We have had a pretty amazing summer here on the coast this year. We have only had a wee trace of rain since June sometime, which is pretty unusual when you live in a rain forest. It’s been awesome.
Unfortunately with the heat and dry we have also have devastating fires in BC…we still today, right now have over 1200 fires burning. Our province is on fire.
People have been evacuated for extended periods of time, and when they are allowed back, have no idea what they are going to go home to, or if they will even have a home left at all.
Be grateful.
For your home, for your family’s safety, for smoke free air, for all of the compassion that comes out in people in times of devastation.
It makes me sad that people don’t treat each other with that kindness every single day…but the truth is people are different when there is an emergency, they put down their phones, put aside the differences and actually pay attention to what the fuck is going on around them.
For some reason I have really noticed the phone addiction in this world in the last few weeks. People that come through the til, though few and far between, that are texting or talking while they are paying for stuff. No conversation, no eye contact, no…hey can I call you back in a bit so I can actually be in the moment with this cute girl at the til who wants to take my money. I mean come on people…grab those real life moments by the balls. Put the phone away…you are missing out on LIFE for Christ sake.
When I was in Vancouver a few months ago, on my way to Whitehorse…I had the joy of taking public transit. As much as I despise riding a bus, especially with a huge suitcase and no idea what the fuck I am doing…it is a prime chance to people watch, which I did. The only thing was, I was watching people look down at their phones. The only interaction I got was a drunk guy yelling over my head in my right ear at his drunk buddy that was two seats ahead of me…for like 20 minutes…awesome. Everyone else just stared down at their phones…like zombies. What? The? Hell?
I guess living in a small town keeps you safe from the real world a little bit more than in a big city. Which is indeed why I am a country girl. I love visiting the city, but I need the community that we have here. I need to see people every day that I know, and eventually come to love and care for. I want to go to the grocery store and know other shoppers, stock boys, the deli guy and the girl at the til. We still have that here…granted it’s not like the old days, when you knew everyone in town, but it still has that small town charm, like the chance that the cute guy you are crushing on is going to drive by you on the road when you are walking, and you actually SEE each other. When you are buying gas and you see friends that you have had since you were 10…When you get a job as a cashier in the busiest store on the coast, and see people that you haven’t seen since you were 12…I didn’t realize how awesome that could be until I moved back home. It’s small here, eventually you will run into everyone.
I just realized, that once again I have gone off on a sideways tangent on this post. My original thought was about walking in the smoky air we have over us right now from the fires…My best friend Lori and I walk about 8 km pretty much 5 times a week. This has been challenging in the last few weeks, due to an unexpected plague I caught from my co-workers, and the heat and smoke we are dealing with right now. The other day as we were walking up School Hill…which is definitely something I never thought I would do just because I could…because look at this bitch….
I said to Lori…it feels like we are walking in slow motion. There was not a chance that we could go faster, and I actually couldn’t believe that we would ever make it to the bloody top…she said that it was pretty much like walking in quick sand…you know when you think you are just about safe and you are going to make it out and then it sucks you back in…gah. It was hot, steep and close…that was the word we decided to use that described how shitty the air was. It felt like there wasn’t enough air for us to actually accomplish getting to the top, or home for my dinner…ever.
I have always been a spring and fall girl…don’t get me wrong, I love summer…but this year, today…I am over it. I am ready for the clarity that comes with fall. The crisp, the clean air…the boots and the sweaters. A new season coming in that shows you that things never stay the same for long. Everything changes for better or worse. But change is inevitable.
So I say bring it on…let’s put the Province out, wash the dust away…clear the clutter and get ready to hunker down for the winter season.
And look up once and a while…pay attention to your life before it’s over and you have totally missed all the awesome crazy stuff going on around you.
