Wind

Today I am enjoying some inspiration from a facebook post, my friend D’Arcy Jenish, shared about Prairie Wind.

I loved the line ” If you have had any experience of any duration with our Canadian prairies, you will know that the wind blows in some places and on some days with sufficient force to “straighten your hair and rattle the eyeballs in your head”, to borrow a line from the opening of Wallace Stegner’s wonderful memoir Wolf Willow. 

I have known the Jenish family, especially during their more youthful years, and have always appreciated their respect and awe for their prairie roots, family and unfettered emotion. As a young woman, I would sit at the kitchen table at 4 a.m. eating sardines and toast and listening to D’Arcy’s younger brother, Brennan; tell me all about Estevan, Saskatchewan, Hank Williams and home made beans….none of which I had ever experienced. The large family of boys were story tellers in their own right, and they could make me laugh and laugh out loud. Nobody told a joke better than Brennan did!

This memory has dug up memories of my life when stories have made a big difference in my appreciation of life. During these Pandemic times, as families try to communicate through Skype of FaceTime, stories become even more important. Stories fill us with joy and elicit emotions that memes and photos simply cannot provide us. Self deprecating stories, funny stories and stories that elicit a response are my favourite kind of sharing.

My experience with wind has improved over the course of my life because unlike D’Arcy I did not grow up on the windy prairie…….

However, since moving to this House on the Hill; my appreciation for rapidly changing weather, high winds and iridescent skies has been significantly amplified – you can hear the wind coming and feel its presence as it makes the huge trees sway and bend. In the winter, the storms come rolling off of the Kawartha Lakes – typically Katchewanooka – and suddenly your view is blinded by an extreme blizzard, just as quickly lifting to embrace a big blue sky.

Social isolation has given all of us, a huge gift in some ways, as it has provided a big space for contemplation and thoughtfulness. I have been working on being “in the moment” and “present” for a long, long time.

In the past two years, developing an appreciation for all types of weather and ensuring myself a walk – no matter what the weather; has been a huge part of my practise. Walking inspires breathing. Opportunities to enjoy wind and stormy weather have been easily accessible…. Poppy has been my motivation and she reminds me of my previous dog, Ben. When I am walking her through the winding, rocky trail; it takes me back to my youth, when I walked Tramp and later Ben. Appreciating but mostly ignoring, any type of inclement weather has afforded me the luxury of almost always embracing each day. If I hear wind and rain on the roof I know my rain gear will be needed, if it’s blowing snow and bone chilling cold, I know what to do.

Weather has become my friend. Do you have any stories about wind you can share in the space below?

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