Publisher's Synopsis
Good Fortune
It was my good fortune to be born in Canada. It was just luck. Fate if you wish. My birthday is even on the same date as we celebrate the founding of the country, July 1st. Fireworks and parades on my birthday are always a treat. I love this place but I am not naïve about it. Much of the mythology of Canada is a fiction of Colonial powers that engaged in war and genocidal acts on the native populations that lived here before and after my ancestors showed up in 1672. I think we should all read the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It opened my eyes, mind, and heart. Despite this history, Canada is filled with lovely people. We live on beautiful land that for the most part, if you respect the animals and weather, it won't kill you. It does get cold. But not always and the glories of spring mean that as soon as it hits 10 degrees Celsius, the patios open up and people are wearing shorts. The title of this book was a little quip I made watching my friends Jeff and Christine Thomson boil maple tree sap in their homemade boiler named Sapzilla. I said: "If you really wanted to you could fill the hot tub and go swimming in maple syrup". We laughed but the image stuck. Swimming in Maple Syrup is my fourth collection of poems and meditations. It is deeply personal but I feel that sharing is the best way to grow as a poet and author. I enjoy my life and have the blessings of a good family and kind friends. For this I am grateful. Becoming a poet was a surprise to me. I never imagined that this is what I would be doing in my late 50s. Before 2019 I had a career that consisted of teaching at a university, running a professional Institute, and working with clients on issues that could improve their performance. I loved what I was doing but suddenly it all burnt down. My wife of 29 years, Penny, died suddenly at the beginning of 2019. While I continued to work and hoped to recover, as we know 2020 brought the COVID-19 pandemic to our doorsteps in Canada. Again, suddenly, the work I loved was halted or modified to this new reality. As I was coping and adjusting, like so many around the world, at the beginning of 2021 I suffered a minor heart attack. It was while lying in ICU that it was time to make a change. I took 2021 to rest and thought that retirement was the answer but it wasn't. I just needed rest and to reimagine how I wanted to be in this new reality. My new reality is kinder to me and the world around me. My days are filled with writing, travel, seeing friends and family, and occasionally helping out on projects that present themselves to me. Poetry is a prayer that I write every day. It feels holy. I feel connected to the world around me. Observing what I see, feel, and think. Then writing about it. Sometimes it touches other people and they send me little notes that say things like: "I will share this with my son." or "You have captured a feeling that I have been trying to express." These little notes are lovely and make me smile. Lots make me smile these days. My ambition is simply to be honest with myself and thus with you also. Thank you so very much for picking up this book. Hope you enjoy. All my best, Peter
