A Week like No Other

I keep thinking back to last Thursday (the 20^th) when we were told to leave work because of the evacuation order for Mission.  A group of us walked over to the river right behind the office to check it out and we were all joking because it didn’t seem so bad.  

In the giddiness of an early dismissal from work this didn't look too bad.
 

It seemed hard to believe that it was really worth evacuating us and we all figured at worst we would get a long weekend out of it with Friday off as a “rain day”.  When I woke up Friday morning and saw how much of my city was full of water I was blown away.  It was surreal and unbelievable.  It was the start of what feels like a very long, stressful and emotional week.  Yet at the same time in a lot of ways it was one of the best weeks of my life. 

The best way to I know how to explain what has been going on with me is to break it down to a few different parts.  The first is the flood itself, the second is the greatness of individuals that I have seen come out of the flood and the last is work.  Each area has had a different effect on me but all of them together have created a week that I’m not like to ever forget.

After waking up early on Friday I found myself glued to my television as more and more reports and images came in about the flooding in our city and around Southern Alberta.  I was worried for a great deal of people in my life.  A handful of some of my very best friends were all living in areas that were being inundated with water and my heart was breaking for what they potentially could be losing and I was worried but hopeful that everyone was safe and sound.  As I heard from all of them my fears were put to ease on their well being and I knew we would just have to wait and see how the rest would turn out.    

As crazy and bad as things looked there was at least some humor to be had.  Rumors began to circulate, on twitter mostly, that the big cats from the zoo were evacuated to the city jail to be locked in cages there.  This of course was just one of the contingency plans but it seemed to have everyone laughing and joking, including our Mayor who said ‘he wanted that photo’.  Of course for all the jokes that started to pop-up (things like how were the Flames going to be able to drain the Saddledome with only one cup?) the seriousness of the situation also began to set in.  The images that were being shared on TV and social media were almost unreal.  I went out to take a few pictures Friday morning and even though I saw it for myself, to see so much water covering our streets was just really hard to believe.  It was shocking to say the least.

It is surreal to not only see water on the streets but an empty downtown at 8am on a Friday

As the water began to recede though not only did it reveal how much damage the city was going to be dealing with but it also began to reveal the true spirit of Calgary.  Actually to be fair it started to come out on the Thursday night as people were beginning to be evacuated from homes.   Quickly on social media and kijiji people were speaking up offering places for people to go.  The ones that touched me the most were the ones that were not only opening their homes to people but to their pets as well.  This desire to help continued to grow.  As people were allowed back into areas that had been flooded out it wasn’t only the residents that went back but volunteers also moved into the areas.  Adults and kids alike were all coming out and were willing to get dirty or even just bringing food, water and support to areas that now looked like war zones.  It was inspiring to hear the stories but I couldn’t have prepared at how wonderful it felt to actually experience this love and support.

On Tuesday (the 25^th) I went with my current house guest and good friend to her condo to offer any help that I could.  I was a little worried because I’m not the most physically fit and I certainly have no clue what to do with tools but I was willing to give it a shot.  When we arrived we quickly got to work cleaning up mud, water and random debris from her basement and garage area.  Time flew by surprisingly fast and although it was hard work it didn’t seem as bad as I was prepared for.  As the morning turned to afternoon it was time to take a break from the basement and that is when I first experienced some of the warmest and most sincere interactions I have ever known.  I do not always have the best luck with large groups of people but there were on insults tossed.  Instead I was greeted with so much support.  We got offers of food, water, and help.  There was even one gentleman walking around who stopped just to say hi and encourage us.  It reminded me that there are good people out there.  I will admit it renewed my belief that humans are capable of doing great and wonderful things.  It filled my heart with so much pride and joy it made the afternoon go by even quicker.  By the time I got home that night I felt completely exhausted and yet surprisingly rejuvenated all at the same time – it felt like a strange contradiction of emotions. 



Dirty never felt so good!

Helping out at my friend’s condo gave me a little bit of focus and distraction as I waited to hear what my future was going to look like.  I don’t live in an area that flooded but my office was right in the middle of it.  Holy Cross is actually only a few blocks from my friend’s condo so when I saw her basement I knew there wasn’t much hope for my building.  As the information came out we quickly learned that we did in fact end up with water in our basement which affected our servers which of course impacts on our phone system as well.  As the week has gone by there was much speculation about what was going to happen, where we were going to go and what we would be doing as things were fixed.  I’m not a huge fan of change and I’m even less happy about not knowing the details so I have found this week incredibly frustrating.  I give so much gratitude to the management and staff that were dealing with all the details but I hated not knowing.  The good news is we have a place to go now.  I’m not thrilled about the idea of the move because it is going to increase my commuting time but I keep reminding myself that it will be temporary and it could have been worse.  I mean at least I still have a job and there is somewhere for us to move to. 

 

I have to admit that after spending part of my afternoon grabbing stuff from my desk in the dark Holy Cross building I am feeling a little more grateful about how things have turned out.  We looked down the stairs and saw how high the water came up in our basement and I was shocked – I never considered work would actually get water even though it does sit right next to the river.  I know it’s a little crazy. 

A pitch black basement lit by a flash and a couple flashlights.

 

When I went to my desk I found myself getting a little more emotional though.  All around my desk I have pictures of friends, family and even what I call my wall of fame which consists of pictures from my meetings with famous people and as I looked at them in the glow of my flashlight I found myself reminded of what really matters.  It was one picture in particular that set me off.  Thursday morning I had actually just put up a new photo of me and my Nan and when I saw it I just knew that things would be ok.  Sure the next few weeks are going to be crazy and inconvenient but compared to so many people in this city I really have nothing to complain about.  I decided in that moment that I would look at this change as something positive and go into it with an open mind.

This week really has been a week of ups and downs but it is a week I will never forget.  In the end I know the memories that will stand out the most are the positive – the good will and love that fills this city and makes us who we are.  Life is starting to get back to normal, even if that normal is a little different than it was last week.

Proud to be a Calgarian

I feel the need to write a little something to go with the photos I posted from yesterday.  Since we got the evacuate notice yesterday afternoon things have been pretty crazy.  The city I love and have called home all my life is experiencing things that we have never seen before.  The amount of water that is through many of the communities in the city is beyond belief.  The images that have been coming over social media and the news are insane.  It is hard to actually come up with the words to describe what is going on.

One thing that I have to say though is that as a city we are pulling through.  People are offering their houses for people that have been evacuated.  There is talk all over twitter and Facebook of people wanting to help out.  It is amazing to see the city come together to support each other.   I’m blown away by what I’m seeing.  It is good to see people being so good to each other.  It makes me feel even better about the city I live in.

It is really hard to come up with the words to express what I want to say so I think I will end this entry with some more photos, a few of my own and a few that I have gotten off of Facebook.  I am keeping everyone who is displaced from their homes in my prayers.  Calgarians keep your spirits high and remember to be good to each other.  If we rely on each other we will get through this and be able to clean up and recover.

Centre Street bridge this morning around 8am.



(Not My Photo - don't have a credit for it)The bridge that I was taking photos from yesterday behind my work.  A lot more water there now.

(Not My Photo - don't have a credit for it) The Stampede Grounds

(Not My Photo - don't have a credit for it) A pub that is very near where I work.

Wow - Crazy Day

I have to say that today has been a crazy, exciting day.  I have experienced a few firsts today and I'm not sure it's a good thing but it has been very interesting.  Southern Alberta is experiencing flooding all over the place.  I was even evacuated from work as the City of Calgary is evacuating more and more of the neighbourhoods.  I did take a few photos of the river behind my work before I left and figured I would put them up.  I have a lot of friends in areas that are being affected and my prayers go out to them all, keep me posted.  I hope that everyone stays safe and that all your homes stay dry.

Here are the photos I took at 3pm

Vegetarianism Check In

Well it has been about six weeks since I went part time vegetarian and I have to say that I am completely in love with it.  I’m actually surprised by how much I am enjoying it and how little I miss not having meat in my diet every day.  It has opened my eyes to whole new world of flavours and a whole new way of dealing with food.  I am even considering going full time vegetarian because of how amazing the transition has been.  I haven’t always been perfect, but then again part of going part time was so that I didn’t have to be perfect.  In fact the week my parents came to visit I have to admit that I did eat meat most nights for dinner but other than that I have stuck with it and I have loved every minute of it.

When I decided to make this change I will admit that I had some pretty big concerns about how making the change to a more plant based diet would affect me but I have been pleasantly surprised.  I have talked about some of these concerns before but it was things like thinking that I would be hungry all the time or that I would start to feel like a rabbit and of course one of the biggest worries was the time that it would take to prepare my meals.  I’m happy to say none of these concerns have come to fruition.  It has generally been a very positive shift in my life.

When I think about the last six weeks I have definitely been surprised quite often.  A few different things have been surprising me.  One of them is how little I miss meat.  With the exception of last week when my brother had a pepperoni pizza that smelled amazing I have not actually craved for anything.  Even with this craving for pizza when the weekend rolled around I didn’t want it anymore.  My grocery bill also does not miss meat.  I have been pleasantly surprised at the change in my food budget since I’m not buying hardly any meat, sure I’m spending more in vegetables but without meat it more than balances out.

Another pleasant surprise has been how incredibly satisfying I am finding my meals.  I have always loved food (which in part is why I am the size I am).  What has impressed me about my meals since going vegetarian though is the fact that I am now enjoying my food on more levels.  It does not only taste great but I am finding it very visually stimulating and it is even a more pleasurable experience to eat.  I’m taking time to enjoy my meals and becoming much more mindful as I’m eating.  Cooking with more vegetables has added a lot more colour and texture to my foods.  I get excited to taste the food as I am preparing and cooking it. Of course I probably could have had the same effect if I had started to try new recipes even with a meat based diet but that being said I don’t remember ever being this excited as I cook other new dishes in the past. 

 

With food that looks this good how could you not love it!

The last thing that has really surprised me is my energy level.  I have always associated meat with giving me the energy I need to do things.  I guess it probably comes from the whole idea of needing protein to build muscles and muscles in my head equal power and energy.  (Yes I know that is not actually the case but it’s how my brain is working…or at least how I can explain the thinking).  What I realized though after eating meat the week my parents were home I would argue the complete opposite.   It might be a side effect of just feeling better about myself or the fact I exercise more when my family isn’t here but I generally have a much easier time getting out of bed and feel a lot less sluggish in my day now than I did the week I was eating meat for dinners.  It makes me feel good to be eating this way which encourages me to continue doing it.  It is hard to argue with how your body feels, now that I’m actually listening to my body that is. 

In terms of actual results I’m pleased to say that it appears as though my body is agreeing with the change.  My weight has been more or less steadily coming down with only a minor hiccup around the two weigh-ins that happened while my parents were here.   Even the first few weeks when I wasn’t really tracking my food I was still losing weight.  Now that I am beginning to track again I suspect that I will see even better results.  I’m slowly working my way back so I’m on track for my 100 pound weight loss goal for this year.  I really want to be proud to say I’ve lost x amount of weight rather than feel discouraged because I’m not where I want to be.  It is a strange thing to know although you are losing weight it is just to get you back to the spot where you started.  It is like a strange form of failure in my head even though I know it is just a part of the journey I need to take.

Switching to vegetarianism hasn’t been without its challenges mind you.  The biggest challenge is probably my own fault because of the fact I decided to do it part time.  I find that although most people are generally just curious about my decision they don’t really understand why I’m doing it, especially since I’m not doing it 100%.  I have heard things like “What is the point of giving up meat for weekdays if you are just going to eat meat on the weekends?” or “It’s ok to eat meat for this lunch because you aren’t really serious about vegetarianism anyway”.  This frustrates me because it hits home because I find that I sort of agree with them.  The argument I make though which I think is still valid is that I’m doing this because it makes me feel healthier and because the more I learn about where my meat comes from the less I want it.  Yes I still want meat and I still think it tastes good but I do thinking in choosing meat less it will have a big impact on my life in terms of health but I also think the research supports the fact that it will also have at least a small impact on my carbon footprint in this world.  (I joke at work since my job requires the murder of way too many trees I have to find any way I can to live green outside of work).  I guess really what it comes down to is the fact that I’m using the label vegetarian as a way to describe myself rather than just saying I’m moving to a more plant based, less processed diet.  (Damn semantics will get you every time – but I guess that is part of why I love the English language.)  As I continue to move forward with this lifestyle, whatever it ends up being defined as, I know I will learn to just accept some people won’t understand me and worry less about explaining myself.  I mean really not matter what we do sometimes you just can’t win.

The other thing that I have found a little challenging is that at my office we often go out for lunches.  We work close to a great area of the city that is full of amazing little restaurants and I love the chance to go out once and awhile to enjoy the food.  What I have learned is that a lot of my favourite places do not necessarily have a whole bunch of options for vegetarians.  This has made it hard for me to want to stick to my vegetarian ways especially when I have favourite meat based meals at the restaurants.  I’m happy to say though that the times I have gone out I have stuck to my guns.  I not only survived eating out but I also survived a potluck and was able to stick vegetarian choices.  There is something very powerful about sticking with it even when it is hard.  I find that it is very positive and uplifting to know that I have not cheated or gone back on the choices that I’m now making.

All in all when I look back on the last six weeks I am so proud of the changes I have made.  I love how positive it feels.  I am enjoying the creativity that it is forcing me to have and the fact that I’m exploring so many new recipes and foods (I mean really I had no clue what a lentil actually was until a few weeks ago…hehehe).  I look forward to continuing this journey to see where it takes me.

Strolling Down Memory Lane

It has been awhile since I checked in with my blog and I figured I should get my fingers typing again.  I have a couple entries planned but today I want to share what has been the most amazing part of the last month or so.  I may have been ignoring my blog but it has been for good reason because I have been stolen away into the land of inspiration.  I have found myself using ever spare moment to scribble in notebooks, lost in my imagination and reliving large parts of my own personal past.  I’m truly excited about what seems to be percolating in my mind even if I don’t know what exactly it is yet.  In hopes of figuring out the story and get it written I have decided to sign up to do Camp Nanowrimo again next month.

After Calgary Expo I started to toss around a few ideas in my head about what I wanted to work on for my writing.  I have a couple of historical fiction stories I am working but I wanted to have something that I could do easily.  Don’t get me wrong I love my historical fiction and I love the research that goes along with it but sometimes I just want to write.  In my university days I solved the problem by writing “questionable” material and although that was always fun right now it is not something that is top of my imagination.  Anyway with the desire to find something that I could work on easily an idea started to take shape and it has quickly snowballed into something (even if I don’t know what that something is yet).  I have a vision of taking the stories from my past (all the good and bad) and turn them into some form of fiction. 

It does seem a little egocentric to think that the things I have experienced might have a place in a piece of fiction or maybe something more autobiographical but the idea is sticking.  It has been a long time since I felt this inspired and driven.  If the planning and thinking about this project are any indication of what writing will be like I think it has potential.  (God that sounds like I’m bragging…LOL).

One of the coolest things to come out of this whole idea is how many of my old memories are coming back to me.  It started off with a couple of memories of some of the more negative things I have experienced but the more I jot down the memories the more that seem to be popping into my mind.  In the last few weeks I have been reliving many moments from my life.  It is amazing me at how much has actually been locked away in my mind. 

This has been both a blessing and a curse all at the same time.  I think I am gaining a much better understanding of who I am, what I believe in and what I want which has been pretty cool.  On the other hand I have also been reliving some of the hardest moments in my life which has been a challenge when it comes to keeping my mood on the positive side of things.  There have been some nights where it has been quite overwhelming as I feel the rush of guilt, anger and sadness that have surrounded some of these more negative moments.  I’m sure a lot of these memories were locked away in my subconscious for a reason but at the same time in unlocking them I have opened my mind up to a whole new level of understanding.

What I have discovered is that in looking back on some of the worst memories I can see them in a different light.  It might be the rose coloured glasses of nostalgia in some cases or just the fact that the passing of time has made things less intense but I have learned a lot.  I can know accept the events I went through as I was growing up as a part of who I am.  I love the person I am right now and I don’t think I would have near the compassion, empathy or desire to help people if I hadn’t seen some of the worst things people could throw at me.  It is a pretty powerful realization to actually accept your past for what it is and for what it has made you.

Who would have thought that a simple idea for a story would turn into something that would become so powerful for me?  Even if nothing comes of the ideas I am so happy to be writing down the memories.  In a perfect world I’m hoping it will turn into something that I can publish that might help other people learn to love and accept themselves for who they are in our world where it seems like people are losing themselves in negativity.  But then again even writing that last sentence makes me feel a little weird.  I guess we will see what the future holds.