Today’s Daily Stoic writing prompt: How will today’s difficulties show my character?

Today was the first round of the Speechcraft session I am coordinating. Time is tight, and a couple of people went overtime on their portions. No worries–I had anticipated this, and was ready to step in to shorten a couple of things based on the need to get to other important parts of the meeting.

That’s the key. I have enough experience leading these meetings–even if I’m not experienced conducting this particular version of Speechcraft–to not panic and to intervene in a way that isn’t too abrupt. Perhaps this is character, but it’s character based on lots and lots of practice.

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We will have a Liberal minority government. Not much has changed. I’m in many ways agreed that the election wasn’t, strictly speaking, needed, but I think it may have some positive outcomes–mainly a clearer climate change plan and a national daycare plan. I think a lot of this boiled down, in the last couple of weeks, to pandemic response–Canada does lead the world in vaccination rates, and there’s federal support for vaccine passports.

Today’s discovery: I went in the pierogi factory outlet down on Barton that I’ve passed quite a few times, and now I have mushroom pierogi and Siberian pelmeni. I resisted on the fruit pierogi (they had both cherry and blueberry flavours), although I will definitely return at some point for them. They remind me of a dear friend, lost to cancer, and a tray of the cherry ones I could not keep my hands off of at an event.

Waffled a bit about going down to the Eoforwic meeting due to rain, but finally ended up going. I’ve started going through the Shostakovich symphonies in order running up to his birthday on Saturday, and I had a chance to appreciate Michael Sanderling’s recordings, especially of the underrated Symphony no. 2 (with real factory siren) and no. 4, which for my money I think wins for the best finish thanks to the absolutely brutal and apocalyptic percussion in the first coda, in just enormous contrast to the quiet of the second coda. I am going to have to make a point of listening to that when it’s not competing with the highway.

Tomorrow: Final summer half day. I have a massage booked in the afternoon, and we’re going on an IKEA run. Weather forecast is dismal, so no mini-golf, but maybe a chance to get my Cat of Brutalism embroidery towards the finish line. I really want to wrap it up in the next couple of days so I can start the next Shostakovich on his birthday.