SilverFoxWise

Derrick Coyle

Rickety knees and a protesting back were sobering reminders of accumulated mileage as he rose from his haunches and gimped awkwardly back to the sofa.

“Another year just about done,” he proclaimed wistfully, a fresh log now sparking new life in the fireplace. His wife – with decidedly more grace – settled on the couch beside him toting two generous pours of Merlot.

“And an eventful year it was,” she said as they clinked glasses and fell into the introspective silence that flames dancing hypnotically in a fire pit never fail to produce. “Does what’s happened this year make you feel more, or less optimistic about 2016?” she asked, breaking the spell.

“Well,” he began, with pensive eyes and an index finger exploring the cleft of his chin, “I suppose there are both personal and global issues to consider, but overall, I’d have to say I feel more optimistic.”

She smiled as she waited on the elaboration she knew would follow a contemplative pause.

“Let’s see,” he resumed, on cue. “We have a healthy, happy family; we were blessed with our first grandchild, a second on the way for next year; we had a great vacation with friends in Palm Springs, there’s Hawaii with our Whitehorse pals next year; the book project is gaining momentum; retirement life has worked out nicely, well, for me it has – and, it won’t be too long before you retire, of course … and we’ll be golfing and spending winters in the sunny south. On the personal side, we had a great year and I’d have to say I’m optimistic about 2016.”

“Nice of you to tag that footnote to the retirement bit,” she said, a menacing brow arched. “We also had the pleasure of cousins visiting from Scotland this year, and more to come next year,” she added, eyes now fixed on the fire. “And it won’t be long before we’re planning our next trip back to Scotland and Ireland.”

“Yes, there have been some very cool things on the personal front,” he agreed. “Not least of which was witnessing that hole-in-one by my buddy; it makes me optimistic that if I keep trying, I may just get one of my own.”

“Well, don’t be giving up your day job,” she said, grinning. “Oh, wait, that’s right, you’ve already played that card,” she added cheekily.

He took a long draw from his wine glass, eyes narrowing as he considered a suitable rebuttal. Recognizing the inherent danger, he opted to steer back to the safety of the original conversation.

“It has been a good year for us, but there sure were some horrors in the world in 2015: two terror attacks in Paris; the heartbreak of the Syrian refugee crisis; passenger planes blown from the sky; as many mass shootings in the U.S. as days in the year; random knife attacks in Toronto. The world seems less safe than it used to be,” he lamented, fingers raking through his hair while he stared at a family photo on the mantel. “But I think optimism can overcome tragedy and adversity. It has to, really.”

***

“You know, it’s amazing how brave the people of France have been through all this – defiantly refusing to give in to the terrorists’ objective to paralyze by fear, They grieved, then picked themselves back up and got on with their daily routines.” She was staring at her wine goblet as if watching the scene play out in a crystal ball. “And it’s encouraging to see our own country and others showing compassion for the Syrian refugees–,” her voice trailing off.

They stared silently into the fireplace, lost in their own thoughts for a moment. “The age of technology and social media has made the world a much smaller place,” he finally said. “Ignorance can no longer be the excuse for complacency. Society can no longer stick its head in the sand on global threats and human injustices. Governments are held more accountable by enlightened electorates,” he said, stopping to take a sip from his glass.

“That’s partially true,” she interjected, “but information doesn’t necessarily mean enlightenment; it never ensures educated, or even rational interpretation and response. Social media can be a platform for narrow-minded, hateful rants.” She paused in thought before continuing her fireside musings. “But, there’s also the other side of the coin, I suppose; the same forum is used by over-zealous moralists for self-righteous sniping.”

“I guess when it comes to social media, it’s just better to follow the Olympic Ice Skating judging format,” he offered, “discard the ludicrously subjective extremes, and focus on the more credible assessments in the middle. We don’t have to engage; there is always an option to ignore or block the rogues,” he said, returning from the kitchen with the remaining half bottle of Genesis.

She leaned forward to reclaim her freshened wine glass and looked back at him, hopefully. “I still think there are good reasons to be optimistic: for one, the world seems to be getting more serious about global warming and tougher on emission targets. These changes have to start now for the sake of our children and grandchildren.”

“That’s true,” he said. “And I know there’s a long way to go, in matters of discrimination, but if you look back over the course of our lifetime, there’s been a lot of progress. Women now make up almost half the labour force of Canada, compared to about 37% when we started working full-time. And even more telling, they are increasingly punching through the glass ceiling to fill directorial, executive, and senior management roles,” he said, thinking about demographic trends in the course of his own career.

“We’re seeing that balancing trend in the new Federal Government as well … ‘because it’s 2015,'” she added with a grin. “It’s encouraging that our daughters, and any future granddaughters that come along, will have a more level playing field than our generation had.”

He added another log to the hearth and stoked a swarm of fireflies from its embers. “And look at the progress on matters of sexual orientation,” he continued. “There have been huge public policy and social advancements over our careers and lifetimes. In fact, just this year Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage, by popular vote no less … Ireland, for Heaven’s sakes! Hopeless homophobes notwithstanding, I’m optimistic that the world will continue to evolve into a more tolerant and accepting place,” he said, staring back at the fire.

***

She tucked her bare feet under herself and glanced at him with wine-flushed cheeks. “I guess there is a lot to be optimistic about in 2016.”

“There sure is, honey – with a couple of notable exceptions,” he said twirling his wine glass playfully and enjoying an extended sip of its contents.

“And they are?” she asked suspiciously.

“If Trump becomes President or you happen to be a Leaf fan.”

*****