November 1, 2021 – Simon's still stanza

I was truly astonished by the number of causes that appeared in my country of Australia during October this year. My astonishment was how, after the financial challenges of COVID lockdowns, that money would be raised. My other source of astonishment was the sheer generosity of people to ‘have a go’ and give their energy, body, heart, and soul to such causes.

This list is not complete. It’s just the ones I came across.

The Heart Foundation’s MyMarathon for research into heart disease and its treatment.

The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation’s Frocktober.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s One Walk Step Challenge.

The Black Dog Institute’s One Foot Forward Challenge for suicide research and prevention.

I actually did the Black Dog Institute’s One Foot Forward Challenge in memory of my own brother, Joseph, who died by suicide in 1987. My generous sponsors raised $893AUD for my 218kms. On Sunday 31 October I received an email from the organisers saying:

“Our incredible One Foot Forward community has raised an astounding $10,461,065 [AUD] for mental health research.

So… THANK YOU! “

That is one of the causes. It is good news, and a tribute to the generosity of the human spirit to galvanise people and raise funds. I can hardly imagine what scale this kind of volunteerism has reached across the globe.

Has the pandemic made people more aware, compassionate and generous? I don’t know.

What I do know is that the experience of each person is a factor. One friend of mine who did Frocktober is herself a cancer survivor. Another friend who did the One Walk has a family member with diabetes. I did the One Foot Forward for my brother. Relationships shape us and help us to reach out with care.

Speaking of generous volunteers, I BIG shoutout to all the We Are World Blogfest WATWB team. Some carried the load alot this year while others of us were less able to commit. A very hearty thank you to them.

On an even more fun note, I observed, thanks to a friend in Glasgow, that The Wombles have returned as stars at COP26 to help clean up our planet. The 5 year old seventies child that I was revelled in such news.