It has been one week since we left Toronto, but it feels more like a month ago that we pulled out of Harbourfront and started heading North. We have done and seen so much in the past seven days that it’s hard to believe we have only just started.
Yesterday I realized that every day so far I have been doing something I have never done before, which is absolutely amazing and it makes me want to keep it up.
On day one I embarked on a six to eight month road trip (something I absolutely have never done before).
Day two I rode a chairlift. When I was young I took skiing lessons one winter, but after making a giant mess of the t-bar by falling off and causing (what seemed like) complete chaos on the bunny hill, I put up an absolute fit and faked an illness to avoid the chairlift, which meant I never completed my ski lessons. It wasn’t a fear of heights, or even a fear of coming back down the mountain, it was more a fear of looking like a complete idiot on the lift itself. It may seem like such a silly thing to be afraid of, but it was a very real fear, and for years I have been hoping to tick it off my list of things to put behind me. And so when the moment came, I found myself more excited than nervous because I knew with the help of my new friend Jonas (who seemed rather capable) I would have no trouble at all. The moment came and went and I am proud to say I didn’t even fall off once I got to the top!
On day three we were invited in to guest co-host a morning radio show, which was absolutely another first for me. I had a really good time, and I learned the following about radio:
- There is a lot of down time, which can be filled with shenanigans and donuts as long as you don’t press any buttons.
- If someone walks by and says hi while you are on the air, don’t talk to them (everyone who is listening will hear you).
- Don’t swear.
- I am better than Luke at trivia.
- Coffee is like gold when you wake up at 5am for a 4 hour radio show.
- Radio hosts are, by nature, extremely hyper people.
On day four we were in North Bay and I saw and did a lot of things, but the one thing that I had never done before is slightly more obscure (but absolutely memorable). I held a chicken. It was delightfully and unexpectedly soft and I enjoyed it very much. Later I found out that the eggs I ate that very morning for breakfast actually came from the chicken I held in the afternoon! Another first!
On day five I found myself in Stonecliffe living in a general store… a definite first. The best part of this journey is being able to experience life as other people do, and I was admittedly somewhat surprised to find myself absolutely in love with the life the Yates family has, running and living in a general store in Northern Ontario. What a wonderful family, and what an amazing experience. I even pumped gas for customers!
On day six I rode a four-wheeler for the first time! I got covered in mud and it was fantastic. I will happily ride a four-wheeler again.
And on day seven I had the unique opportunity of speaking to a class of grade nine geography students – another first. We asked these kids (from Mackenzie High School in Deep River) what we should do while we were in town. Visiting the Laurentian View Dairy for milkshakes was the overwhelming response, and so at 10:30am, that’s what we did! They were right to recommend that place – the shakes were amazing and the dining room in that place was exactly what I had hoped it would look like.
I don’t know if I will keep up this pace, but it has definitely been a great start. I look forward to seeing what week two has in store.
alex
