A Walk in the Sunshine

In Montreal, winter has definitely been dragging. We haven’t had snow for a while, but the sky has been permanently covered in dark clouds. So when the sun finally came out two week-ends ago, you can bet everyone was outside. My boyfriend Niko and I went on a walk to Stoney Point Park, in Lachine. It is a nice strip of land that runs alongside the Saint Lawrence River, where you can walk, jog, sit, bike, roller blade or even kayak for miles and miles.

I love walking in nature. It brings me peace of mind and it soothes my soul. I especially love walking with Niko, because we get to talk and explore together. That week-end, the streets were extremely busy. Everyone was out to enjoy to nice weather. There were people fishing, others were walking their dogs, some were having a picnic… I think we saw at least one example of every activity you could possibly do in a park. But what we saw most was definitely dogs enjoying their walk. It was like all the dogs had been hibernating, and this was their first chance to get out. They all walked around, tail wagging, looking almost proud of themselves. Like they were saying: “Guess who’s back! That’s right, I made it through winter.” On second thought, I think humans were probably thinking that too.

We saw some pretty amazing houses too. Some of them were so big, we wondered if they weren’t actually hotels (they weren’t). Sometimes I daydream about living in an enormous house... all the space… the luxury… But then I think... Wouldn’t it be terrifying too? It’s so big, what are the chances of actually running into somebody? It’s spooky, to know there are other people in the house, but you can’t even hear them. My aunt used to live in an old hostel, and as beautiful as it was, I could not sleep in that place. It was too big, too empty, and probably too haunted. When I’m older, I would love a spacious house, but I think I have a little too much imagination to be able to live in a mansion (unfortunately). Still, those houses bordering the park are gorgeous. I also like that there is a nice mix of really big properties and of smaller cottages. There was a family playing outside on their front lawn and it reminded me of when I was younger, how my brother and I used to plant flowers with my dad in the spring.

One thing I don’t like about walking in the park is people jogging past. I like joggers and I have a huge amount of respect for them. But I always get startled when a jogger runs by me! They could come at me screaming at the top of their lungs, making as much noise as possible, I would still jump when I would suddenly see something rush past me. It’s like I’m expecting them to rob me or something. Maybe it’s because they’re running, and it makes me feel like I couldn’t get away if I wanted to because they’d be faster. That time with Niko, two women jogged past us and I jumped so hard I nearly fell! And it’s not like I’m a particularly nervous person, either. I actually rarely jump at things. Only at joggers, apparently.

We walked for a few hours, and at some point, my feet started killing me. Since it was the first few days of warm weather, I hadn’t yet made the transition from boots to shoes. I was wearing ankle boots that are normally super comfortable, but are probably not made for a walk in the park. While we were walking back to the car, I started to feel blisters forming, and the more we walked, the more I felt like my feet were about to catch on fire. At some point, I swear, I very seriously considered the possibility of taking off my shoes and going barefoot. And of course, just like anytime something is bothering you and you happen to be outside, I started to feel really warm. Like, extremely warm. Does that happen to any of you too? It’s like your body is saying: “That’s it. It’s too much. I’m going haywire.” All of a sudden, I was wondering why I wasn’t wearing my bikini on that torrid summer day. AND I was starting to feel hungry, because we had had breakfast late and sort of skipped lunch. So I was hungry, limping and boiling. At every pedestrian, I felt like yelling: “OUT OF MY WAY, I’M ABOUT TO BURST INTO FLAMES!”. Eventually, thankfully, we arrived at a Dairy Queen and decided to indulge in the first ice cream of the summer. I’m a total sucker for ice cream, and it was the perfect end to a (nearly) perfect walk.

This spring, I want to enjoy the weather more. I feel like so many times, spring just gets pushed aside by the impending summer months, and we don’t find the time to enjoy the few short weeks of actual spring temperature. The fresh air, the smell of the grass that’s just starting to grow, the birds making their nest… Spring is beautiful. It felt so good to go on that walk, and to see nature blooming back to life.

-TM-