Skip to main content

On March Snow Flurries & Being Canadian

On mornings like this, when there are three flakes in the air as I leave the apartment, and three thousand falling when I reach work, and my hood is up, but I didn’t wear leggings so my thighs are starting to sting – on mornings like this, I think I am done. Good and done. I am not meant for this season.

And I promise myself that someday soon I am moving to a country where there is no winter, where the temperature never goes below freezing. Maybe not even into the single (Celsius) digits. I could be happy there, I tell myself. Happier than I am here.

But I know it won’t happen (yet). October will find me in Toronto, pulling on tights before I step into my jeans and buying a new pair of cotton-wool blend knee highs.

And then I think about how I have walked to work all winter, except for just a couple days (I could count the number on two hands), and I am proud of that. And I drove in the snow several times, with the slipping and sliding and slow inching forward, and I was safe. And I went places, even after dark, when it felt like I should be sleeping, and I had fun. I am proud of that. And I remember how I've been playing soccer and ultimate all winter long, and I'm making new friends and staying healthy. And I'm proud of that too.

I haven't merely survived this winter. I have enjoyed my life this winter. I have gone out in the cold and in the snow and I have had adventures. I have taken photos and stamped my name in the snow and slipped on ice, and maybe I am a little bit Canadian after all.

Mostly, I think of the plans and dreams I have for the future and how they’re almost in motion and I wouldn’t trade these hopes for a winter-long beach visit, although you may need to remind me of that in November.
Is this dog happy or grouchy? I can't tell.

But please, tell me Spring is right around the corner.
Labels:

Comments

  1. V2:43 PM

    I love this and I love you and I love that you enjoyed your life this winter.
    I know it's just around the corner because I'll be back just after that. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. afro-chick9:18 AM

    a) That dog is beautiful.
    b) i'm so glad you got out there this winter and had fun while turning shades of blue, black, green & at times purple? you are my hero.
    c) spring is on the horizon, with it brings new air, new smells and a whole lotta sun. huzzah!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simone Weil: On "Forms of the Implicit Love of God"

Simone Weil time again! One of the essays in Waiting for God  is entitled "Forms of the Implicit Love of God." Her main argument is that before a soul has "direct contact" with God, there are three types of love that are implicitly  the love of God, though they seem to have a different explicit  object. That is, in loving X, you are really loving Y. (in this case, Y = God). As for the X of the equation, she lists: Love of neighbor  Love of the beauty of the world  Love of religious practices  and a special sidebar to Friendship “Each has the virtue of a sacrament,” she writes. Each of these loves is something to be respected, honoured, and understood both symbolically and concretely. On each page of this essay, I found myself underlining profound, challenging, and thought-provoking words. There's so much to consider that I've gone back several times, mulling it over and wondering how my life would look if I truly believed even half of these thi...
1 comment
Read more

I Like to Keep My Issues Drawn

It's Sunday night and I am multi-tasking. Paid some bills, catching up on free musical downloads from the past month, thinking about the mix-tape I need to make and planning my last assignment for writing class. Shortly, I will abandon the laptop to write my first draft by hand. But until then, I am thinking about music. This song played for me earlier this afternoon, as I attempted to nap. I woke up somewhere between 5 and 5:30 this morning, then lay in bed until 8 o'clock flipping sides and thinking about every part of my life that exists. It wasn't stressful, but it wasn't quite restful either...This past month, I have spent a lot of time rebuffing lies and refusing to believe that the inside of my heart and mind can never change. I feel like Florence + The Machine 's song "Shake it Out" captures many of these feelings & thoughts. (addendum: is the line "I like to keep my issues strong or drawn ?" Lyrics sites have it as "stro...
2 comments
Read more

The ROM, The Earth & Procreation

Disclaimer: This post is intended to generate discussion and a sharing of many opinions. It is NOT intended to judge or condemn anyone's life choices. I had an unexpected moment at the ROM last month. C and I were listening to a presentation for kids on wildlife conservation (or rather, I was listening, and C was eagerly anticipating what live animal would come out next), when a statement caught my attention and still hasn't let go. For most of history, the earth could provide enough resources for the earth's human population. But today, our population is growing rapidly, increasing by 250 000 people every day... Forty years from now, it will require 2 Earths to provide sustainably for our survival as a human species. But we only have 1 Earth. 250 000 people. Every day. That is roughly twice the size of my hometown. In one day. So I did a little math. (First, I rounded down to 200 000, just in case the figures were inflated or failed to account for some sort o...
27 comments
Read more