Tag: Hamilton

Covid Confessional Day 1 – My Cough

On By thestampsinmypassportIn Uncategorized3 Comments

Actual self isolation day 38

Anyone who has worked with me, part of my family or spent any time with me knows I have this crazy bronchial asthmatic cough. I have had it my whole life. I have made children in my life cry when I have had an attack. My mom tells stories about being looked at in the grocery store when I was a toddler that she was a horrible mother for bringing her child out with ‘that’ cough.

In my past lives in a call centre environment I was even asked to leave the office space. The cough is part of my asthma and once it starts it can take months to recover from. My reply to this person at work was simple, “are you going to pay my mortgage and bills while I stay home” (this was before working remote was an option.

I went to Paris in February 2006 and due to the dampness and the feather pillows in the hotel I was sick before the end of the trip and my cough was full swing. I should include this was just after SARS was finally under control. At the airport on the way home I was sitting in the “non smoking” section (if you have been to Paris you know that is an oxymoron) and every time I coughed I got the death stare. I can say that I almost thought I would not be allowed on the flight.

I was fortunate to attend my Hamilton performance on February 29th. This was the VERY early stages of Covid and I remember commenting that the theatre was full and there wasn’t a mask to be seen. However, I did cough right before the performance started and the woman in front me shuddered, move forward in her seat and turned around to shoot me a look of disdain. That was BC – BEFORE COVID.

I just finished watching a piece on the Today show about coughing. Let’s just say that there is a reason why the masks are important. Very important. Made me very anxious. Anxious of post-isolation life and how we will treat each other.

In the coming days and I weeks I am going to be sharing my ‘covid confessionals’. I feel like the conversations I have been having with my friends are very thought provoking and I am sure many are having conversations with your friend and family groups about the same concerns.

I would love to hear how you are feeling about this post and any other thoughts you may have. Continuing an open and honest conversation about current life and post isolation life and what it could look like.

Until then, please stay home when possible, and when you need to go out, stay safe.

and wash your hands,

Until next time,

Lisa

 

 

 

 

Eating for a mission at 541 Eatery

On By thestampsinmypassportIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Mission2

After attending the beautiful Ordination ceremony last week, Anita invited her friends and family to continue the celebration for a light meal. The restaurant was in Hamilton and it is called 541 Eatery and Exchange.

Before I share my experience with you, please watch this video about 541:

I was with Anita’s daughter on the way to the restaurant. I have to be honest with you, while we were driving there I felt like I was in another country. Maybe that is a naive thought to be having, since we WERE in Hamilton, but it didn’t feel that way. It felt like we were in a movie set of small town USA that had been forgotten about.

When we arrived, I parked on the street. Just to acknowledge my point about feeling like I was somewhere else, there were parking meters, as you can see here on the right. When was the last time youParking11027506_10155681300395192_69297465955091130_n saw a parking meter like this? Anita’s daughter (15) has probably never seen one of these. I put my toonie in and on the meter it started flashing 2:00 (it was $1 per hour). If you think back to those ‘back in the day’ meters, the time counts down from your starting point.

When I walked into the restaurant, my first reaction was, wow, it feels like home. I am not trying to sound trite or stuck up, but it felt like you were walking into someone’s kitchen, family room, home. In the centre of the room was a long wooden table with benches. That table was reserved for our party, but you could see that it was the focus of the community space. Above that table was the sign that read, The Meeting Place. Several times while we were waiting for our party, people tried to sit at our table.

mission7As the video said, 541 is a full service restaurant, with good quality foods. For some, this may be the only ‘home cooked’ quality meals they may eat. There were plenty of options. There was soup of the day, chili, personal sized pizza, roast chicken and salad, and so much more. Because of their mission statement, nothing was over $5. Which of course leads me to the next part of this amazing restaurant – the button payment plan.

What is the button payment plan? Very simple actually. There are two jars on the counter – Use a button or buy some buttons. If you can’t afford to pay for your meal, you can take up to 4 buttons per day andmission4 pay for your food with buttons. One button = $1.

If you can afford to pay and even pay it forward, you can buy some buttons for others to be able to eat. Pretty humbling, right? Think about that for a moment. How much did you spend on your last Frappuccino at Starbucks – at least $4, right? There are people that could eat for a day on that same amount of money.

There is no class distinction at this restaurant. You would never know who used a button, who paid for their food and/or paid for others to have buttons. What if the jar is empty and someone wants to eat and can’t pay. Anita said that if that was to happen, they would always get a bowl of soup and a piece of bread. No one should go hungry.

When Anita arrived we all started to order our food and started to celebrate. She immediately gravitated to this table full of children. I had been watching them for a while. One of the young girls drew a picture for Anita. I really got a great understanding of why she chose that place for us to celebrate her new life with her. She requested on the invitation that we don’t bring her gifts, that our gift to her would be to buy buttons at the 541 Eatery. Each of us ordering, asked the cashier the same question, “can we buy our buttons now?”

Some of us found out from Anita later that while she was talking to the children, she noticed that they Mission3didn’t really have food on their table, just a couple of milkshakes. The twelve year old sister told her that she brings her siblings here every night for dinner. Anita asked what they ate that day. They said, cereal at breakfast. Anita ordered grilled cheese sandwiches for them. Got the message, loud and clear.

It really was a wonderful experience. I know that I left the restaurant, full. Full with a good meal, and full knowing that I will help someone else have a meal as well.

I know that Hamilton isn’t around the corner from where we live, but if you want something special to do with your kids this summer, take a drive out to Hamilton and treat them to a life experience. Maybe phone ahead and find out if they accept donations of colouring books and crayons for the children in the community. Even if you don’t have kids, or they are grown, the next time you are on your way back from a shopping trip in Buffalo, go to the 541 Eatery and leave some of your money there. You will feel great for doing so.