Reflections on a Year of Seeing our City in a New Light
It's been 365 days since COVID-19 forced us — and many Albertans — to find new meaning in our own backyards
A hopeful message from March 28, 2020.
Life as many of us knew it changed dramatically a year ago. For us, this stark difference is reflected in the cellphone photos we took last March. On March 6, 7 and 8, 2020, we snapped photos of shared meals and powder runs from an annual weekend ski trip with friends to Castle Mountain Ski Resort. We shared a cabin, pizza oven, hot tub and laughs with a dozen friends at this southern Alberta gem — and enjoyed a lot of fresh powder.
Three days later, on March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Four days after that, the City of Calgary issued a state of local emergency. We all know what happened next; life changed drastically and suddenly.
Our cellphone cameras captured the new reality: playgrounds cordoned off with caution tape, empty grocery store shelves, work from home setups, and photo after photo from walks around our own neighbourhoods.
In those weird, early days of the pandemic, there was a simple solace to be found in a walk outside (separately, of course). Walking got each of us away from our screens and the barrage of bad news, at least for a little while. On those walks, we’d come across heartwarming homemade signs that adorned neighbours’ houses, eerily empty streets, and much-needed, tangible signs of hope like a beautiful sunset, the year’s first crocuses or an inspiring message left in sidewalk chalk.
It’s now been a year of living in a pandemic, and those walks around our neighbourhoods continue to offer peace. Going outside has provided us an essential distraction throughout the pandemic. While we’ve long loved being outside, doing so has never felt quite as vital as it has this past year.
Whether we were walking on roadways that were closed to vehicles and open to people, exploring farther than usual by bike on local pathways, standing outside our Granny’s long-term care facility with homemade signs, or just sitting outside around a warm fire with a few friends when restrictions shifted to allow outdoor gatherings, outdoor experiences close to home have defined the last year of living through a pandemic.
Some of the activities we started a year ago have waned, like sewing masks, baking bread and gathering with friends or family online to play virtual games (hello Zoom fatigue). But finding solace outside has been a mainstay as the snow has fallen and melted, and COVID-19 case counts have increased, then decreased, then increased again.
While the last 365 days have been lonely, bizarre and challenging — and marked by loss for so many of us — we’re both optimists. We’ve been forced to slow down and see our city in a new light. We’ve explored places closer to home, like Griffith Woods or Glenbow Ranch, that we’d normally pass up for a mountain summit.
Whereas before we’d rush through daily dog walks and runs, the pandemic has given us time to see the beauty in our own neighbourhoods, from backyard art to snowflakes and birds.
And while we simply can’t wait to hug, and eat, and drink with our friends and family when it’s safe to do so (that March 2020 trip to Castle Mountain truly feels like a lifetime ago), we’ve also enjoyed visiting loved ones outside, on walks and skis and hikes and bikes.
We’re counting down the days until we’re all vaccinated, but on this strange anniversary of one year of pandemic living, we’re choosing to look on the bright side and be thankful for the opportunity to see our neighbourhoods and our city in a new light.
Is there anything you’ve enjoyed about the past year, or plan to continue after the pandemic? Please comment below, or reply to this email with your story and photos.
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