That’s right, folks! There’s only one day of October left so I’m pitching for donations to raise money for Movember. I did this last year and my work colleagues and I were able to raise over $500 for this fantastic initiative by growing our moustaches and asking for donations from friends and family. This year promises to be even more fun as I’ve agreed to grow out ALL of my facial hair, including a full beard as well as growing out the hair on my head.
So for those who may not be in the know, what the hell is “Movember?” It apparently started in 1999 when a group in Australia came up with the idea of growing their moustaches for charity. By 2003, Movember was established as an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men’s overall mental health.
Movember is a registered charity in Canada and raises funds for a cause near and dear to my heart, considering my grandfather had prostate cancer. Besides participating actively as a donator and growing my moustache, I’m hoping that some of my loyal followers out there will see their way into donating as well. Even if only $5 or $10 dollars, any and all donations are appreciated and help.
So how can you donate? Well, the easiest way would be to visit the Movember website, clicking on “Donate” at the top right corner, select “Find a person or team” and enter my name (Shawn Cook). From there, you can click on the donate button and follow the prompts. Easy as that. There’s often a stigma out there that mental health isn’t an issue with men but I can tell you for a fact that this is inaccurate. We need as much help as everyone else. Help me keep men from dying too young. What you grow will help save a bro. Thanks for reading. ☯️
For the most part, it’s already bad enough when Diabetes causes me to be hooked up to device on my flesh on a constant basis, requires me to poke holes in my fingers and micro-manage every bite of food and drink that goes down my gullet. But then there are tests and examinations, evaluations and changes in prescription and/or routine, all of which can create chaos and wreak havoc on someone who may have a finely balanced routine for their Type-1 Diabetes.
For me, the biggest thorn in my side isn’t constant blood glucose testing or even the eye injections I get every eight weeks; it’s the pre-appointment bloodwork. I’ve written about these “adventures’ before (and I use the term loosely because an adventure usually involves an element of fun), and most people know that I have zero love in my heart for getting bloodwork done. The reason for this is pretty simple; I hate waiting on nothing.
When I was a child, things were simpler. When I needed to get bloodwork done, I would be brought to my local hospital’s admissions desk and get checked in. I would attend the lab and wait for my turn, have blood drawn and be on my way. Usually, I would even get stickers for my troubles. All of this would take no more than twenty minutes, start to finish. And definitely, the concept of going anywhere BUT a hospital to have bloodwork done was an alien concept to me. Until I moved to Saskatchewan.
The concept of going to an independent blood collection lab was a bit of a fascination for me, at first. I remember getting that first bloodwork requisition from my family physician and her saying, “Take this to any blood collection lab…” I asked if she meant the hospital and she looked at me as though I had grown a second head. But it wasn’t until late 2009 when I attended a blood collection lab to have my blood drawn, which would subsequently be sent to my family doctor.
At some point in the past few years, the blood collection sites in Regina that I’ve been using were bought out by a different corporation. Their staffing levels dropped and so did the quality of service. It wasn’t unusual for wait times to average two hours or more, depending on whether you used their “save my spot” app or tried to make an appointment. I say “tried” because depending on which location you were using, their willingness to TAKE appointments constantly changes.
The last visit I had there saw me wait until a couple of hours had passed before I was sat in a chair. Then another twenty minutes before a technician came and collected my blood. All of this took place while I had been fasting and holding a full bladder for a urine sample since the previous evening. For these reasons and various others, I have a significant hate on for attending blood collection labs. As a child, at least I had the benefit of skipping part of the school day. Now, I have to take time off work, which just puts me behind on everything.
Anyway, this visit was different. I had checked their hours of operation the previous evening and confirmed they opened at 7 am. I woke the next morning, got prepared and showered, and was on the road by 6:30, intent on being one of the first in line when they opened. My location is particularly cruel in their propensity for having a line-up of people waiting outside. This wouldn’t be so bad during the summer months but winter is already upon us in Regina and standing in line while it snows usually isn’t pleasant, no matter how well dressed one is.
I arrived at the location and saw no line-up outside the door and no person waiting inside. I couldn’t believe my luck. Had I struck a day where no one else was getting blood work? I waked up to the door and gave it a light tug to discover that it was locked. In my indignation, I pulled out my phone and began calling the location. As it was ringing, I looked at the hours of operation on the door and checked the time. It was only 6:45. I played off as though I had a wrong number and hung up.
This explained why there was no one waiting. Despite the fact I felt as though I was running behind, I was actually earlier than opening time. When the doors finally opened at 7:00, I was first in line, first to be seated in a collection chair and the overall visit took about fifteen minutes! I even made it to work on time despite telling my boss I would be coming in late. I was impressed enough that I was left speechless, which to anyone who knows me, understands why that’s a big deal.
Now that I’ve gotten a taste of an efficient, timely appointment that went off without a hitch, I’m kind of expecting to have it that EVERY time. I’m sure that expectation will be disappointed, but a guy can hope, right? Next week, I have my bi-yearly appointment with my endocrinologist and we’ll see how tainted my blood was. Hopefully, my A1C has stayed in check, despite some of the obstacles I’ve faced recently. We shall see. ☯️
Karma’s a bitch. We’ve all heard that one before. Most people use this expression in the frame of justifying revenge that may have been exacted on someone, which is ironically the opposite of what karma actually is. Without getting too far into the weeds, since I’ve written posts defining karma before, it’s actually the sum of one’s deeds and behaviours that will affect the outcome going forward. In essence, what you put out into the world is what will likely come back to you. Karma in a nutshell.
I have a rather interesting example of karma, which took place on a few months ago. I never thought about it until last week when a live example fed itself back to me. My boss and I were working with some support staff at cleaning up a mess of paperwork that had been water damaged due to a busted pipe in the ceiling. As such, we spent several hours in the file room, drying things off and putting them away. My boss suddenly decided to put some music on to keep things entertaining. He slapped on some country, which for any of you who know me, isn’t my favourite genre.
After several songs, I commented and asked if he had anything but country. I followed it up by asking if he had even asked the ladies if there was a preference they’d like to hear. It was a jovial and comedic situation that had everyone (including my boss) laughing but there was no question that it put him on the spot and certainly pointed an embarrassing finger at him. Everyone got a good laugh and moved on. No harm, no foul, right?
Fast-forward to several months later when I was working with those same two ladies at boxing up old files to be archived. I had JUST downloaded a new Richard Marx album (it’s called ‘Stories to Tell’ and it’s all his greatest hits on acoustic. I highly recommend it). I thought it would be nice to give it a listen as I created boxes since one coworker was off in the file stacks and another had her head buried in a laptop to number the boxes we were packing.
One of my coworkers came walking along and asked what music was playing, to which I replied it was Richard Marx. She said it sounded a bit low-key and depressing and that I should put on something peppier. She also asked if I had consulted the ladies on what they’d like to listen to, to which they replied I hadn’t asked them a thing. Once again, it was all in good fun and everyone got a laugh (I also switched the music to something they preferred) but the memory of my having done the very same thing to my boss months prior suddenly washed over me and I recognized what had just happened: karma had played out.
Most people aren’t quick to give karma too much stock in daily life, but it’s surprisingly out there and affects us in ways we won’t often see. Everyone LOVES to say ‘all things happen for a reason’ but they mostly use that as a generic quip to justify whatever shitty things they may have caused, themselves. It’s important to be mindful of our thoughts and behaviours. Putting good out into the world certainly ensures that eventually, good will find its way back to you. Food for thought and a shout out to m y co-worker who reminded me of the story above and gave me the idea for this post… ☯️
The health care system is seemingly collapsing unto itself, or rather imploding, if you will, in Canada. With examples of such issues as people dying in emergency rooms while awaiting care to people needing to hospital shop to get any kind of assistance, even when in pain has sparked all kinds of debate about where Canada’s health care system is headed and whether we are really any better off than less popular health care systems, such as what they have in the US.
Now, I frequently make a point of mentioning in my posts that I’m not a doctor. And I’m not. I’ve learned a lot over the course of my life since, as a Type-1 Diabetic, those who fail to learn and adapt usually don’t live for very long. I’ve had to read and learn things from the medical profession that the average citizen should never have to. After all, we HAVE actual doctors who are supposed to know all that shit for us, right? The problem is that all that knowledge doesn’t usually get put into practice and sometimes, you have to fight for your right to stay alive…
Staff shortages, burnout and lack of overall resources have caused a significant exodus of availability in the health care world over the past few decades. As a child, I remember that a visit to the doctor’s office was an all-morning thing, since the appointment in and of itself would usually take roughly an hour. My childhood doctor, may he Rest In Peace, would often take the time to ask about dietary habits, daily habits, elimination as WELL as how I was feeling. These days, you wait hours to sit in a tiny room with a doctor who expects you to spit out the problem so they can jot down a prescription and have you on your way. Welcome to the fast-food era of medicine!
As with all things, it would be wrong to paint all doctors with this same brush. My current doctor, whom I haven’t seen in almost four years, mind you, is wonderful and takes the time to address my concerns once I’m in the exam room. That being said, I’ve never waited any less than a full hour AFTER my scheduled appointment to see her, which often leads to frustration and impatience. It’s systematic of what has slowly grown into a serious issue in Canada with trying to see a doctor and getting the help one needs.
One good example is at the beginning of the year when I took a punch to the rib cage and has allegedly fractured a rib. I was at the doctor’s office three times over the course of a month and all he would do is keeping giving me stronger painkillers and muscle relaxants. On the last visit, I finally got upset enough that I told him we should be trying to figure out what’s wrong as opposed to just masking the symptoms. He agreed to ultrasound my kidneys. My KIDNEYS. Despite the injury being high up in the rib cage.
It can be angering and frustrating to try and navigate those waters, especially if you’re in rough shape and are trying to get help to feel better. There is a bit of a line with people who will sit in the ER waiting to see a doctor for non-emergent issues. This causes unnecessary delays as well but if walk in with an open wound or a serious injury, one should not expect to lie on a gurney for six hours before someone comes and just checks your blood pressure.
It’s become a sad state of affairs when I’ve had to tell my family, “Don’t get sick! We can’t go waiting in the hospital for a full day just to get generic meds.” There may or may not have been some suggestion that even if they break a rib, I’d be setting the bone myself rather than trying to navigate our current health care system. A sad state of affairs, indeed. For an industry that despises it when people consult Dr. Google, this may be the only recourse people have for many of these things.
I’m not a doctor. And I can’t even pretend to fathom the things they deal with and the things they see. I also recognize that resource shortages and burnout are very real things. While we’ve grown as a society, things have advanced, which means medical help should be getting better and more advanced, as well. At the rate things are going, we’re slowly slipping back to the dark ages where getting sick was essentially a death sentence. ☯️
We often hear that we live in a world of increasing technology. Realistically, I would be more inclined to say that we live in a world of EVER-changing technology, with the face of the world changing constantly with it. One of the big things that have changed for the worst, is how society has become more immersed in its technology than the biological world around it. I’ve written about this on a few occasions. Kind of hard not to, with almost 1,500 posts… If I didn’t start repeating myself at some point, we’d have a problem. But the biggest example of this phenomenon includes people who suddenly have an opinion or decide they can argue by virtue of the fact that they’re protected by the other side of their device.
But likely the one that’s even worse than being an armchair warrior with an over-inflated sense of self, are the phone zombies. You know the ones, they’re the people who walk around in public places, on the street, in businesses and everywhere, while staring down at their phone instead of watching the world around them. Although I’d love to blame the technology, people are usually pretty ignorant of their surroundings, in general. I have a bit of a biased outlook on this, since police and martial arts training have a tendency of making one significantly aware of one’s surroundings. The average person does not seem to have ability. Or care to learn.
For the most part, people in public places will be fixated on their own goals and destination and will usually ignore anything or anyone in their path. Not only is this incredibly dangerous, but it’s also incredibly ignorant. There’s nothing worse than walking down an aisle somewhere, only to have some jack-ass nearly take out my ankles with their shopping cart. Or having them stop right in front of me and block my way and when I clear my throat and they’ll literally turn and look at me and make eye contact, just to go back to what they were doing. Then, I might even push it further and say “Excuse me,” which goes completely ignored, as well.
Now folks, I am about as far from perfect as one can get. In fact, I could bet really good money that I’ve inadvertently gotten in someone’s way or blocked their path. But when someone points it out and asks to be let by, for the love of the light, people! Get. The Fuck. Out. Of the way! Needless to say, there’s also the aspect that paying attention to one’s surroundings and being considerate of others could potentially save one’s life. If someone intends to do you harm, where do you think your best chance of surviving lies? By having your eyes up and seeing the threat coming? Or having your head down in your phone, updating your Twitter-Tik-Face-gram-chat?
It’s important to be aware of one’s surroundings. For your safety, the safety of others and last but certainly not least, to have one’s eyes on the vast, wonderful world around you. Life comes down to the things we experience, not the screens we stare at. If you spend your whole life staring at a screen, life will quickly pass you by. Food for thought… ☯️
Thos of you who have been reading my posts fort a period of time no doubt remember that I’m a big fan of cycling. During the summer of 2020, I actually burned my way through several bike tires and at least two bicycles. I purchased a new one, which I used last year. But during the 2021 year, what with the pandemic and being stuck at home with little else to do, I somehow managed to rack up over a thousand kilometres over the duration of the entire year. Although some of that included running, walking and elliptical, the majority of it was cycling and I was quite impressed with myself, that I was able to reach that level of distance over the year.
This year has been significantly different, with barely any opportunity to get out on the bike. This is attributed to a series of different reasons, not limited but including poor weather, increased karate attendance, work and illness. As a result, I’ve only had the chance to get out on the bike about a half dozen times this year, totalling in only 97 kilometres. But somehow, walking, elliptical and running has accounted for over 1,600 kilometres of the 1,864.4 I’ve racked up this year. I’m of the opinion that it should usually be the other way around.
Although I could likely still get some mileage in, the weather is getting colder and snow may soon hit the ground. I’ll have to make a point of spending more of my workout time on the bike, come next spring. I have to be honest, I rather missed being out as much as I used to. There’s nothing quite like being out in the fresh air, peddling away, working up a sweat while listening to your favourite tunes… It’s good for blood pressure, blood sugars, cardiac and overall health. With the coming of winter comes a period of trying to find something that could replace cycling in addition to karate classes. As the old saying goes, the waiting is the hardest part. Maybe I should have gotten off my ass more and cycled more. Lesson learned for next spring… ☯️
I think one of my biggest love/hate relationships is with action or martial arts movies. On the one hand, I absolutely love me a good action flick. John Wick, are you kidding? Love that movie. Kickboxer, Bloodsport and the original karate kid movies, to name a few. On the other hand, watching a fight scene for me is like trying to watch a science fiction movie with Neil Degrasse Tyson; he’s likely going to point out all the impossibilities in a sci-fi flick. I’m really no better.
Movie fight scenes are usually the climax of the storyline, with two combatants or more squaring off against one another and fighting, usually for their lives, for whatever cause or justice they may be seeking. The prolonged nature of these fights usually present certain impossibilities when it comes to a real life fight. First of all, the sheer amount of daily training that fighters have to go through in order to make it through a professional fight is unreal. And those are only a few minutes per round, at best. So seeing a thirty minute fight with high flying techniques and impressive shows of strength and some acrobatics thrown in, isn’t just unlikely; most human bodies can’t sustain that level of exertion for that long.
But the biggest issue I have is with all of the hits to the head that we see in movies and on television. The opponents exchange blow after blow after blow and just keep right on fighting until the penultimate moment where one overpowers the other. The problem with this is that the ability to shake off a strike to the head isn’t something you can train for. And getting punched or kicked in the skull can cause all sorts of short term injuries and effects, the likes of which we usually don’t see on screen. I’m writing this post in the aftermath of having taken ONE punch to the head recently,
Even one strike to the head can potentially cause headaches, dizziness, blurred or darkened vision, memory loss and problems with one’s balance. If your head is struck in just the right way, you can potentially suffer a concussion, which is a traumatic brain injury that usually results from the brain jostling around inside the head. According to an article posted by the Mayo Clinic, “Some concussions cause you to lose consciousness, but most do not.” This is important because it continues to impress me how some people, even in karate, have often said ‘Oh, you don’t have a concussion because you didn’t pass out.’
Although most mild concussion will pass in a short period of time, you should seek out medical attention if you experience bouts of frequent vomiting, if you do lose consciousness, bleeding from any orifice or if your symptoms worsen over time instead of getting better. Hopefully I’m not freaking anyone out; not every hit to the head will cause any or all of these issues. It’s just something to be cognizant of. After all, I got hit to the head last Wednesday night and had a light headache for the evening but was fine by the next day.
While there’s nothing wrong with enjoying it, don’t believe everything you see on television and in movies. Even if you are a karate practitioner and train consistently, don’t assume you’ll necessarily be able to maintain a sustained confrontation and experience multiple hits to the face and head and just keep going. Your body just isn’t designed to take it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch Karate Kid. Sweep the leg! ☯️
Something interesting happened to me last week that allowed some insight into myself and how I’ve managed to jump on the proverbial societal bandwagon. Although I don’t necessarily fancy myself a rebel, I always tend to assume that I’m one off from society, considering I tend to walk my own path and don’t really follow trends or what’s considered cool. But one thing that didn’t take a lot of effort on my part was getting a smart phone. From the moment I purchased a Blackberry in 2007 and the ensuing argument with my ex-wife because of it, I’ve always owned and actively used a smart phone.
The advent of the smart device revolutionized how people live, communicate and surf the internet. In fact, the average person surf’s the web on their smart device far more than on their computers, which has become the common trend. Don’t ask me for a stats source on that one because I don’t have one. This has simply been my observation. But it’s true that it’s pretty rare to go out in public and see someone without a smart phone in their hands, in their pocket or somewhere nearby. Generational gaps have closed as well, with all ages of people taking part.
Last week, my day started pretty typically for a day off. I woke up, had some caffeine and started playing my daily challenges on my phone. By the time I had made it through my app routine, checked the couple of social media platforms I actually subscribe to and watched an episode or two of something since my toddler was binging his fuckin’ Paw Patrol, the battery on my phone was down to about a quarter capacity. Being the responsible phone owner that I am, I plugged it in to charge since I was just sitting at home. My wife and I had some breakfast and we discussed needing a few things from the grocery store and I offered to go get it.
After prepping a short list of items and discussing meals for the weekend, I left the house and made my way to the local grocery store. There was only one thing amiss; once I reached the grocery store, I tried to pull my phone up to start my mileage tracker and realized I didn’t have my phone WITH me. It only took a moment to remember that I had left my phone to charge next to my bed, which is where I keep the charger to use overnight as I sleep. I remembered the few items I needed so for the short period of time that I would be out of the house, I didn’t really feel I NEEDED to have my phone on me. I walked into the grocery store and began my shopping…
I’m part of one of the last generations who can say that they spent their childhoods without anyone being able to get a hold of them when they were out of the house. When I wanted to get a hold of someone, I had to call their landline and leave a message with the hope of a response once they returned home. And if I DID get someone on the line, I didn’t have to ask ‘where are you,’ since I already knew they had to be at home in order to answer. so what could possibly go wrong with being out of the house for an hour without my smart phone? Well, there are some issues with that line of thinking.
Having a smart phone on oneself at all times allows for the ability to contact your loved ones in the case of an emergency without issue; something that wasn’t possible about twenty years ago. But that safety net brings with it a sort of addiction that one never notices because they always have their phone on them. But as I shopped, I found myself feeling a mixed sensation of anxiety and relief. The anxiety came from not having that safety net on my person. The relief came from not having that safety net on my person. And no, that’s not a typo, I meant to write it that way.
There’s a certain sense of freedom that comes from being untethered from one’s smart phone. Most people remember to bring their phone over anything else of importance, like keys. But being disconnected can be comforting. By the same token, I recognize that I’ve become so used to always having the world’s information at my fingertips and always having an open line of communication to anyone trying to contact me. Suddenly being separated from that is what caused the anxiety. But it was an enlightening experience. technology has become a common and expected part of our reality. Don’t believe me? Turn off the wifi in someone’s household for an hour and see how everyone reacts. It ain’t pretty. For myself, I think it’s shown me enough to convince me that I should occasionally “treat” myself to some device-free time. ☯️
As I explained the last time I posted this, this is my fourth time posting this material and no, I’m not being lazy. I consider the consumption of vitamins and minerals to be an important part of maintaining one’s health. It’s no surprise that modern nutrition is sorely lacking in most people and with every reposting of this material, I’m reminded of the importance of taking a steady multivitamin on a daily basis; a fact my doctors keep reminding me, as well. With the colder weather hitting our area (we’ve had frost on a couple of mornings, already) and everyone’s immune system taking a hit, vitamins and supplementation are very important. So, bearing in mind that I’m not a doctor or nutritionist, here’s what I posted all the way back in June of 2019. Enjoy!
One of the key reasons behind the consumption of food is to obtain carbohydrates for energy. The human body requires energy to carry on normal functions and, well… stay alive! But what else do we get from the food we eat? A proper diet will also include a number of vitamins and minerals that we require to maintain proper health, growth and energy levels within the body. We’ve all heard about getting enough vitamins from a young age. I remember getting my Flintstones vitamin everyday as a kid.
But if you’re like most people, you’re likely wondering what these vitamins are for and what they do. My goal is to cover off the main ones here:
Vitamin A: This is an all-around vitamin that provides a number of functions including but not limited to the proper health of various bodily functions, tissues and helps to fight chronic disease and is known to be good for the eyes.
Vitamin B: This one is a bit complicated, as there is a large grouping of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that fall under the “B” category. In general, B-vitamins are used for energy production, immune function and absorbing iron. Some them include B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B9 (folate) and B12. There are a few more that I can’t recall, but B12 is considered amongst one of the most important of vitamins overall because it helps you turn food into energy.
Vitamin C: At some points, this one has been referred to as the sunshine vitamin. I’m thinking that’s mostly because people’s main source of Vitamin C is from citrus fruits. But this vitamin also helps with iron absorption, immune function and is a natural antioxidant that helps with the elimination of free radicals. Eating citrus fruits are also what sailors used to eat on long voyages to prevent scurvy.
Vitamin D: This vitamin helps with the strengthening of bones and teeth. Our bodies are designed to self-generate this vitamin naturally through exposure to sunlight, but obviously that needs to be done in small doses. Modern life has created an environment where more people spend their time indoors, away from the sun. So supplementation becomes important.
Vitamin E: A pretty straight forward vitamin, this one helps with proper blood circulation and clear skin.
Vitamin K: This vitamin is essential for blood-clotting. In order words, if you’re deficient in this vitamin, small cuts or injuries can cause excessive bleeding that can become dangerous.
Folic Acid: We hear people speak about this one as being necessary during pregnancy. And they would be correct! Folic Acid helps to prevent certain complications during childbirth but is important to everyone for proper cell renewal. This one is also known as Folate, or Vitamin B9 (as listed above).
Calcium: Most people should be familiar with this one. Teeth and bones, people! Teeth and bones! Good calcium levels are required to keep those body parts healthy.
Iron: This helps to build muscle tissue naturally and helps with proper health of the blood. As an interesting sidebar, it’s also what makes your blood red through the reflection of light!
Zinc: Immunity and Fertility. I’m a little unfamiliar with this one and haven’t had the opportunity to research it a great deal.
Chromium: This one is near and dear to my heart. Because it helps to control blood sugar levels. Chromium is what helps all the systems of your body to get the energy they need when they need it. Some traditional medicine practitioners will suggest Chromium supplements for Type 1 Diabetics who may have difficulty in maintaining proper levels.
Magnesium: This one helps your body to absorb all the other vitamins and minerals. It also acts as something of a relaxant to muscle tissue and play a role in proper muscle contraction.
Potassium: This mineral helps with the proper hydration of your body and helps to control blood pressure.
There are many others of course, but I’ve tried to cover off the main vitamins and minerals required for a proper diet. We get most of what we need by eating regularly and including a variety of healthy foods. A lot of people take a daily multi-vitamin, which is fine. But unless you are experiencing symptoms or unexplained illnesses, there shouldn’t be a need to actively try and take added amounts of anything. Your medical practitioner should be able to advise you if further supplementation is required. For example, patients who are recommended to take Folic Acid and Iron during pregnancy.
Obviously, all of this is extremely important; not only for proper health and fitness, which is important to me, but to help with Type 1 Diabetes as well. Taking a daily multivitamin can help to ensure that your body gets everything it needs, in combination with carbohydrates, lean proteins and fibre. My wife Laura originally gave me the idea for the post I wrote in 2019 when she asked about B-vitamins. Every time I re-post this material, I think of her. The credit for this post is all her! ☯️
Years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a a fun weekend the likes of which I had never experienced before and haven’t quite experienced since. I’m talking the weekend I canoed down the Restigouche River. By the time I had reached my teens, I had the opportunity to camp overnight in commercial campgrounds and do SOME things outside, but I had never truly experienced the outdoors and surviving on my own until I had the opportunity to paddle down the river with one of my oldest and dearest friends. He likely won’t be reading this so I can flip some shit about him but I’ll mostly be focusing on our first trip down the river.
When my friend first suggested this trip, it was described as a 3-day ordeal of paddling and exposure to the elements. I wasn’t quite on board, especially since it would involve missing some karate classes but he finally convinced me. My friend’s family owned a rental company so we had the benefit of getting the canoe, supply barrels and various equipment for free. His mother took both our wallets with the thought that if we lost it in the river, we’d be screwed. As good a thought as that was, at the time, reflection on that aspect decades later tells me that if something had happened to us on the river, authorities would have had no way to identify our bodies. But it all worked out, so I guess I digress…
We were driven north-west by one of my friend’s sisters and dropped off at a launching site. The adventure started when we realized that we would be hit by a solid bout of rain before we got on the river. I foolishly thought that we would throw in the towel but my friend pointed out that it would be pretty silly to sacrifice 3 days of fun on the river for a little rain. I agreed and we cast off. Although we immediately got drenched by the rain, we had a blast. We paddled for a number of hours before we found a spot on the river that was out of water and safe enough to set up camp for the night.
Restigouche River, taken from Wikipedia
We got a fire going, set up the tent and had an hour of quiet reflection as we chatted and snacked on the side of a river. The following morning, we shared the chores of getting the camp taken down as well as making a makeshift breakfast in a cast iron pan over a roaring campfire. It was a fantastic morning. We even had a forest ranger come visit and chat with us over coffee for while. No devices, no internet, no distractions. Nothing but good conversation and the open river.
We took to the water early on and started paddling down. We arrived at a part of the river where there was a deep, clear pool of water. We parked the canoe and tied it off and got in the water and floated down river in our life jackets for a bit. We were able to see so many freshwater salmon rushing around us. It was a fantastic experience. We set up camp for the second time that afternoon and spent some time swimming, laughing, signing A Cappella and enjoying the silent peace of the wilderness. It made me wonder why I had never done anything of this sort before. Then, I remembered that I was a Type-1 Diabetic and my parents were paranoid and shielded me from life. But I digress.
We reached the shores of Atholville, which meant that my friend’s family would be around to pick us up shortly. We were dehydrated, exhausted but happy. Our 3-day transit was a combination of intense exercise from the paddling and being in the elements. Packing up the canoe and our equipment almost felt like a tedious endeavour and took forever. That ride back into town felt surreal; like being in the civilized world was something we had left behind. But it didn’t take long for us to get back to my friend’s Apartment where a hunger the likes of which I haven’t felt in forever took hold.
It was hard getting back to normal after that. A few years later, we would follow-up with a second trip down the river. It’s fantastic fun. I highly recommend enjoying some time in the forest where you ACTUALLY have some time to connect with nature and disconnect from modern life. It’s been a couple of decades since those two river trips and all the fun we had. Maybe sometime ion the near future, I’l need to find a way to introduce my sons to that same level of peace and nature. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 