Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

When the event of 9/11 occurred I was working the Netzero(Juno) contract at a Convergys operated call center located in Ottawa Ontario, I happened to be at work that day. And my then spouse was working at 99 bank street. Within minutes of the first plane striking the Trade Towers video feeds started popping up. Live feeds, peoples recordings, raw unedited imagery of the after math of the first plane strike, and live data of the second strike. I saw these things live as well as many of my friends. The horror, shock and disbelief. for the next few days the world was bombarded with this catastrophic event. And I suppose it struck home for me due to my work environment at the time, as well as my former partners. I spoke to people who had to return to work at 1 trade center and other areas that were affected for internet related matters. People were rattled, frazzled and angry but mostly in shock. My ex’s work environment was affected due to the proximity of the Saudi embassy. My work environment was impacted. People of certain ethnicities were advised that they were allowed to use “non ethnic” names on the phones to avoid back lash, and if back lash did occur were allowed to transfer their calls to another agent, and If I recall they were also afforded lower priority on the phones so they would be less likely to take calls.

But where does this fit into a Cohen song you may ask? I am not sure how quickly it happened it may have been the same day, or within days I cannot recall but I do know Jeff Buckleys version of Cohens Hallelujah was set to imagery of the 9/11 attack. And due to my own personal memories of that day it heralded a lot of emotion, a lot of anger, a lot of sadness and tears.

S0 fast forward a few years a bit of Karaoke I became decent at singing this song it still generated some emotion for me but I put that into my singing. Fast forward a few more years and happening on a pagan campground, and things called work week-ends. Well on these work-week-ends after the work is completed, meals are done it becomes dark. Camp fires are lit, guitars and drums and other musical instruments are brought out. Alcohol consumed… Singing begins. Turns out one of the influential people of the campground likes Cohen…. finds out I can sing “Hallelujah” …… guess what I wind up doing at work week-ends singing that song, much to the dismay of other people who hate it, but are afraid to say it. But hey I make someone happy at least.

Now present day I have not much to do with the campground in some ways my choice, in other ways not. I Have also realized I Hate “Hallelujah” just as much as the rest of them. But I have also realized that it does not conjure up the same imagery of 9/11.

Turn the light on I am just a shadow
In the night I am nothing
In one days time I will be yesterday
In a year a distant memory

By an individual only known on the invisible internet as “haven” Please note I have not bothered to try and gender/race/age/religion identify them either

Why We Should Stop Labeling People:

Labels do not define us
When we are born , we are born innocent. Our mentality shows no prejudice to anyone, we are full of love. Our hearts do not see color, but character. So why is it when we grow up, we start to judge people by their race, sexual orientation, or gender. What causes us to see them other than human. That can be answered in one word, Labels.
Labels have taught us to classify people as black, white, gay, straight, etc. We were forced to believe we were just the labels society put on us. But, when we start to label our children, we teach them to see people and themselves based on what we think they are, not who they are. The labels have caused a division between people. We no longer see people based on their character, but their appearance. We link terrorism to all Middle Eastern, crime to all Blacks, wealth to all Whites, immigration to all Mexicans, and intelligence to all Asians. As if these events are linked to one race.
No one is born the same, we all have distinctions from one another. Our bodies should not be the placeholder for identity. Our identity should be found by who we think we are inside. Some might say that these labels are just classifications to tell people apart, but that’s just it. They were made to separate us, to not see ourselves as the same. Labels are just costumes covering up someone’s true identity.
The only way we can stop the danger of labeling is with love. We must love everyone and see ourselves as equal. Unity and love is a must if we want to progress as society. Racism, sexism, feminism, all -ism’s are created from the harm of labeling. All colors, and genders need to be equal. So, I hope after you read this, you try not to let the stereotypes affect your perception of someone. We are all human, and deserve equal respect and love from one another.

About a month or so ago some one told me I was not a team player. I had to sit and think on this one for a long time. Had to think is this true, am I really not a team player? I sat and reflected on this and this is what I have deduced from all the things…. all the angles I could look at in regards to their statement. The short answer is that this is a false accusation. I am a team player. We are all team players. I had to realize this was simply a gas lighting statement made to make myself feel less than worthy. And indeed I felt that way for a while. But not after inner reflection and subsequent realizations.

What makes a good team player? First and foremost a good team, a good leader, and a shared vision. A good team works together to make the team successful. The following are all elements of a good team.

1. Communication:
   Effective communication is the most important part of teamwork and involves consistently updating each person and never assuming that everyone has the same information. Being a good communicator also means being a good listener. By listening to your colleagues you show them respect, which is an essential trust-building method. Offering encouragement also goes a long way to getting the best out of team members. Collaborating and being open to new ideas are also essential ingredients for a harmonious team environment.
2. Delegation:
   Teams that work well together understand the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. One of the benefits of strong teamwork is that team leaders and members are adept at identifying all aspects of a project and allocating tasks to the most appropriate team members.
3. Efficiency:
   A strong and cohesive team develops systems that allow them to collaborate efficiently to complete tasks in a timely manner. Through working together, colleagues will be aware of their own capabilities and the capabilities of the group in general, and can organise the workload accordingly.
4. Ideas:
   When a team works well together, colleagues feel more comfortable offering suggestions and ideas. A respectful and trusting team environment will not only enable colleagues to think more creatively, but will lead to more productive and collaborative brainstorming sessions.
5. Support:
   All workplaces provide challenges, but having a strong team environment in place can act as a support mechanism for staff members. They can help each other improve their own performance as well as working together toward improving their professional development. Building bonds on trust and reliance on each other can be extremely important when facing a particularly difficult challenge or if the group is forced to deal with the loss of a team member while continuing to maintain productivity.

So after my reflections I realized on so many levels the team I was supposed to be part of failed to communicate, failed to support, failed to share vision, leaders failed to lead. WHY? personal dynamics, outside influences other factors who knows. Did I change over the years, did I possibly lose faith in their leadership abilities? I quite possibly did. Does this make me not a team player. Possibly for their team but that in no way change the fact I am a team player, for the right team.