Your Happy Place

The Toronto Zoo. There is not much in this world I enjoy more than family time at the Toronto Zoo. It takes us about an hour and forty minutes to drive there from our home. Going to the zoo is a a serious time commitment, and honestly, I think it is one of the best time commitments I can make.

We all need a place that makes us happy.

I’m not suggesting taking a toddler to the zoo is easy. It is fraught with possible bad outcomes. It could easily go quite poorly, but it doesn’t. Our son always has so much fun. The first time was a big experience and had a few challenging moments. Today we went for the first time since winter and not only did he remember it, he was the happiest we have seen him yet.

When you look around your life, what is your true happy place? What is always a great experience, even if logically it might go awry? Now ask yourself, do I do this enough?

I think we go to the zoo about the right amount. If we went too often, it would become routine and some of the magic would disappear. We could go a bit more but right now we know that every time we go, everyone will have a great time.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the day to day grind. I let this happen way too often. I know  I should be making more time for the happy things in life. I’m sure this is typical of a lot of people living a similar situation. We should be taking stock of our situation and adjusting when we can. It isn’t easy. Often what makes us the happiest takes some effort. Sometimes it’s the effort that makes us feel the best. The zoo doesn’t take a lot of effort, we have so much fun as a family and I think that may be a big part of why it is my happy place.

Go out and find yours, you deserve it!

Everything Looks Better in the Sunshine

For the first day of Spring the weather couldn't get much better. As I walked home in the +25 degree Celsius weather I noticed that everyone seemed to be happy.

There was a lot of smiling. Car windows and sunroofs were open. The music was turned up. People were high-fiving. It was definitely spring.

It's no secret I'm not a big fan of Winter but it does have an upside, winter makes you how great Spring can be. Even the tulips in front of my building are poking through the ground.

I know everyday cannot be this nice. Next week the forecast is calling for more seasonal temperatures but for now, everyone should enjoy the Springtime weather.

11 Degrees and Sunny

It depends on the time of year but on February 18th in Canada, 11 degrees and sunny is better weather than you could ever hope for. The weather has breathed life into the city. People want to be out and about. They are not in such a rush. They are just loving life a little bit more.

As I walked to and from work I didn't have to wear gloves. I wore a spring jacket. I didn't feel I had to go as fast as possible to stay warm and get out of the cold.

Just the idea of this weather brings joy to people. It becomes the topic of conversation and everyone is on the same side. Everyone is pleased with the mild spring breezes.

Spring is a time of renewal. The earth awakens from it's long winter sleep. However in Ottawa the earth isn't as sleepy as Manitoba. It seems to shut down sooner and get up earlier. I'm ok with that. I'm sure we are not out of all the wintery weather, but it has sure been a lot better than a typical Winnipeg winter. As I continue to discover this new city, I'm quite pleased with the mid-February weather. At least for this year.