Friday, January 30, 2009

That Kind of Day

We're Canadians, so the snow should really, really not be an issue. And it wouldn't be except there's so darn much of it! More than I remember getting in the past - which is probably my mind playing tricks on me, considering last year we almost broke the record for snowiest winter, and that my childhood memories are filled with sliding (sometimes head first) down the HUGE hills in the school yard where the snow piled up all winter until it was well over 2 meters high (also, chanting "I'm the king of the castle! and you're the dirty rascals!" from the top of the hill after climbing it - oh children, so charming).
Perhaps it's that in my childhood, all this snow meant just another plaything - a hill to be climbed, an evening tobogganing, a snowball fight to be had, angels and forts to be made. Now, it's all just something to walk around. Or rather, to try to walk around (come check out the great job they do clearing this stuff in the fabulous frozen metropolis that is Montreal, and you'll know exactly what I mean).
Yesterday, on the way home from Ottawa, one of my fellow commuters got off the bus at Kirkland as he always does. As he walked down the hill to the parking lot where his car was parked, he fell 3 feet into the snow. Waist deep. The bus was driving away as he rolled himself out. yeah.
I think maybe I just need to take up tobogganing again.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's a lot of snow!!

noha said...

yup! Tell me about it. We really should be happy that we lie in a condo and don't drive a car though... no shoveling

Anonymous said...

You're exactly right. When you're a kid, snow is just a new adventure in fun; a new toy. When you're an adult it becomes an obstacle. We really,really need to learn to work with winter instead of against it. It's almost half our lives -- we can't spend it hiding away, wishing the time away until it's warm again. What a waste! Get out and find something to enjoy about the weather no matter what it is.

noha said...

It`s true. Almost half our lives, so we NEED to just learn to live with it. Heavier coats, hats, scarves, double socks, whatever. Ideally, find a winter sport you like, but even if you don`t at the very least don`t let it stop you from getting out and about during the winter...When my sister lived in Ottawa, back during our high school - university days (wow, I can`t believe I just wrote that... here`s a moment of feeling REALLY old passing over me), we used to bundle up in the middle of February and go out and take walks. Long walks. Like - 1 hour, two hours, whatever - around the neighbourhood. We`d come home with frozen hands and toes and noses and ears, but it was fun...