Welcome to Wilno


A Tribute to Paul T. Shulist

Welcome to the world according to Paul Shulist. This page is a dedication to a true citizen of Wilno. Paul’s love for his hometown of Wilno was very strong. His heart was always in Wilno even when he attended Carleton/St. Pat's in Ottawa and lived there from 1974-1976.  Paul married his high school sweetheart, Linda Corbett from Killaloe in 1976 and they lived in Ottawa until 1979. They returned to Wilno where they built a home and raised three wonderful children Jared, Caitlin and Allison. Paul was once again rooted into his favour place on earth. Wilno was his love. Paul loved music and played at many functions where he would donate his talent and time as a drummer for his community. He loved the game of hockey where he played for the MV Wolves high school team and also the famous Wilno Hounds Hockey Team. Paul was also a super Habs fan where he saw the Montreal Canadiens win many cups and he also won a cup himself at our annual Timberfest Stanley Cup hockey tournament. Paul was all about family, friends, his hometown Wilno, music, sports and community.

Paul took care of this page until his death on July 18th 2013 when he lost his battle to cancer. He left us way too early, but his memory will live forever. This page is dedicated to him.

Paul’s love for his dog, Riley, was legendary and Riley often accompanied Paul on trips about town. You would always know when it was cottage time for the Shulist family as Riley jumped into the back of the truck and barked all the way to Paugh Lake. Happy times! Below is an article Paul produced about his four legged friend and life in general....

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The World According To Riley


Thoughts and Things 
From a 4 legged friend as they get filtered through a mind that is often clogged with both saw dust and that of the digital kind (could be a potential X file story?)  

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 Have you ever wondered what your life looks like through the eyes of a dog? Well I am not sure if there is some kind of inner meaning here but I have. Big brown eyes often looking at me with a puzzled sort of feel. I know its not one of my kids cause they don't have brown eyes, they do at times share that same puzzled appearance and they have even been known to have cold wet noses but I'm fairly certain that's where the similarity ends. In any event the dog often appears mystified as to the comings and goings in our house. Constant rush, incessant noise and movements that could easily be mistaken for panic. I figure he has to work fairly hard at ignoring it and facilitating his 12 hrs of sleep that he seems to need. Come to think of it maybe he's suffering from some sort of stress disorder. Could it be that the hectic sort of life-styles that most of us have found ourselves mired in produces anxiety levels that are contagious? God, if it is, I hope the animal rights people don't find out. All I need right now is to pay for my dog to lie on a green leather sofa and try to explain this complex he has about his mother who just happened to be a real Bitch or explain his feelings of inadequacy cause he can't drive, so he can't keep up with the rest of his adopted family. Scary! The whole idea is just plain scary.

Despite my fears for our dog you know I often think that he's better adjusted than allot of people I know. Maybe there is something to learn from him. Reflected in those eyes somewhere beneath the bewilderment I'm sure is a genuine concern that his adopted pack is spinning its tires and hastily beating a path to an early demise. Unlike us he doesn't seem to have a desire to have more, better, faster, bigger and invariably more expensive toys or tools depending on ones rational. I suspect this is his saving grace as that weakness in us undoubtedly is the cause of most of our stress. Riley watches as we work and scurry around trying to maintain a standard of living and a plateful of commitments. We struggle for a long time and eventually seem to be making some headway when in an unrecognized moment of weakness we decide to reward ourselves with a few hours of pleasure that usually results in a few months of pain. Damn that's how long if we're lucky, it takes to pay for those few moments of delusional ecstasy. You know its no wonder it puzzles my dog; as I write this it puzzles me. Riley seems to lead a life that is laid back a kinda take it as it comes approach is evident, mind you some people call it downright laziness. Well who are we to say, could be that barking, sniffing and all that lying around is physically very taxing. I know that if I lay around for 12 hrs a day my back would kill me. Now I work 12 hrs a day and that's kill'in me. I don't suppose I'm unique in that matter. The question is how many beers or martinis does it take for the average person to admit to the same feelings.

Wow it seems like I'm skirting the fringe of some deep philosophical questions. Here's another " is Riley actually living the life of Riley ?" or am I just harboring some deep dissatisfaction with my life and am jealous of his. You know though I just can't imagine myself with a tail and penchant for smelly canned food. On the other hand looking at the world through the eyes of a dog might be a humbling and learned experience and God knows we collectively could use a humbling. More later. One of us has to go and walk the other.

Paul Shulist

Miss you, Paul, always.