Winter in Canada is long, hard and cold – not for the faint of heart. But once in awhile, a perfect winter day comes along.
For me this day was February 17, Family Day. We went to the Chateau Montebello on Sunday for one night. After a scrumptious breakfast of maple butter crêpes and a long swim in the pool, we headed out to go tubing, which I have never done. The thought of getting into a tire and being pushed down a hill scared me, but there didn’t seem to be any way I could get out of it – we had already checked out of our room, I didn’t have a book to read, I had already gone swimming, I couldn’t go skiing on my own, and everyone else wanted to do it. I could stand around in the cold and watch everyone or just do it. So I chose to just do it.
And, of my goodness, it was so much fun!
Picture this, a sky so blue to rival the Caribbean sky. Little or no wind. The perfect temperature. Fresh fallen snow on the Ottawa River and all the hills around. It was a beautiful day, like no other.
I got into the tube and was pulled up by a lever, just like the kind for downhill skiing, which I also don’t do. The kids, with their friends who were also on the trip, had already taken their turns and were self-sufficient. At the top of the hill, I pulled my tube to the attendant at the top of the hill. He told me how to get in it, as Jaime looked on, encouragingly. He then gave me a gentle push, and down I went, the tube spinning, being pulled by gravity, the potential energy giving way to the motion. It was the most exhilarating feeling I have ever felt.
Up and down we went, for dozens of turns. We went down the hills in pairs and groups, racing, and bumping and twirling and coasting.
Finally, all tired out, we left the hill, admiring the golden sunshine of the day, the hills and river covered by the pristine snow, for another few minutes, before heading back.
I finally found something to distract me. While I may not be able to go tubing every time I need a distraction, I will hold that image in my memory and remember the fun we had the next time I am in the doctor’s office, waiting.
