I think swimmers notice it first.
Runners are the next group to say something, with a hint of sadness in their voice.
Cyclists take a little longer to figure it out. Or perhaps it's just denial because they are more affected by it in the end.
The days are getting shorter folks.
Slowly but surely the darkness is inching its way into the light.
On swimming mornings, I now wake up in the dark. I get dressed in the dark. I check my blood sugar in the dark and I drive to the pool in the dark. I didn't do that in June. I also wear a light coat to the pool over my tshirt. I still wear shorts of course but there is just the slightest nip in the air.
On running mornings, I wake up just as the sky is lightening. By the time I get dressed, check my sugar and head out the door, it's light, if not bright. I run in shorts and a t-shirt quite comfortably but I do pass walkers out in pants or long sleeves.
On cycling mornings, it's light when we wake up. We comfortably ride in short pants and short sleeves. I still feels like the middle of summer on cycling days.
But the runner in me is feeling a slight change in the air.
The swimmer in me knows the change is already well on its way.
I like change. I'm ok with the seasonal shift and the loss of light. I know it will come back again and I know that the swimmer in me will be the first to notice. The runner will feel it next and, when it's finally warm enough to get the bike back on the road, the cyclist in me will rejoice.
Showing posts with label seasons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seasons. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
I Must Admit
Well, I must admit that it is nice to be outside again.
My swims are, for the moment anyway, indoors. The air at the pool is a bit, um, lacking in the fresh department. Unless you're one of the people who find the smell of chlorine fresh...
My morning cycling routine on the trainer takes place in our basement. I have the fan blowing so there is air movement but, again, it's not particularly fresh.
Now that I'm working my way back to running form, I get to tie on my running shoes and head OUTSIDE!!
I smell lilacs, lily of the valley and mulch. After a rain, I smell fresh dirt and worms. Freshly mown grass and barbecuing. It's a wonderful wonderful thing.
Well, I must admit that it is nice to be able to stretch on my back deck again.
From fall to spring, I do my stretching and icing routine on the living room floor. Often with a coffee beside me. The radio is usually on, unless it's Sunday morning, and then Sunday Morning is on. It's nice.
From spring to fall, as soon as the sun is warm enough, I bring my mat and muscle relaxing paraphernalia out to the back deck. I find myself a sunbeam and I bask while I stretch. It's really really lovely.
Well, I must admit that it is nice to hang up my coat and tuck my pants to the back of the drawer.
Living in Canada means that, from one extreme to another, we have a range of 60 degrees of temperature that we rotate through. We can go from minus 30 in the winter to plus 30 in the summer.
I love the extremes as well as the middle. I rejoice when it starts to get colder because I much prefer to be cold than hot. But I also dislike the amount of clothing I need to pull on when I run in the winter time.
As winter changes to spring and then summer, the removal of layers and the transition from pants to shorts and jackets to tanks is cause for celebration. It's celebration time!
Well, I must admit that it's nice to:
- have breakfast and dinner on the back porch
- come home to a glass of wine and a plate of crackers and cheese waiting for me on the deck
- spend the weekend puttering in the garden, washing windows, and riding around Niagara
- sleep with the windows open
- head to the driving range after dinner to practice my swing
- bring out the arsenal of summer salads and barbecue recipes
I must admit that it's nice, and really important, to always be grateful for the little things.
My swims are, for the moment anyway, indoors. The air at the pool is a bit, um, lacking in the fresh department. Unless you're one of the people who find the smell of chlorine fresh...
My morning cycling routine on the trainer takes place in our basement. I have the fan blowing so there is air movement but, again, it's not particularly fresh.
Now that I'm working my way back to running form, I get to tie on my running shoes and head OUTSIDE!!
I smell lilacs, lily of the valley and mulch. After a rain, I smell fresh dirt and worms. Freshly mown grass and barbecuing. It's a wonderful wonderful thing.
Well, I must admit that it is nice to be able to stretch on my back deck again.
From fall to spring, I do my stretching and icing routine on the living room floor. Often with a coffee beside me. The radio is usually on, unless it's Sunday morning, and then Sunday Morning is on. It's nice.
From spring to fall, as soon as the sun is warm enough, I bring my mat and muscle relaxing paraphernalia out to the back deck. I find myself a sunbeam and I bask while I stretch. It's really really lovely.
Well, I must admit that it is nice to hang up my coat and tuck my pants to the back of the drawer.
Living in Canada means that, from one extreme to another, we have a range of 60 degrees of temperature that we rotate through. We can go from minus 30 in the winter to plus 30 in the summer.
I love the extremes as well as the middle. I rejoice when it starts to get colder because I much prefer to be cold than hot. But I also dislike the amount of clothing I need to pull on when I run in the winter time.
As winter changes to spring and then summer, the removal of layers and the transition from pants to shorts and jackets to tanks is cause for celebration. It's celebration time!
Well, I must admit that it's nice to:
- have breakfast and dinner on the back porch
- come home to a glass of wine and a plate of crackers and cheese waiting for me on the deck
- spend the weekend puttering in the garden, washing windows, and riding around Niagara
- sleep with the windows open
- head to the driving range after dinner to practice my swing
- bring out the arsenal of summer salads and barbecue recipes
I must admit that it's nice, and really important, to always be grateful for the little things.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Spring in Canada
By now, if all went well en route, I should be in Tel Aviv. If the weather folks were right, I should be trying to convince my body that it does indeed enjoy 30 degree weather and that, ready or not, it will be running a half marathon tomorrow.
But I don't want to write about 30 degrees. I want to write about last weekend and the positively balmy spring weather we enjoyed in Ontario.
On Saturday afternoon, Doug and I, freshly showered and fed after our runs, headed to Burlington. We were going to a swim shop we had heard about that sells performance bathing suits. You know, the kind that don't disintegrate in chlorine. I was pretty fed up with my latest suit that I bought in January. It is already see-through in a few spots that really shouldn't be see-through. So we headed up the highway and bought new bathing suits that should hold up to our thrice a week swim sessions.
On the way home, we drove through downtown Burlington. Remember, it was March 9th, by the lake, a mere 8 degrees outside. Patios were open and hopping, couples were strolling along the waterfront and families were eating ice cream...outside.
I love spring in Canada.
Sunday morning, guess what we did?
We went cycling of course.
We were sensible enough to wait until 10:30am and, as the temperature hit 6 degrees, we joined our hardy friends for our first ride of the year. Flocks of geese flew overhead. The swollen rivers flowed fast and furious. The sun beat down and made the winter wind feel almost balmy.
I love spring in Canada.
Every spring, I wonder the same thing. I wonder how many people recently moved to Canada from another country and are about to experience their first spring. Does it feel magical the first time or does it take a few years before people are able to smell the change in the air? To spot the first buds on the trees and the first crocus popping up through the snow? To notice the extra minutes of daylight and the increasing urgency of the bird songs? To run without gloves for the first time in months and feel positively giddy?
I'm glad I got to feel that first taste of spring in Canada before I headed to Tel Aviv and into full blown summer.
But I don't want to write about 30 degrees. I want to write about last weekend and the positively balmy spring weather we enjoyed in Ontario.
On Saturday afternoon, Doug and I, freshly showered and fed after our runs, headed to Burlington. We were going to a swim shop we had heard about that sells performance bathing suits. You know, the kind that don't disintegrate in chlorine. I was pretty fed up with my latest suit that I bought in January. It is already see-through in a few spots that really shouldn't be see-through. So we headed up the highway and bought new bathing suits that should hold up to our thrice a week swim sessions.
On the way home, we drove through downtown Burlington. Remember, it was March 9th, by the lake, a mere 8 degrees outside. Patios were open and hopping, couples were strolling along the waterfront and families were eating ice cream...outside.
I love spring in Canada.
Sunday morning, guess what we did?
We went cycling of course.
We were sensible enough to wait until 10:30am and, as the temperature hit 6 degrees, we joined our hardy friends for our first ride of the year. Flocks of geese flew overhead. The swollen rivers flowed fast and furious. The sun beat down and made the winter wind feel almost balmy.
I love spring in Canada.
Every spring, I wonder the same thing. I wonder how many people recently moved to Canada from another country and are about to experience their first spring. Does it feel magical the first time or does it take a few years before people are able to smell the change in the air? To spot the first buds on the trees and the first crocus popping up through the snow? To notice the extra minutes of daylight and the increasing urgency of the bird songs? To run without gloves for the first time in months and feel positively giddy?
I'm glad I got to feel that first taste of spring in Canada before I headed to Tel Aviv and into full blown summer.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Wings of Mercury
My running has taken flight this week.
Not run away.
Grown wings.
I now understand why athletes go to extreme places to train. High altitudes. High heat. High humidity.
I can't speak for high altitude running but I do have plenty of experience with high heat and high humidity running. It's really hard. We've had several months of what felt like a never ending heat wave. To add insult to injury, humidity always seemed to peak on Saturday mornings - right on time for the long runs.
We have trained in some nasty stuff and my body has been pushed to its limit several times - more from the temperatures than the distances.
Now the worst of the heat is gone and I feel like I have wings attached to my shoes and a jet pack on my back. Ah-mazing!
I'm guessing it's like training in the mountains and then coming down to the valley to race. There's so much more oxygen down there that the difference must feel pretty awesome.
That's how it's felt this week. Last night, my third day of running in a row, I ran 10k in 62 minutes and it felt amazing from start to finish. I should have been tired. I should have been wilting by the end. Instead I practically galloped home.
During the worst of the heat, I would have paid a lot of money to make it go away. Now that it's gone away on its own, I must admit I am grudgingly grateful for the conditioning it forced upon me.
Some people I know avoid summer running. They hardly do any running in June, July and August and, once the temperatures drop, they're back out again. Other people avoid running in December, January and February because it's too cold.
I'll run in anything.
The brutal days make the beautiful ones glorious.
It's fall folks! The very best time of year to run.
Yippee!!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Nature Girl
Every time the seasons change, I always have the same thought: "I wonder what people who have just arrived in Canada will think of the next season?".
We live in a pretty dynamic country and our seasonal changes are extreme. Every twelve months, we go through a shocking cycle of change.
Right now, our runs look like this.
In six months, they will look like this.
I was told once by our running coach: "if it's minus forty or plus forty, we don't run". That leaves a pretty incredible range in which we do run. And run we do.
But back to new Canadians for a moment. When the leaves start to change colour and we pull out our sweaters, I always wonder what people who have never experienced fall will think about the process. Will they find it beautiful...or sad? Will they appreciate the sounds of Canada geese honking or be horrified by the shortening days? Do they have any idea how delicious apple cider and pumpkin pie are?
What about people who arrive in the middle of our winter? Do they think that it will never end? Do they believe us when we tell them that the snow will stop falling, the winds will warm, the trees will leaf and the sun will set at 9pm instead of 4:30pm? And wait until they discover fresh summer strawberries and tomatoes!
Anyone climbing off a plane this week will laugh at the idea of Canada being a land of ice and snow. Yesterday, according to the Weather Network, we were hotter than Houston, Mumbai and Tel Aviv.
I have a completely different appreciation for our seasons than I did even a few years ago. I used to love winter for the pretty snow, spring for the warm winds and the smell of earth, summer for bbqs and fall for the colours. Simple things that completely defined a season for me.
I've always been a nature girl - happiest when outside, in the woods chasing moose or on a boat chasing whales. Nature for me was all about what I could see, hear and smell.
Running has changed all that. Well, not so much changed as enhanced.
Now, I notice and respond to every five degree change in temperature. I notice the changing amount of sunlight in terms of minutes, not hours. I feel subtle variations in the wind and in the angle of the sun.
Now, I'm in tune with the air, the temperature, the wind, the light.
I love that. It sounds completely cliché but I feel so much more alive and I feel like I am part of nature rather than an enthusiastic observer. Winter is no longer cold and dark. I've learned that there are all sorts of different kinds of cold. And dark. And different kinds of hot. And windy. And humid.
They're all wonderful in their own way. Truly. Even days like yesterday that cause me to wilt. They are all part of the Canadian cycle of seasons.
Damn - we are so lucky aren't we?
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Hot Stuff
There's just no way around it.
I am one hot chick.
Bedroom window open all winter, comforter tossed to the side, running in -20 without gloves kinda hot.
My internal microwave oven makes me ideally suited to running in Canadian winters. I love it. Better yet, I have it all figured out. I know what to wear with every five degree change in temperature and in every sort of wind chill, snow, and icy condition. I know my layers and we work well together.
The problems start when the temperate gets to be above zero.
At plus five, I'm in shorts. At plus ten, I'm in shorts, a t-shirt and a vest and, by plus fifteen, I'm in shorts and a t-shirt. Period.
Things would not be a problem if Canadian summers peaked at plus fifteen. But they don't. They have been known to hit plus thirty-five with some nasty-ass humidity thrown in for fun. This does not stop us from running hours every Saturday morning or doing hill repeats or interval training. The heat-loving people in my life may disagree but I find it absolutely brutal.
I am not one to run around in my sports bra (between my insulin pump and surgery scars - a bare midriff would take me a wee bit too far out of my comfort zone). So I'm stuck running in shorts and a t-shirt. No matter how hot it gets, there are just no more layers to remove.
I'm excited for spring. I'm excited to see the buds on the trees and feel the sun on my skin. But I'm also well aware that the days of running in comfort are rapidly coming to an end...at least until October when things start to cool off again. So for the next six months I am going to be one hot steamy lady...
...and not in a good way!
I am one hot chick.
Bedroom window open all winter, comforter tossed to the side, running in -20 without gloves kinda hot.
My internal microwave oven makes me ideally suited to running in Canadian winters. I love it. Better yet, I have it all figured out. I know what to wear with every five degree change in temperature and in every sort of wind chill, snow, and icy condition. I know my layers and we work well together.
The problems start when the temperate gets to be above zero.
At plus five, I'm in shorts. At plus ten, I'm in shorts, a t-shirt and a vest and, by plus fifteen, I'm in shorts and a t-shirt. Period.
Things would not be a problem if Canadian summers peaked at plus fifteen. But they don't. They have been known to hit plus thirty-five with some nasty-ass humidity thrown in for fun. This does not stop us from running hours every Saturday morning or doing hill repeats or interval training. The heat-loving people in my life may disagree but I find it absolutely brutal.
I am not one to run around in my sports bra (between my insulin pump and surgery scars - a bare midriff would take me a wee bit too far out of my comfort zone). So I'm stuck running in shorts and a t-shirt. No matter how hot it gets, there are just no more layers to remove.
I'm excited for spring. I'm excited to see the buds on the trees and feel the sun on my skin. But I'm also well aware that the days of running in comfort are rapidly coming to an end...at least until October when things start to cool off again. So for the next six months I am going to be one hot steamy lady...
...and not in a good way!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
A Moment of Zen
When I run, I typically run with the Runners' Edge running club or by myself. Either way, I run along familiar routes in Niagara. Country roads that are magical in all seasons. We are so lucky to live where we live as we get to witness the entire life cycle of the orchards and vineyards that make up our countryside. From quiet bare winter branches, to fragrant spring blossoms, to summer fruit and fall colours.
The sights and smells are familiar, as are the people who share our roads. Occasionally we pass another runner, one who is not part of our group, but it's rare. More often than not, it's one of 'us' doing their own solitary run.
That's why today was so interesting. Rather than meet up at Runners' Edge, we all hopped in our cars and drove up the QEW to Stoney Creek. We ran along the Hamilton Trail for a change of scenery. The trail runs along Lake Ontario and it was beautiful.
It was also loaded with runners.
Runners I didn't recognize and certainly didn't know. Runners of all ages. Running quickly, running slowly, breathing hard, breathing easy. It didn't matter. They were everywhere and we Runners' Edgers were sorely outnumbered.
Watching all the people, it got me thinking about what makes people run. The reasons are as numerous and as varied as the runners themselves.
Why do I run?
I know why I started. While visiting Ottawa in the fall of 2008, I stumbled upon the CIBC Run for the Cure 5k race. Camera in hand, I decided to stand at the finish line and take some pictures. Never having watched a race before, I had no idea what I was in for. The emotions at that finish line were so intense that I forgot the camera and just stood and cheered. Tears flowed and I left inspired to join the ranks. I drove back to Niagara and straight to Runners' Edge to buy my first pair of real running shoes. I started the very next day.
Why do I keep running?
The easy answers are:
- to stay healthy
- to control my diabetes
- to push myself
But I really do it for the quiet. For that feeling that comes 8k into a run when I stop looking at my Garmin and I stop thinking about how tired I am. The moment when I stop trying to run and start getting lost in my head. It goes quiet, I no longer hear my breath and I, for lack of a better word, just go zen.
That feeling used to be fleeting, a few seconds at best. Then it started lasting a minute, two minutes. During this long winter of training, I began to find that I could run 5 kilometers without realizing it. I would arrive at familiar landmarks and wonder what happened to the last 30 minutes. Thirty minutes!
It's is a peaceful feeling. I think about things without really thinking about them. I solve problems I didn't know I had and I notice the details of my surroundings.
People have all sorts of ways of finding a few moments of peace.
I put on my running shoes.
The sights and smells are familiar, as are the people who share our roads. Occasionally we pass another runner, one who is not part of our group, but it's rare. More often than not, it's one of 'us' doing their own solitary run.
That's why today was so interesting. Rather than meet up at Runners' Edge, we all hopped in our cars and drove up the QEW to Stoney Creek. We ran along the Hamilton Trail for a change of scenery. The trail runs along Lake Ontario and it was beautiful.
It was also loaded with runners.
Runners I didn't recognize and certainly didn't know. Runners of all ages. Running quickly, running slowly, breathing hard, breathing easy. It didn't matter. They were everywhere and we Runners' Edgers were sorely outnumbered.
Watching all the people, it got me thinking about what makes people run. The reasons are as numerous and as varied as the runners themselves.
Why do I run?
I know why I started. While visiting Ottawa in the fall of 2008, I stumbled upon the CIBC Run for the Cure 5k race. Camera in hand, I decided to stand at the finish line and take some pictures. Never having watched a race before, I had no idea what I was in for. The emotions at that finish line were so intense that I forgot the camera and just stood and cheered. Tears flowed and I left inspired to join the ranks. I drove back to Niagara and straight to Runners' Edge to buy my first pair of real running shoes. I started the very next day.
Why do I keep running?
The easy answers are:
- to stay healthy
- to control my diabetes
- to push myself
But I really do it for the quiet. For that feeling that comes 8k into a run when I stop looking at my Garmin and I stop thinking about how tired I am. The moment when I stop trying to run and start getting lost in my head. It goes quiet, I no longer hear my breath and I, for lack of a better word, just go zen.
That feeling used to be fleeting, a few seconds at best. Then it started lasting a minute, two minutes. During this long winter of training, I began to find that I could run 5 kilometers without realizing it. I would arrive at familiar landmarks and wonder what happened to the last 30 minutes. Thirty minutes!
It's is a peaceful feeling. I think about things without really thinking about them. I solve problems I didn't know I had and I notice the details of my surroundings.
People have all sorts of ways of finding a few moments of peace.
I put on my running shoes.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Come What May
I'm not really into 'theme' writing but, without meaning to, this week's theme seems to be heroes.
Global heroes who can run thanks to medical technology.
High school heroes who are facing challenges with incredible courage.
Today's heroes are rainy day heroes.
The story actually began yesterday morning at 9am. I've been very fortunate to have had the last few Fridays off. Facing a 27k run (aka a 3+ hour run), I checked the weather and had the luxury to opt for a Friday morning run. I was gifted with comfortable temperatures, a refreshing wind and the odd raindrop to help cool me off.
My running friends didn't have that option. This week's Saturday morning run was 22k. The weather was ferocious. Trust me, when an all season runner says that the weather is ferocious, it means it's really damn awful. Pouring rain and driving wind. Too warm for winter running clothes, too cold for spring attire. Just awful.
With rain lashing the windows and wind shaking the house, Doug raided the closet for waterproof gear. All decked out, he ran from the house. That's an extra 2k to the store and therefore an extra 2k back. In minutes, he's soaked through. Wet shoes, wet socks, wet everything. Wet = cold. Cold hands, cold feet, cold everything. Total discomfort within the first few minutes. Only 2 hours and 20 more minutes to go.
He got to the store and met up with another 20 runners. They put up their collars, pulled down their hats and headed out into the storm. Normally the country roads around St. Catharines are lovely, in all seasons. Vineyards, fields, forests and beautiful homes. I ran by a red-tailed hawk yesterday. So close I could have touched him.
Today, open country roads meant being buffeted by incessant winds. No protection. Just runners versus nature.
The thing about running is that it's optional. You can always turn off the alarm, roll over and run tomorrow. There are countless reasons for not going for a run. There are far fewer reasons to pull on your shoes and head out into a storm.
It takes guts, strength, a healthy dose of tenacity and a wee bit of craziness to run in all weathers.
It takes a hero.
Global heroes who can run thanks to medical technology.
High school heroes who are facing challenges with incredible courage.
Today's heroes are rainy day heroes.
The story actually began yesterday morning at 9am. I've been very fortunate to have had the last few Fridays off. Facing a 27k run (aka a 3+ hour run), I checked the weather and had the luxury to opt for a Friday morning run. I was gifted with comfortable temperatures, a refreshing wind and the odd raindrop to help cool me off.
My running friends didn't have that option. This week's Saturday morning run was 22k. The weather was ferocious. Trust me, when an all season runner says that the weather is ferocious, it means it's really damn awful. Pouring rain and driving wind. Too warm for winter running clothes, too cold for spring attire. Just awful.
With rain lashing the windows and wind shaking the house, Doug raided the closet for waterproof gear. All decked out, he ran from the house. That's an extra 2k to the store and therefore an extra 2k back. In minutes, he's soaked through. Wet shoes, wet socks, wet everything. Wet = cold. Cold hands, cold feet, cold everything. Total discomfort within the first few minutes. Only 2 hours and 20 more minutes to go.
He got to the store and met up with another 20 runners. They put up their collars, pulled down their hats and headed out into the storm. Normally the country roads around St. Catharines are lovely, in all seasons. Vineyards, fields, forests and beautiful homes. I ran by a red-tailed hawk yesterday. So close I could have touched him.
Today, open country roads meant being buffeted by incessant winds. No protection. Just runners versus nature.
The thing about running is that it's optional. You can always turn off the alarm, roll over and run tomorrow. There are countless reasons for not going for a run. There are far fewer reasons to pull on your shoes and head out into a storm.
It takes guts, strength, a healthy dose of tenacity and a wee bit of craziness to run in all weathers.
It takes a hero.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Controlled Change
It's a bit of a weird Sunday. Not bad weird, just not a typical Sunday.
Doug and I opted not to cycle this morning since it was just going to be the two of us and we are getting a bit sick of lugging the bikes and trainers through the snow. I also opted out of yoga because I believe one needs to be in the mood for yoga and I most definitely was not. I was much happier outside shovelling in the early morning quiet. Birds were out, I could hear church bells ringing and there was a hint of warm spring breezes in the air.
My family (parents, youngest sister and grandmother) came over for brunch. Three gourmet quiches were on the menu. Chicken, blue cheese and broccoli for the first, smoked salmon and brie was second and a crustless (aka gluten free) vegetarian one was third. Top it off with my mother's delicious gluten free sticky toffee pudding and I'm pretty sure Doug and I will be having a very very light dinner tonight. It was nice and comforting to have everyone over We had pots of spring plants on the table and there was a sense of change in the air. Winter is holding on, but only just.
I like change. Anyone who takes even a passing glance at my life knows that change is not something I'm afraid of. But some types of change make me uncomfortable. Seasons are one of those changes. I'm not sure why because I love all the seasons in Canada. What happens though is that I get used to the season that we're in and can't imagine anything else. When winter was coming, I couldn't believe how cold it could get and couldn't quite handle the idea of snow. Now that we've been buried in winter for a few months, it's what I'm used to and I'm comfortable there. I love the cold, I know how to dress, I love running on snowy mornings and can't imagine running in warm and humid weather. When a spring breeze was on the menu today I didn't quite know what to do with it.
So I went out to shovel.
It gave me a feeling of control over the winter and the snow. A bit of an exercise in futility since everything started melting soon after but it felt good to methodically push piles of snow around.
I like to arrange my Smarties by colour. My morning routine is very routinized and extremely comforting and I really like shovelling snow.
I guess, upon reflection, I like change as long as there is some degree of control over some parts of my life. So, as spring continues to do battle with winter and as magnolia trees start bursting with buds, I'm going to hold on to my routines a little more tightly. A few weeks from now, when we're firmly entrenched in warm breezes and playing spot the crocuses, I'll be ready to embrace the new season. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy every snowflake!
Doug and I opted not to cycle this morning since it was just going to be the two of us and we are getting a bit sick of lugging the bikes and trainers through the snow. I also opted out of yoga because I believe one needs to be in the mood for yoga and I most definitely was not. I was much happier outside shovelling in the early morning quiet. Birds were out, I could hear church bells ringing and there was a hint of warm spring breezes in the air.
My family (parents, youngest sister and grandmother) came over for brunch. Three gourmet quiches were on the menu. Chicken, blue cheese and broccoli for the first, smoked salmon and brie was second and a crustless (aka gluten free) vegetarian one was third. Top it off with my mother's delicious gluten free sticky toffee pudding and I'm pretty sure Doug and I will be having a very very light dinner tonight. It was nice and comforting to have everyone over We had pots of spring plants on the table and there was a sense of change in the air. Winter is holding on, but only just.
I like change. Anyone who takes even a passing glance at my life knows that change is not something I'm afraid of. But some types of change make me uncomfortable. Seasons are one of those changes. I'm not sure why because I love all the seasons in Canada. What happens though is that I get used to the season that we're in and can't imagine anything else. When winter was coming, I couldn't believe how cold it could get and couldn't quite handle the idea of snow. Now that we've been buried in winter for a few months, it's what I'm used to and I'm comfortable there. I love the cold, I know how to dress, I love running on snowy mornings and can't imagine running in warm and humid weather. When a spring breeze was on the menu today I didn't quite know what to do with it.
So I went out to shovel.
It gave me a feeling of control over the winter and the snow. A bit of an exercise in futility since everything started melting soon after but it felt good to methodically push piles of snow around.
I like to arrange my Smarties by colour. My morning routine is very routinized and extremely comforting and I really like shovelling snow.
I guess, upon reflection, I like change as long as there is some degree of control over some parts of my life. So, as spring continues to do battle with winter and as magnolia trees start bursting with buds, I'm going to hold on to my routines a little more tightly. A few weeks from now, when we're firmly entrenched in warm breezes and playing spot the crocuses, I'll be ready to embrace the new season. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy every snowflake!
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