I haven’t decided whether it is actually summer or just “northern summer,” that kind of spring feel with occasional hot heat bursts. Whatever it is, I will say this, it is the time of year to unwind outside.
I can get too comfortable at home with my tub of Nutella while binge watching Star Trek on Netflix. Sometimes the trek to just step outside seems like a lot of work.
Maybe that sounds weird considering we only get summer for a few months of the year and the rest is like a nine month pregnancy of winter. I’ll tentatively blame allergy season for the cause of my over exhaustion.
But when I finally stop that inner dialogue that distracts me from getting outside, I’m always grateful. Even if it is just for a few minutes.
I have a friend from Victoria I frequently talk to on the phone. So whenever I see her number, I’ve started going outside for a walk along buck creek.
There is a sandy bar on the east side of the buck creek trail that I often bring my type-writer to (yes, an old school 1960s Underwood 18 typewriter my uncle gave me) to send letters to friends and family because let’s be honest, no one can read my scrawl.
What Houston and the north of B.C. has to offer is beautiful, but can be a challenge to access, especially if you don’t own a vehicle. I think the trick is to create a habit and make it accessible for you.
Depending on how extra motivated I am feeling, I’ll bike down the highway heading to Merkley Frontage Road for some family bonding time.
Once I biked to Willow Grove to take some photos, it was epic. The breeze and speed you build up going down that hill on the highway kind of felt like I was the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz, minus the tornado.
For me, water is the best place to unwind. I like how the river feels under my hands, as if everything I am hanging onto is being pulled away.
When outside, you don’t actually need another person to enjoy it with. It can be nice, but the company of self is also fulfilling.
