Living in Canada (the Toronto area specifically) we can safely say that we are no stranger to some crazy weather. We sometimes heat up to about +40º Celsius in the summer, and we can get to a bone chilling -40º in the winter! We get ice storms, wind chills, snowfall advisories, and a few months later we can get tornado watches, torrential downpours, humidex advisories, smog alerts and the like. Whether you are the one who waits all year for the sun to shine as bright and as hot as it can, or pray for more snow to hit the slopes, there is something to be said about people who live in parts of the world with such varying weather.
As I sit and type this on a cold winters night after a pretty substantial snow storm for Toronto, I cannot help but think about places to the south. Some places like California have such consistently beautiful weather all year, and from what I have heard, barely even get rain! What?!? It is completely unfathomable for me to think about a "winter" without snow and freezing temperatures. They get their Vitamin C all year and there is no such thing as seasonal depression there! Sounds pretty sweet right?
I feel like living in a place that has such a huge range of weather, really teaches you something about yourself. It teaches you to suck it up and deal! As harsh as that may sound, I think that when you have to go outside and shovel your driveway twice a day when there is a windchill of -35º (as I did the other day), things really don't seem to bother you as much. "Oops I spilled the milk on the hardwood floor!" WHO CARES?!? Last week we all had to drive to work in the middle of a storm after it took 45 minutes to clear all the ice off our cars!
When there is a potential for such insane changes in weather, I think that people start to realize really how insignificant some things are in our lives. At any moment, we could get a wicked storm that cuts out our power for days, as it did in parts of Toronto over the Christmas holidays. We have learned to deal, and I'm pretty proud of that as a Canadian! We can get through a lot of crappy things and band together to make it work.
Fortunately, the power being cut off for a few days is the worst we have had to deal with for a little while, but in the back of our minds, we always know there is a possibility that things could get a lot worse. Maybe I am looking at this a little different, and I know there are a lot of places in the world where things are a lot worse weather wise, but I can only go by what I have experienced.
When I see the snow falling so beautifully outside I can't help but think about my younger days! I remember all the days I had to stand in the slush and wait for a bus that seemed like it was never going to come. I remember getting to class and having the school announce over the P.A. systems that classes were cancelled after spending 3 hours trying to get there on time. I remember wrapping my feet in 3 pairs of socks and sticking plastic bags in my boots so the water would not soak my feet. I remember the traffic jams and the cars that wouldn't start! However, I also remember tobogganing, skiing and skating until it felt like my fingers were going to fall off! I remember the awesome snowball fights, forts, and how much money I made form shovelling all my neighbours driveways! SO MUCH MONEY! I remember the amazing, almost piercing silence that only ever happened when it snowed a lot, and how the snow covered trees inspired me to get outside with my camera! I remember walking home from school on the coldest days of the year and seeing my parents getting hot chocolate ready for us! So although sometimes it sucks HUGE to have to deal with all this snow, remember that we are pretty lucky to have changing seasons. We experience it all and it creates for a more interesting place. So before you complain about how cold it is, or that you're sick of the weather, try to put a more positive spin on it. Think about how beautiful the world is when it is covered in white, or that cuddling up with a warm blanket, a good book and a hot tea are all you need to make the moment a little better. Before you know it, it will be steamin' hot out there and we will praying for some snow!
Enjoy it while it lasts!
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