Just lucky, I guess

When I think about the sometimes humdrum nature of our small town, I must also remember its blessings.

In the 30 years that I have lived here, we have never had a flood, a forest fire, an earthquake,  or a tornado (some have come close).  Serious crime is almost non-existent, and I have never heard of a gun-related incident.  The most dangerous animals we come across are raccoons, skunks, and the occasional coyote.  If we want to visit a cosmopolitan centre, we are an hour and a half drive from Canada’s largest city.

Our weather extremes range from about -36.5º to 35.5º (Celsius).  I can personally attest to the fact that we have had snowfall for eight months out of the year.  In our worst winters, roads have been nearly impassable.  During these times, our local arena has been used as a shelter for stranded travelers.  Many people also offer out spare rooms in their homes in the worst of the storms.

Traffic is getting difficult at times as our population grows, and we are in some respects a bedroom community for some of the larger centres.  Some complain about inadequate facilities, and the need to go out of town for better health care, shopping, etc., but these things are only 20 minutes away.  As we grow, the town will attract what it needs.

I have sometimes thought of us as hobbits of the Shire, blissfully unaware of what goes on outside of our boundaries.  Perhaps at times thinking that life is a little humdrum, and some “adventure” would be a pleasant change.  But then I put my feet up, enjoy my morning coffee, smell the clean air, and think “just lucky, I guess”.