Well time’s up! After 18 months of representing the Bear community, it’s time for this Mr. Ottawa Bear to step down. What an insane 18 months! So much has gone on and I don’t know where to start let alone remember everyone and thank them. But you know me I love to write so I’ll do my best!
I’ve learned allot about myself in the past 18 months. I found out just how much patience I need and how hard it is to always smile and welcome everyone even though I didn’t feel like it sometimes. There were some points in the year I was either, hosting, attending, representing, fundraising for 4 or 5 groups in the same weekend. If I offended anyone by not being polite and giving you a hug then I is so sorry. Oh don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about you bitches who came to me with your problems and your relationship issues... Seriously! HAHA! But it was a blast!
So here are the thanks!
To the bears from MOB and who look after the community, a big THANK YOU! To the guys at Sugar Bear weekend in Montreal both past and present, To Evenours. To both Mr. Leather Ottawa’s, MLO 2009 Brendan McGovern and especially to MLO 2010 Mike Tattersall, I cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done for the Bear community, the leather community and the GLBT community. You are truly an inspiration to those around you and your hard work (I hope) gets noticed. Thank you to Second Cup, After Stonewall, Swizzle’s, Dog n Pony, Club Ottawa, Dixie Landers for being Goldie Locks on our float last Pride! To Bob Forrest for all the photos, the video we worked on... I’m glad you found inspiration in there someplace...To Shock-Ra who supplied me with gear, to the former MOB’s for your help and encouragement, to all of those who attended brunch, coffee and who bought all of our shit and tickets for fundraisers. Thank you to Jay Smidt for your support and a BIG THANK YOU To Ben for being there in some critical times for MOB when it seemed like nobody else would. George, thank you for making my sash and making me look like a true Sash Queen! (hehehe). To Marcel the MOB president for keeping things together, to Matt who without you we could not have gotten some of these events off the ground. Thank you Jon, even though your stay with us was short, it was appreciated and heartfelt. To the handsome runner up and the current brunch coordinator, Francois, life would be very dull without you in it. The past boards (since I outlived 3 of them) good riddance... I’m kidding! Some of you are so sensitive.... To Bruce, Alan, Shawn, Jordan and again Ben your support during your board terms was invaluable. If I’ve not mention anyone from previous boards it is for reasons well known to them.
There is one final person I need to thank most of all, to my husband Randy. This man took a backseat in our relationship for the past 18 months while I did my thing. He never questioned anything, he always supported me, he attended some events he wanted to and others he felt that it was best that the husband just stayed at home. He told me once, “nobody wants to see a Mr. Ottawa Bear with their husband, they want you for themselves”. I’m not sure what I would do if I did not have Randy in my life. He’s my best friend and I love him more than he will ever know.
To everyone else.... be good. Be kind to yourselves, to your community and to the Mr. Ottawa Bears ahead of us. Community leaders take rolls on because they want to not because they have to.
I’m not sure where I’m going from here. I still have a stronghold in the community with my work as Chair of the LGBT Pride Resource Group through MBNA where I work. MBNA is a true community supporter.
They are a company who’s always put the communities they serve first. They are such a supporter of the LGBTTQ community in Ottawa. I love the work I do and what we do for our community. I’ll always be around.
So I’ll wrap it up. My blog spot as Mr. Ottawa Bear will be quiet but as the great Harvey Milk said “Hope will never be silent” I hope that I’ve given you something to think about over the past year.....what it means to be part of a family... a community... for all the good... and the bad... we will always stand united. As ONE.... That gives me HOPE.
I am truly blessed to have met you all and to have worked with many of you. Thank you for the privilege of letting me be Mr. Ottawa Bear 2009.
Big old Bear hugs
Mr. Ottawa Bear 2009
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Aftermath of Change
It’s been a weird and crazy few months since the holidays. I usually have more time to myself and I thought I would have had a chance to blog earlier but that never seemed to materialize.
I’ve been in a funk. There is no other explanation for it. Call it the winter blues, lack of sun, hibernation, I have no idea really. I’m not depressed now so don’t be calling the shrinks and filling my prescription for Prozac!
I think it’s because things are changing. I work for a company that thrives on change. Things change annually, monthly, hell they change daily in my working world so I’ve learned to adapt rather quickly to those things. It’s everything else around me. I think it all started with a close friend, who to my surprise had her relationship turn itself on its ass in a matter of hours. Eleven years of her and her partner on the rocks over something very silly. Something about a chat site that he didn’t know about and emails to a few blokes from across the pond... seems innocent enough or at least I thought. Maybe it was a trust issue? Maybe she was not happy and that was her outlet? I don’t think I’ll understand that much but I try, because when she’s used to be he’s and now she’s are in a relationships with other he’s that had a hard time dealing with the he/she .....You lost yet....read it again.
I have other changes at home I either have to look forward to or not. I need to replace the furnace, not a fun change. We will be going to New Brunswick and rent a cottage this summer, a VERY fun change. My dog is ill and I need to put her down, a very sad change.
Recent changes to the Ottawa Bears Board. A mixed feelings change. Angus, Ben and Shawn completing their terms and stepping down from the board where tough changes for me anyway. I really should have been part of that change but Mr. Ottawa Bear does not occur this time around until August so I’m Bear Defacto until then. That’s an ok change. I don’t mind. Now the new Board and President, those are exciting changes! Good things will happen I have no doubt. I look forward to working with them.
So why do I feel sad? They say that adapting to change is similar to the grieving process. First, there is denial, then resistance, followed by acknowledgment then acceptance. For some, the process is very fast. Others, well we like to take out time. Absorb things so we make the right decision. Maybe we become content with the status quo? We don’t want to change because well quite frankly we like things the way they are. Like the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Or maybe we don’t want to change because we are afraid that we cannot adapt? That we cannot keep up with the pace so it’s best to sit back and let all the other things take over?
I guess I really don’t feel sad more than I feel a sense of disconnect. I look forward to changing things, directions, groups and boards but I also think that I know I’ll miss how it was.
Last year, I received an award for my work, time, and commitment to the LGBT community with the bank I work for and for the community. On it there is a quote from Emerson and it reads, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path a leave a trail”.
It hangs on my wall at work and I read it every morning. It has changed my life. On days like today, I need to remember that there is nobody in front of me. There is no path. Things change. Funny how things change...
Until next time,
Big old bear hugs
Mr. Ottawa Bear 09
I’ve been in a funk. There is no other explanation for it. Call it the winter blues, lack of sun, hibernation, I have no idea really. I’m not depressed now so don’t be calling the shrinks and filling my prescription for Prozac!
I think it’s because things are changing. I work for a company that thrives on change. Things change annually, monthly, hell they change daily in my working world so I’ve learned to adapt rather quickly to those things. It’s everything else around me. I think it all started with a close friend, who to my surprise had her relationship turn itself on its ass in a matter of hours. Eleven years of her and her partner on the rocks over something very silly. Something about a chat site that he didn’t know about and emails to a few blokes from across the pond... seems innocent enough or at least I thought. Maybe it was a trust issue? Maybe she was not happy and that was her outlet? I don’t think I’ll understand that much but I try, because when she’s used to be he’s and now she’s are in a relationships with other he’s that had a hard time dealing with the he/she .....You lost yet....read it again.
I have other changes at home I either have to look forward to or not. I need to replace the furnace, not a fun change. We will be going to New Brunswick and rent a cottage this summer, a VERY fun change. My dog is ill and I need to put her down, a very sad change.
Recent changes to the Ottawa Bears Board. A mixed feelings change. Angus, Ben and Shawn completing their terms and stepping down from the board where tough changes for me anyway. I really should have been part of that change but Mr. Ottawa Bear does not occur this time around until August so I’m Bear Defacto until then. That’s an ok change. I don’t mind. Now the new Board and President, those are exciting changes! Good things will happen I have no doubt. I look forward to working with them.
So why do I feel sad? They say that adapting to change is similar to the grieving process. First, there is denial, then resistance, followed by acknowledgment then acceptance. For some, the process is very fast. Others, well we like to take out time. Absorb things so we make the right decision. Maybe we become content with the status quo? We don’t want to change because well quite frankly we like things the way they are. Like the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Or maybe we don’t want to change because we are afraid that we cannot adapt? That we cannot keep up with the pace so it’s best to sit back and let all the other things take over?
I guess I really don’t feel sad more than I feel a sense of disconnect. I look forward to changing things, directions, groups and boards but I also think that I know I’ll miss how it was.
Last year, I received an award for my work, time, and commitment to the LGBT community with the bank I work for and for the community. On it there is a quote from Emerson and it reads, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path a leave a trail”.
It hangs on my wall at work and I read it every morning. It has changed my life. On days like today, I need to remember that there is nobody in front of me. There is no path. Things change. Funny how things change...
Until next time,
Big old bear hugs
Mr. Ottawa Bear 09
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