Sometimes life is a circle and it brings you back to some interesting places.
Billie rang me a couple of weeks ago to get some help at ARC. The last time I saw Billie was in Chatham as we had a special advance presentation of the Myles’ McLellan documentary at STFF. Billie and I worked on the getting grants for the completion financing of this documentary and then financing for The Long Journey Home. After those ventures, we went our separate ways to do our separate work and that was the end of the story. Bet here we are again on another adventure. And that is a circle that circles back into some special pocket of the universe that reconnects people when they need to be.
This time it’s about responsible choices. The latest project ARC is working on, in conjunction with Molson, is Good Calls. It is a close look at how our youth are dealing with the choices. As documentaries go, we are trying to leave out our personal opinions and emotions. A difficult task when one is dealing with the loss of loved ones. Billie lost his little buddy Cory to a situation when choices were made that ended badly. And this has served as focal point to drive all of us forward. The loss of someone so marvelously talented and young and ready to take on the world is a blow to all of us. Yet, the same thing happens all of the world in so many different ways.
Good Calls can’t take on all of the many ways we deal with tough choices, so the focus on this one is responsible drinking. About making a “good call” at the end of a ripper. Let’s face it, we all have been in front of that one in one way or another. I guess I never looked inside of it. You know? Felt the intense pain of the aftermath of a bad choice. And we all have responsibility in that.
Basically, I’ve joined the game well after half time and it’s a full court press. The past couple of weeks have been spent climatizing and learning and catching up. I’m totally overwhelmed but hope to contribute in a meaningful way to something that matters so much. See, I work with students as a teacher. And I see the issues they face as they try to meander their way into becoming fully formed adults. It’s hard work. And I wouldn’t want to be there for all the humus in the world. Gosh, many would say I’m still working on getting there. Maybe we all are….
