SHAUN PROULX :: What Rob Ford Taught Us

EMPOWERMENT :: Mine was the lone voice to first cheer Rob Ford in June at Toronto’s City Hall as he shocked the city – indeed probably the country – in taking to the podium before hundreds to do what he’d so ignorantly and insultingly refused to do his entire mayoral term thus far: officially declare Toronto Pride Week.

I just had a funny feeling when I saw him join the other city councillors – another first for him, just being in attendance at this beautiful event – that he was there to do more than just stand around.

So when he took to the mic, I was on that shit. I could feel my husband startle next to me as I hollered my approval, I could feel eyes look at me like I was crazy cheering for our allegedly cracked-out Mayor.

Immediately though, others joined and voiced their approval. They got it too.

Many others booed.

“This is bullshit,” my husband said to me, refusing to applaud. “He’s saving face.”

“I get that,” I said. “He probably is.”

Social media being the convenient thing that it is for a media guy like me, I had already reported to my networks that Ford was in attendance, and then updated everyone with an OMG status that he was proclaiming Toronto Pride Week, right when he was doing so.

Many responded to my posts, quickly. Many people agreed with Patrick. Ford was being disingenuous, it was too late for him with the LGBT community, it didn’t change what he has done or said before. Conversation continued all afternoon.

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I get the anger, I get the pissed-off, like I said. But my cheering Ford wasn’t about suddenly being Ford-friendly. My opinion of him hasn’t changed a bit and isn’t much different than anyone’s. And my Pride celebrations won’t be any different just because he has finally proclaimed the week in his official capacity.

My cheering was because I cheer progress, as often as I can do so sincerely, as a rule. You cannot go through your life as you do, as I do, citing what you’d prefer and then not appreciate when small shifts happen. Last year and the year before it was so embarrassing at Pride, and so bewildering to me that someone like Rob Ford – Rob Ford! – could think so little of my community – us! – that he’d publicly ignore us at this deeply meaningful time of year.

This year – regardless of whatever Ford’s agenda was – small change happened.

Small change happens all around us, yet we sit waiting until the entire world shifts in a way that pleases us before we are finally satisfied enough to appreciate.

It doesn’t work that way, friends. You’ve got to appreciate the small stuff as much as you sweat it. Maybe you didn’t get that huge raise you had hoped for, but you got a raise when others did not. Maybe your relationship with your partner isn’t picture perfect but at least she’s not doing that damn annoying thing she was always doing anymore. Maybe you aren’t at your ideal weight but you are looking better than you did this time last year. Maybe it was a cold wet spring but at least today its sizzling hot.

Rob Ford has been a tool for me when I teach Law of Attraction workshops because he is such a simple man and our relationship to him from an LoA perspective is so simple that it’s easy to help people understand where they either gain or lose a bit of their own personal empowerment when faced with a challenge like him.

And once again he’s reminded us of a powerful truth. You simply cannot expect to feel good on any subject – and you want to feel good on them all – if you don’t grab hold of change, however tiny, however it occurred, and appreciate the life out of it. Doing so calls more of what you want. Continuing to grumble away calls more of what you don’t.

Simple.

Like Rob Ford.

– Shaun Proulx is the founder and publisher of TheGayGuideNetwork.com. He tweets like a mo-fo, here.