We see fire hydrants every day, fortunately not often in use. But there they stand, along our route and near our homes — silent, patient reminders of our shared commitment to safety and community.

The fire hydrant, or "fire plug", dates back to the 1600s, when fire crews would prepare a water source by digging deep into the ground to reach the water table. Afterwards, they covered the well with a plug, so that they were ready. When a fire broke out they'd remove the fire plug and use a bucket brigade — a human chain — to move the water to where it was needed.

Fire hydrants are a great example of how previous problems can lead to not only solutions but commitment to our shared success. While no-one wants to experience such trouble up close, knowing that there is a chance for relief and support can give us all confidence and security.

Recently I saw a truck with two new fire hydrants, on their way to being installed. Like much of the infrastructure we depend on, including our electrical supply, the strength of fire hydrants is hidden — supporting what is visible — built on the endless river of human experience, ingenuity and compassion.

While each of us has our own walk in life, it is good to know that our families, friends and community are there to help. We are each other's bucket brigade. We are the strength around us.

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Thanksgiving weekend is one of my oldest and favorite memories. Occurring in the fall, its usual reason is the celebration of the harvest.

Thanksgiving arrives amidst fresh apples, orange leaves and and even more brightly orange pumpkins. The corn fields, tall from a busy summer of growing, are now laden and dense, ready for their harvest haircut. The fall is definitely a time of plenty.

So if you said that Thanksgiving is about turkey and pie you wouldn't find many people to argue with you, but you would definitely find people.

After a summer of going off on vacation, Thanksgiving is the time that brings us back together. No matter where we've gone, what we've done and what we've seen, Thanksgiving is a time to gather, and share.

Cousins, friends, parents, coworkers and siblings — people come to mind and come together for Thanksgiving.

We plan our get-togethers, and bring some food. Old friends, new friends — we invite and we gather.  We hug, we cook, we laugh and play — we're celebrating life together.

When the harvest comes there is lots to be thankful for — but not much more than what we can celebrate every day.

Share smiles, call people, get together and have a meal. The things we want are really the times we share. Be thankful for the people.

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Back in the days of wood heating, the fireplace was a central and essential part of the house. Stoked and prodded, fire was a bright orange source of heat, and a strong reminder of our shared interests in warmth and community. Atop the fireplace, on the mantle, was always something of personal meaning to the family, be it a family portrait or a treasured heirloom. Chairs were positioned around the fireplace, and it was a focal point that drew us together frequently, to talk and share time.

Nowadays, most homes are heated thoroughly and invisibly by a furnace or baseboard heaters. No-one has to stoke or carry wood, and we can each be comfortable in our own rooms. More often it seems, we are on our own, with our iPods and screens. Without direct fire we are safer now, and the warmth is easy and assumed. Its cost comes in the bill at the end of the month, and the more subtle loss of shared time and discussion.

On a recent visit to my parent's home my Mom had changed the fireplace mantle display. An elegant vase from my childhood held long stems of spring buds and bull rushes. Entwined through it all were soft, pink flowers. On its right was a beautiful woman, dressed in soft grey with a matching pink umbrella, enjoying the nearby flowers.

The starkness of the dark brown bullrushes stood out against the muted shadows on the wall, and it struck me how easily we can separate ourselves from nature and community. In their native environment, bull rushes grow in swamps, and wet feet are guaranteed for their collection — or would be if it were us collecting them. More often these days the colors of nature are filtered through our screens, and not so much entwined, but engulfed, in the determined marketing of everything. There's a lot of pulsing, dynamic color to be seen on our screens, and no shortage of actors' interpretation of life.

But here in my parents' home, bull rushes and porcelin ladies stand together, as we sit and talk and share.

People are wonderfully adaptive and strong — surviving almost anything and flourishing whenever possible. I love art and the freedom and creativity that our culture encourages. I know that people gather, as they always have, to share time and stories — to meet and to fall in love.

But let's not lose our sense of subtlety — our joy in calmness — our appreciation of being together, full of subtle warmth and color.

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Things that look alike can turn out to be very different as we get closer to them, and get to know them.

I have always been a fan of Smarties, the colorful candy-coated chocolate treats (Wikipedia). Round but also flat, small but easy to grab — they are fun to eat and easy to share.  Their cousins, M&Ms, share the same features.

I can even thank Smarties for teaching me the idea of sorting: “Here are the red ones, and here are the blue ones.”

Smarties usually come in a box, which even kids can open, and make a great sound when you shake it. They are like candy maracas!

Balloons are another source of joy through the years, and are also round and colorful.

It is difficult to estimate how much fun balloons have added to our lives over the years. They have been at birthday parties, anniversaries, and going-away parties. Balloons are pretty much guaranteed to add a festive air to any celebration.

They are also a great source of helium, which lets us talk in a high-pitched voice.

Even though balloons and Smarties are both round and colorful, we can easily tell one from the other. A Smartie fits on your fingertip; a balloon is the size of your head. A Smartie tastes good; a balloon won’t fit in your mouth and, as a choking hazard, tastes suitably awful. [General eating advice: never eat anything bigger than your head.]

Both Smarties and balloons can be good while they last. While the final moment of a Smartie is one more sweet crunch; the final moment of a balloon is a loud pop or a shrivelled husk, hopefully when we’re not there.

We learn about new things bit by bit, often helped by others. We often can’t tell how things are going to work out, but can take comfort in knowing there are many good things in life.

For things we aren’t sure about, it’s okay to take things slow, and take a closer look.

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There is one thing that can bring people of all ages and cultures to a shared smile: cookies.

Our local deli-restaurant is a gathering place on Sundays, where family and friends get together. Everyone gets to order their own meal from the various counters so we tend to grab our trays and spread out when we first arrive.

On our recent visit I spied a glowing display case of beautiful cookies, and I pointed it out to my young-adult children. They both dutifully looked over at what Dad was pointing to, and then they stopped talking.

Transfixed by the colors and shapes, we all walked over to the cookie display and basked in the yellow glow of pretty, cheerful-looking cookies. All of us had changed from adults to wide-eyed children, sharing the joy of cookies, and the anticipation of having one. It was a beautiful shared moment.

Everyone had a favourite, with my son picking the yellow butterfly, and my daughter liking both the pink flower and the watermelon. I bought one of each of those.

We separated again to pick our own meals, but when we sat down together to eat I brought out the cookies. Again there were smiles and exclaiming, and a great feeling of shared joy.

Whether it is cookies or fruit or smiles, please look for ways to connect with the simple joys we can all share.

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When I was six years old my class participated in a track and field day at a neighboring school. It was a bus trip away and the spring day was hot and sunny [a rare weather condition in that Northern area]. Being frugal, my Mom had packed me a lunch, which I devoured between running events [I was a fast sprinter in those days, with two good ankles working smoothly beneath my shins].

As I walked around the school yard I saw two girls from my class eating Popsicles. “Where did you get those?” I asked eagerly. “Over there,” one of them pointed with her yellow, banana Popsicle. I hurried over and stood in line. But when I arrived at the cooler the man said the Popsicle was 5 cents, which I didn’t have. I had to walk away without a treat.

5 cents! It was not a lot even in those days, but it was more than I had with me. As I stood in the sun far away from home [for a six year old] I decided that I would never again leave home without money. I would never be the one who couldn’t buy a Popsicle.

3 million Popsicles are sold every year. They were invented in 1905 by 11 year old Frank Epperson, who waited 18 years before releasing it as a product to other kids. Wikipedia		Every Popsicle is two treats in one. My favorite is still orange, which still almost rhymes with porridge.

From that day on I have had a progression of coins in my maturing pocket. As a boy it was a nickel (for candy). As I learned the fun of comic books I had to carry more: 15 cents (for reading). For many years [before cell phones] I carried a quarter for the pay phone (for safety). Today, despite being armed with my wallet, twenty dollar bills and credit cards I still carry a one or two dollar coin [Canada's loonie and toonie] (for coffee, parking, or any of the preceding).

When I buy Popsicles now I am usually buying a box of 24 chocolate ones for my wife. Because there is the second lesson I learned from that schoolyard: that sharing is a joy. And sharing food with others is a particularly wonderful joy.

My Mom, who packed my bag lunch for that track meet long ago, has created meals and a caring environment for our family and friends all of our lives. She understands how hospitality and sharing are a vital part of human community and joy.

Had those two girls with their Popsicles known what my Mom knew, or if the man presiding over the cooler full of Popsicles had thought about more than money, then all sorts of ways could have been found to share in the cool and delicious fun that day.

As anyone who’s had a Popsicle will tell you, they are made to be split in two. Like all great food they are made for sharing.

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When I was growing up “Keeping up with the Joneses” had an air of inevitability and a hint of disdain, as if someone was being excessive and pulling us along. Our culture seems to have gone beyond that level.

Our shopping-oriented culture is now beyond compare, with warehouses filled with even more stuff.

Nowadays, many people in North America have more than enough of everything, and the choices for buying are beyond easy comparison.  Style, personal choice and the sheer magnitude of what’s available has changed the landscape and expectations for what any one person might have right now, today, let alone tomorrow.

There was a time when purchasing something was a big deal, and many people went weeks or months between getting something new. It was a time when we got solid use out of what we had, and though we might have dreams of more, we knew we didn’t actually need it.

Today we are lucky to recognize when someone has something new, unless they draw our attention to it.

Instead of an infrequent purchase awareness (“Hey, Joe got a barbeque even nicer than mine”) we now have a frequent and widening haze of purchases as we nod at our friend’s latest purchase and add yet another type of purchase to our busy shopping opportunities.

We have gone from upward to outward – leaving behind us a growing collection of stuff and the ability to really compare what we have to anyone else.

Try-hard action items:

- Please spend more time with friends and family, enjoying what you have.
– And if you can, share things: there can be more joy in sharing than owning.

I would never want someone to go without something vital, but there are many benefits and joys in frugal living.

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