Back among the living after two weeks of holidays, and here’s what I learned from getting away from it all....
....well, actually I didn’t get away much at all except for a quick three-nighter to the Sunshine Coast.
A beautiful part of the world by the way and not nearly as remote or hard to get to as you might think, if you hit the ferry right of course.
On the way back we missed one by, oh a couple cars or so, and then a two-hour wait and a traffic jam in West Vancouver and you have the makings of a 12-hour commute. Arrrggghhh.
However, it was partly our fault. When you gamble with time and make a ferry anyway you feel like such a hero but when it goes the other way the frustration adds to the loser logo in such a painful way. Ahem.
However that’s hardly the Sunshine Coast’s fault and if you’re looking for a beautiful, relaxing place with friendly people and plenty of accessible beachfront to explore, do check it out.
If you were thinking of maybe retiring there someday soon, an idea we had entertained on our last visit there, that ship has likely sailed.
I noticed one small house in a quiet subdivision in Gibsons, without a view, reduced to sell for $599,000.
Um. Right. At least it had been reduced......
.....speaking of feeling like a loser, there’s few things worse than getting sick on your holidays.
You’re supposed to be out there enjoying all the North Okanagan has to offer on a spectacularly sunny day.....and all you feel like doing is lying in bed and feel sorry for yourself 24/7 as the world goes on without you...
...but feeling sorry for yourself only takes you so far and, hey, there was the Olympics.
In fact, looking on the bright side, it was so nice to have something to occupy my mind in the comfort of my bedroom.
And it is great stuff.
In fact it’s quite addictive.
Once I returned to decent health it was still difficult to turn off after I turned it on in the morning.
I know there’s so much to dislike about the Olympics: the cost, the corruption, the scandals, the list can go on and on.
But once it’s on and the athletes actually get to take the stage, there’s still those magical moments and impressive stories of courage and overcoming the odds and just plain pride in what people, and especially us Canadians, can accomplish given the chance and the right set of circumstances.
The miniscule amount of time, hundredths of seconds, between being a winner and a loser in events like swimming and track never ceases to amaze me.
And the people like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt who continue to come out on top time after time and Olympics after Olympics, despite all the odds that say that shouldn’t happen, is truly amazing and awe-inspiring.
And then there’s the teamwork involved, not only in team sports like women’s soccer (yeah, Canada), but all the people behind the individual athletes – coaches, parents, medical teams, organizers, the country itself, us fans – the Olympic movement is truly worth saving, if us humans can only figure out how to do it.