Letter #430806

Brantford, Canada, August 6, 1943

Dearest; Received your most welcome letter and it is certainly nice to hear from you so often, for as you say it makes me seem closer to you and also makes the time pass quicker. The weather has been very nice here lately; nice and sunny with a cool breeze. A couple of boys went on the loose for a night and we were threatened with cancellation for our next weekend pass, but it is all fixed up now. We told the two fellows that unless they settle down, we would put them in the cold shower clothes and all.

We had a tear gas test today which wasn’t too bad at all. We cried for about ten minutes or so but it soon passed leaving no ill effects. This afternoon we had a 6 mile route march with rifles, but as we were passing through Brantford, we had the pipe band with us, which made it quite a bit easier. I put fresh socks on before we started so my feet were O.K.. We got back about 4:30 so I had time for a nice shower before supper which left me feeling just fine. We have just finished supper and I dashed over to the canteen to write this letter before 6:30. This is the time the mail goes out.

As we are confined to barracks this weekend, we have to scrub out the hut tomorrow afternoon. It will only take a couple of hours so we will have quite a bit of time to ourselves this weekend. This will give me a chance to catch up on my washing.

I am glad you are feeling fine sweetheart. Just take it easy and everything will turn out fine. Well precious, that’s all the news at present. Sorry I can’t be with you this weekend as I’m feeling right in the pink on condition. No sore arm or anything. What a weekend it would be. Well it won’t be long now Sweetheart and I will try to show you how much I love and miss you.

Good night precious XXXXXXXXX Your Boy-Boy

Reflection: Pro tip to hold those in my hut accountable for their behavior is not fun but needs to be done when their behaviour impacts the hut. I’ve learned from Coach Jeff to “know my job and do my job”, that also applies to roles as a son, a friend, a dad, an employee, and as an artist. Sometimes people don’t know what their job is and their behaviour impacts others in a big way.  

Dealing with the behaviours of others is tricky. There is discretion in knowing when to comes to accountability and the impact of others’ behaviour on my life. Some people don’t have any discretion, some have lots, and others across the full range in between. At the very least, I like to develop some discretion about the type of demonstrated respect for each person in my “hut” and what is expected of each other. 

Most people I connect with want to get along and everyone needs correction at some point in life. I need constant correction at times until I can pick up the routine. It’s okay to set clear boundaries and let others know of the natural consequences that will follow. It’s not up to me to tell someone else what their job is, nor how to do it. But it is up to me to encourage and support my friends to know their job, to do their job, and to figure it out for themselves. 

Thanks to Coach Jeff for teaching that important life lesson through hockey. Go Red Devils!