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“When one door closes another one opens” most of us have heard that saying before and most of us have probably used it.
It’s meaning is simple, if one thing you do fails or comes to an end, you will soon have an opportunity to try something else. This expression is often used to encourage someone to keep trying after they have had a disappointment or failure.
Lately. I find myself reflecting on this statement often.  As we all seek and research options on what to do with the Canadian Red Cross aquatic announcement, the biggest question I am pondering as I reflect is …does this saying hold true?

Never in a million years would I have thought I would see the Red Cross Water Safety program retire.  I think I had an unquestioning faith that it was untouchable.  That no one would ever shelve something so amazing.  This program, that impacted so many Canadians for so long, and has saved so many lives, was too important, maybe too awesome, to ever get rid of.
But times change, and organizational priorities change and the people that need our help change.  And the decision was made to retire Red Cross Swim was made. I had the challenging role of telling the volunteers the news and when i found out I was assigned this task, the information and messages were still being created.  I knew I should start prepping for the tough job of telling 158 volunteers that the program we all love, the one that I thought was untouchable, was going to be retired at the end of 2022.

It’s been one week since so many of us heard the news from the Canadian Red Cross and their decision to retire the Water Safety Program. For many of us it has left us spinning, as we try to process the news.
As a programmer and aquatic enthusiast, especially since covid has hit, I have learned to embrace change and react quickly to many situations.  I am famous for rolling with the punches and have many examples of overcoming an unexpected challenge.
BUT this is NOT a challenge any of us anticipated and it is not something we can just make a quick decision about and move on.  This brings me to the 3 words I keep repeating to myself, to my community, to my peers and now I would like to share them with you.  PAUSE, RESEARCH, ADAPT.

Bad news came today.  I’ll start by saying no one in my family is sick, I have no fear of health or pending financial crisis, I have a roof over my head and food on the table.  There are always individuals who have conditions surrounding them that make me count my blessings.  I know all this… and I start by saying I am grateful and certainly intelligent enough to know my life is filled with little to complain about.
Regardless… I still got bad news today! 

I have repeated that frustrated sentence numerous times in my 20plus years working in a Union environment.  Unions and managers are like frenemies, more often than not it feels like we are trying to get along, but it hardly feels genuine. Both sides tend to stay guarded and like secret agents they never what to …

Do you work with or against your Union? Read More »