06/01/2010: "Oil Cloth Lunch, and other reasons to be cheerful"

I walked by the McMaster Museum of Art on the way home from work today. The sign outside said "Oil Cloth Lunch, and other reasons to be cheerful" so I went in to take a look. Turns out sign refers to a painting by Tony Scherman and a song title by Ian Dury and the Blockheads.

The exhibit was fine and it got me thinking about cheerful, riffing on the theme as I do.

Cheerful: having a happy disposition; in good spirits; pleasantly bright; gladdening; hearty; ungrudging; enthusiastic.

I was cheerful yesterday, wearing a brand new dress in bird of paradise colours. I felt like my own little ray of sunshine, lighting up the hallway as I walked.

Cheerful is a fine Canadian thing to be. The Order of Good Cheer was founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1606 to raise the spirits of his men, cut off from all contact with the larger world and suffering from disease and the harsh Canadian climate. He says:

"We spent this winter very joyously and of good times, due to the L'Odre de l Bon Temps that I established here, which each person finds useful for their health and more beneficial than any sort of medicine that we could have used. The Order was presented as a Chain of office that we placed with some small ceremony, at the neck of one of our people, charging him that day with going hunting; the next day we gave it to another and thus consequently: all who wished to try would do their best and bring the most beautiful hunt: We don't find it half bad , as well as the Indians who were with us" Voyages of Champlain: 1613

The Blockheads list of reasons to be cheerful is both odd and extensive. None of my reasons could begin to compare. So I will leave you with the lyrics of the song, and the morals of the day.

Reasons to be Cheerful

Summer, Buddy Holly, the working folly
Good golly Miss Molly and boats
Hammersmith Palais, the Bolshoi Ballet
Jump back in the alley and nanny goats

18-wheeler Scammels, Domenecker camels
All other mammals plus equal votes
Seeing Piccadilly, Fanny Smith and Willy
Being rather silly, and porridge oats

A bit of grin and bear it, a bit of come and share it
You're welcome, we can spare it - yellow socks
Too short to be haughty, too nutty to be naughty
Going on 40 - no electric shocks

The juice of the carrot, the smile of the parrot
A little drop of claret - anything that rocks
Elvis and Scotty, days when I ain't spotty,
Sitting on the potty - curing smallpox

Health service glasses
Gigolos and brasses
round or skinny bottoms

Take your mum to paris
lighting up the chalice
wee willy harris

Bantu Stephen Biko, listening to Rico
Harpo, Groucho, Chico

Cheddar cheese and pickle, the Vincent motorsickle
Slap and tickle
Woody Allen, Dali, Dimitri and Pasquale
balabalabala and Volare

Something nice to study, phoning up a buddy
Being in my nuddy
Saying hokey-dokey, singalonga Smokey
Coming out of chokey

John Coltrane's soprano, Adi Celentano
Bonar Colleano

Reasons to be cheerful...

Three morals in this story:

1. Cheerful is the generous thing to be.
2. It is more useful than medicine to relieve suffering.
3. If you are lacking in reasons to be cheerful, do I have the song for you.

Yours with creativity and imagination,
Darlene