I be able to interest you for but a brief moment for a small donation to an important charity? Please consider supporting, particularly during this Christmas week, a small charity that brings a very important level of comfort and joy to a small group of special needs young adults.

The snowman in this screen-grab was put together by one of the participants in Events for Life, an initiative local to my ski hill in Thornbury, Ontario, Canada. A registered Canadian charity, EFL provides many day activities for a very special group of people.

My wife, eldest son, and I have been involved with EFL for quite some time; she until recently as a board member and to this day, regular providing assistance with many other issues on an ad-hoc basis. My son Willie and I have been the EFL-‘geeks’, providing tech and Web site support, among other many things. Throughout the region, there are countless other volunteers who give their time to support and enhance the initiative – the community support is, at times, truly overwhelming!

The comfort and joy we all find in our efforts are incalculable – I don’t believe I have ever discovered anything more magical than the special smile that emerges when one of these young people finds their own moment of special joy in some small activity! Such as assembling a special snowman!

And yet, as with everything in our world today, they have had to adapt to a virtualized and socially distant world. They are now participating in Zoom calls with each other in order to find the connection and warmth of interaction and to participate in previously complex activities that were conducted in person.  If you think you find our virtual world difficult to manage at an emotional level, just imagine for a moment what they have lost by virtue of not getting together with their friends in our previous real world. Try to comprehend their inability to understand why they can’t do what they were doing before. Try to imagine assembling a special craft without the previous form of in-person support by a volunteer!

And yet, even in Zoom, their smiles are powerful once they see each other! They find comfort in their joy…..

I recently used this EFL snowman in a studio set, and I can tell you – simply seeing the little guy, and knowing the story behind his creation, brought joy to my heart!

Be a square snowman! Be unique – you’ll find comfort in its special creativity! And don’t ever let anyone tell how it MUST be done exactly the way they say it should!

Please consider a small donation. Events for Life is a registered Canadian charity, and your support will go a long way to assist this small group as continues its BIG efforts in our new and complex world.