I'll Wear a Poppy on Remembrance Day
When I was in elementary school, we had a Remembrance Day assembly where we watched films, sang songs, and heard from Veterans. I don't really remember if this occurred on November 11 or a different day, but I suspect it was on November 11.
My father was a Veteran. He certainly didn't speak for all Veterans, but he had an opinion on most things. He was against making November 11 a statutory holiday. He was against it being a day people looked forward to as an opportunity to sleep in. He was especially against it being used as a long weekend if the day happened to fall on Saturday or Sunday.
I've been "selling" poppies since I was a child. I don't know if "selling" is the right word. Making poppies available to people who want to donate to the Royal Canadian Legion is more accurate. When I was a child, selling poppies was an honour and only members of the Legion could sell poppies. It was considered a great honour and part of the benefit you got for your membership in the Legion. Those selling poppies dressed up in their Legion regalia. I would go and stand with my father. I was always very proud.
Fast forward to today. Legions scramble to find enough volunteers to sell poppies. They often leave a tray with a donation box at public offices and hope for the best. I still volunteer. I volunteer for that little man not just because I want him to know the value of volunteering, I also want him to know how lucky he is to grow up in a free country and not to take that for granted.
I have had a whole gambit of experiences selling poppies. Some years, I have been inside a climate controlled mall sitting down in a chair. Those haven't been great experiences. I sell poppies in order to recognize the sacrifices made by our Veterans. I don't think I am doing what when I am not experiencing any discomfort whatsoever. But, that is just me. I go where ever they tell me.
Usually, I end up selling poppies on the last Friday in October. I'm always excited on that morning. I wake up and it is a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky and a balmy -1. I wear a black pea jacket that will be a nice background to my poppy and I top it with a pink scarf and mitts. (It is also still breast cancer awareness month.) I go to work for the morning and take the afternoon off. Somehow in the few hours that I am at work, the temperatures drops to -16 and a blizzard and record winds show up. I am not dressed appropriately and freeze for four hours.
The biggest challenge in selling poppies is that no one carries money any more. Everyone has plastic. Much of the time you feel like you are at a garage sale. You take it personally when people walk by you without buying a poppy. Some people say that they have no money but want a poppy anyway. I give them a poppy. The important thing is that people are wearing one. Occasionally, people come out of the store and have asked for a toonie in cash back and deposit in your box. Every now and then, someone will deposit a $20 bill in your box. That keeps you going for an hour. You are so excited.
It has been my experience that new Canadians tend to want to talk to find out what you are doing. When I explain this to them, they are very excited and want to give and are proud to wear a poppy. Sometimes, I have been a little critical of millenials, but not when it comes to poppies, I give them a lot of credit. They seem to enthusiastically donate. Everytime, that it has been really cold, a person who I have a sold a poppy to has come by after they have bought me a cup of coffee. That act of kindness keeps you going for a whole shift.
It is very dejecting when people walk by you like you don't exist. It is even worse when a friend walks by without acknowledging your presence. It is even worse when a friend stops and talks to you so you miss some sales and then they don't even get a poppy.
I have only really had one bad experience and that was when I was partnered with an overly enthusiastic volunteer. He simply did not allow to people to walk by and pretend they didn't see us. He would yell after them, "How can you not support Veterans? You are here because of them and you can't fork over a couple of bucks?" He would follow people to their vehicles. If someone claimed they had no money, he would point out that there was an ATM close by and he would walk there with them. It was an awful afternoon.
Yes, I think everyone should wear poppies on Remembrance Day. But, I don't think they should be forced to do so. We don't know anyone's story or their circumstance. And, quite frankly, some people just don't have "service to others" in their hearts. Just because someone is wearing a poppy doesn't mean that they are actually remembering. Just because someone doesn't wear a poppy doesn't necessarily mean that aren't remembering.
Wear a poppy. Encourage others to wear a poppy. And, that's it. If you see someone not wearing a poppy, don't make assumptions and don't take it personally.
#BeKind
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