Years ago I was travelling down south with some American colleagues, and they were laughing at how excited Canadians get for Spring. While bemusing to my Californian friends, the reason was perfectly obvious to me. It’s because our winters are cold and gray, so when the weather finally warms up, we love it! We appreciate the sun after so much time away.
Well, here we are in a very different kind of winter of separation. Taking life in stride, I respect those who’ve set goals and are striving to come out of this lockdown better than when they went in. I’ve seen karate students earn new ranks. (This is one of the reasons I love karate. The dojo is filled with these like-minded individuals.) I’ve also seen friends take up new hobbies and set new fitness goals. By example, through this lockdown, my very inspirational wife is on the verge of finishing hiking the entire 121 km of the Avon Trail. There is beauty and inspiration everywhere.
Coming out the other side of this pandemic, I am curious to see how people embrace a return to what we once called ‘normal’. I have full confidence that the stoics, who have taken this pandemic in stride, will come out stronger, fitter, or will have advanced some goals in some ways. The optimist in me hopes that for others, it affects at least a few people like a Canadian Spring.