Honestly, I have quite enjoyed this latest blast out of the Arctic. Old Man Winter can still throw quite a punch, that geriatric bastard! That must sound rather absurd considering that we have recently experienced days where the highs were only -25C. That is not just cold, that is bone ass cold. Nobody should enjoy it being that cold, but I do, and I think a lot of others do too. We who are unlucky enough to live on the East slopes of the Canadian Rockies have until this point dealt with very little snow, mild temperatures and almost daily Wind Warnings. Now I rage about the wind every post it would seem and well, it’s because I fucking hate the wind so yes, I am loving the -25 to -35C. I have considered taking the tractor down to the pond and giving it a scrape and maybe going for a skate but it’s almost too cold for that right now as well and lets be honest here, I am quite content with being a fat mess. Guess what? Don’t really fucking care either.
Nespresso coffee truly is Nectar of the Gods! It is what coffee is meant to taste like and it’s getting me through this period of lethargy. First we pour cream into that gadget I got for Christmas that whips and heats it up. It’s the cream whipper, what can I say. Don’t know what it’s proper name is and don’t care – it’s awesome. Once the cream is a warm froth, we take it to the Nespresso machine and put in a 230 ml of whatever coffee flavour is closest because again, who cares. When that’s finished I top it off with a 40 ml espresso shot. We finish the whole concoction with a dash of cinnamon. Right now as I write this I think I am on my fourth. If we are headache free then there is one more thing I can and will do to keep my ass off the floor – HAIR METAL! Come on!!! You KNOW it! I am a product of my generation.
If I were to be honest, I am feeling fatigued. I think we all are. It’s now been almost a year of travel restrictions, work from home, face coverings in public places, etc, etc, etc… . We, who live in a relatively free society, are not accustomed to having our movements and general way of life infringed upon by higher ups who I might add don’t always operate by the same rules. It’s frustrating and at times encourages bad behaviour on our part while we navigate through a period where the rules and norms of what is acceptable are constantly changing. I do however feel that we are through the worst and hard as it feels right now, we must stay the course.
Want more honesty? We, and I certainly include myself in this, are soft. Think that is harsh? It really isn’t. My generation’s grandparents lived through World War Two. Somewhere between 50 and 56 million died directly from combat and another approximately 25 million perished from famine and disease. That’s 75 -80 million people. Blows your mind, doesn’t it? The survivors? Well, they saw and experienced hardship, terror, unimaginable grief and horror. Our grandparents lived through 6 years of not knowing if they were going to survive, sometimes even to the next morning if they were either living or shipped overseas. I sit here hopped up on Nespressos and gripe about not being able to go to Arizona to watch a few Spring Training games and get in some early rounds on the golf course. Poor fucking me!
When the war was over, when the soldiers came home, often there was no home to come home to. Entire families, villages, cities for that matter, wiped off the face of the earth. But they kept on living, didn’t they? One foot in front of the other, they kept moving forward. Many came here to Canada to start over because really what else could they have done. They didn’t have much but they made it work and many of us are here today because they did what they did back then. If you are reading this then chances are Covid has not really affected you that much. When the pandemic is under control you will get back to dinners at the Keg, concerts at the Dome, trips to Mexico. And that’s okay, it is. But just remember that the life that you live, the privileges you enjoy, they are not free. Someone paid for your good fortune long ago. And what you are experiencing now, like wearing a face covering while shopping at Walmart, it isn’t that bad. Smile everyone! We are the blessed and we are the lucky, even if it doesn’t seem like that right now.
One thought on “We are OKAY! REALLY!”
Good note Marty. Just read this. Coincidentally I was just whining about not being able to take an early morning drive down to my loved and missed Coeur D’Alene. Thanks for putting things into perspective.
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