The magic of ordinary days

While Jason and I were in Africa, we started watching the American version of the Office. I’ve continued to watch it ever since, even though it’s been going through some not so funny times, some weirdness and it was definitely time for it to end, but the show always kind of felt homey because of where we were when we started watching it. The other night I watched the final episode. It was sad to see the end, but there was one statement that really struck a chord with me. It was by a character that I didn’t really like throughout the entire show, but he said this:

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” ~Andy Bernard: The Office.

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but as a kid, mom would tell my brother and I to take a mental picture. We’d be in an incredible place, camping or traveling or just watching a thunderstorm from our stairs in Kingsgate and mom would turn to us and say “Take a mental picture!” and I always did.

I have vivid memories of moments where we’d be camping with the darkness just settling over the lake and the lonely and tragically beautiful call of the loon would echo through the air, of a hillside in Mexico with all its many and varied colours, a rainbow of homes, of a crazy thunderstorm in Saskatchewan with lightning blasting telephone poles into flames, with my brother and cousin in the back seat wearing their bicycle helmets and playing tank. I remember experiences through those pictures living in my head. This is something that has continued in my life. I love photography, but even more than that, I still find myself sitting somewhere and, as Anne of Green Gables would say, “Drinking in the smells”, feeling the caress of the wind, experiencing the sensations and taking a mental picture. I have done some amazing things and have some great memories.

While I was at college, when the weather got warmer, I would go outside and watch the sunsets. One afternoon I was lying on the hill in front of Lakeview Hall watching the sky when the sun hit the horizon and the entire sky lit up. All around me were shocking pinks, brilliant oranges and deep purples and the wind was full of the smell of growing things and warm breezes. It was such an amazing moment, to be enveloped and hugged by a sunset.

That was a good day…

I got the opportunity to visit Nepal while in college as well. We were able to help build houses for people with leprosy. That in itself was an experience. While we were there we went on a trek in the Annapurnas. This was the “easy” trek, meant to give us a taste of the mountains, but not getting into the snow covered areas. Our porters wore flip-flops while carrying all our gear. We wore the latest in hiking boots, and almost died just carrying our cameras and water. One of the days, while at the top of the circle we were hiking, we got up before dawn (not an easy thing for some of us) and hiked up a “hill” to see the sunrise. I remember thinking, “what is going to be so special that seeing a sunrise is worth this.” Up we trudged to the top of the hill that was about the same elevation as some of the Rockies back home. The sun wasn’t up yet, but there was the early morning light and mist wafting around our feet. As we looked up and up at the Annapurna mountains surrounding us and realized their vast and enormous heights, the sun started to rise behind a mountain named “Fishtail.” Its peaks were split near the top, so that it looked like a fish, tail up with its head stuck in the ground. The sun came up directly behind that mountain and as we watched, the sun rays were split and shot through the world in an ever changing kaleidoscope of colour and light until the top of the sun peaked through the “tail.” The wonder and magic of that moment can still give me peace when I bring that mental picture to mind.  

That was a beautiful day…

Jason and I decided to go to the zoo the other day. It was the absolutely right day. The animals were active and playing and crazy! The river otters were playing and at times were just a writhing ball of fuzz, tails and cuteness. The bears were fighting and tussling and one hurled itself down the hill and with a loud splash it flew into its little pool, then proceeded to wave its paws at us, the cougars stared back at us from the other side of the glass with insolent looks. It was so fun to see the animals, but it was even better to be able to share that with my best friend and soul mate. To share the fun and silliness. To make memories.

That was a great day…

I look back at specific times in my life and think, “Boy, those days were amazing, those really were the good old days. Why didn’t I hang on to those?”

However, I look at my life now, my everyday, sometimes boring, sometimes exciting,  sometimes stressful, sometimes just-nothing-special days and I feel like I’m going to look back at these days and think of them as the good days. Moments of craziness and laughter with Jason and lots of time just being us, hanging out with Kara, riding motorcycles with friends, wandering around the zoo, taking off to the beach with no plan, playing football (more on that experience in a blog coming up), getting to know new people and having time to read, sleep or dream about life…time to figure out who I am…

In this journey that’s my life, I know that my outlook and my days are not perfect and there are bad times, but I also want to treat each moment as a moment that I am living at my best so that I can look at my life, and even in the rough times, I can cherish the days I’ve lived as the good days.