It’s not easy being green but at least you should wear green!
Today that part of my lineage that derives from Ireland gets to be front and centre. It is a memorable day. For me it started early with a trip to the gym with my black & green UPEI sweat suit on, topped with a bright green Ethics Bowl t-shirt. After fueling my PHEV (yes, occasionally it needs petro as well as electricity), I then showered and attended (via on-line/distance) my Lenten Study wearing my green t-shirt and green puffy; as it concluded I went to my hair stylist and had most of my winter mane shorn off (it is more salt & pepper than green). Due to the road to the ski hill having some muddy spots, I took the above-noted vehicle to the car wash (it being black, it does require more baths than the ole silver X5). Now I am back in my study to contemplate the day (& have donned my green wine socks)…
It is a day that has always had some prominence in my life due in part to my Mother’s mother coming from the fair green isle and her father being of PEI Irish descent. Even though their roots were more specifically in Northern Ireland (which could make them more orange than green) there was a deep respect for that Emerald Isle. (In fact after taking my mother there after Dad died so that we could reconnect with cousins, aunts & uncles, I have been back twice for special visits!) But I fear I am straying from my original pondering about this day.
St. Patrick’s Day has not always driven me to wear green. Often in my youth and early adulthood I didn’t have anything particularly green to wear and usually I was not inclined to drink green beer. This all changed twenty-six years ago (2000). As I was leaving my gorgeous house in St. Paul, Alberta to attend a Board meeting (I was CEO of a Child & Family Services Region) I realized that I was not wearing anything green. I wondered if I should go back, as I did have a green suit (don’t ask me why, the story would be too unbelievable). But as the meeting was almost an hour a way and I was a little short of time, it seemed more prudent to get on the road; so I did!
That prudence turned out to be ill-advised. At that meeting, the Board (which had been fairly dysfunctional from the outset – it was a new creation of the Alberta government) decided to fire me (actually the phase was: terminate the contract). No need to delve into the particulars; I discuss this briefly in the penultimate version of my book that can be located elsewhere on this website. The important thing for our current conversation is that following that evening and the concomitant termination event, I have always worn some green on St. Patrick’s Day — a type of armour against the slings & arrows of our time.
On the third trimester of the event (3 X 3 or nine years later) I was teaching a business ethics course at UPEI when a class happened to be scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day. As the class ended, I told this eager group of would be business leaders, of the night I didn’t wear green and was fired. More significantly, it was the fourth firing of my varied CEO career in four years (the look on many faces was a mixture of awe, fear & disbelief). So I suggested that we all should convene at the Student Pub and I would treat them to some green beer and should any want to hear more of my erratic later-in-life successes as a CEO I could regale them for as long as there was beer being served.
Perhaps three students decided to come with me and we commandeered a table near the door and the stories began to unfold. Every so often another classmate would walk by, check out the scene, realize there was some free beer, enter and join the conversation. Within perhaps an hour most of the class was there (there was considerable phoning from cell phones to encourage attendance). It was a fun evening and I have never forgotten it. They even liked the green jacket, tie & socks I was wearing, although I think they really liked the free beer (after a glass of green, attendees were then permitted to drink from the regular pitchers of beer that seemed to arrive perpetually throughout the evening).
I no longer wait for a variant of the every three years occasion to have a special celebration. In the last few years on or about March 17th we would have a glorious celebration of St. Patrick on the ski hill and drink Irish Whiskey. Often we would have some type of Irish stew to eat as well. As life begins to lurch towards a likely end, it would be silly to wait for three years to pass (although 2027 may be a bit extra special as it will be 3 X 3 X 3) before celebrating; thus this year, in addition to wearing a green Ireland soccer sweater & the green wine socks to the VEES hockey game tonight, I have bought some fine single pot still Irish Whiskey to go with the Irish stew that is awaiting to be eaten.
And just so you know, even if you are planning to dump me as a friend or colleague, you can’t do it today. I have put on the armour of green and will not take it off until day is done. Do have a great St. Patrick’s Day. Wear the green. Smile profusely. Laugh loudly. Tell stories till the drinks stop coming. It is a day of great moments!!
Happy to be of Gaelic descent…
g.w.