I knew that when I moved to Southern Ontario I would encounter more city folk then country folk. I was not going to move to Toronto, that was too much city for me, Peterborough I held out hope, was more like back home, full of people who enjoyed nature, hiking, camping and canoeing. So far, I’m happy with the ones I have met and it does seem to be like that. But as I work more and more with people closer to Toronto, it seems their whole life revolves around the pulse of the city. They thrive on it and it has a heartbeat of its own. It’s like the ultraviolet light that calls to the mosquitos at night and then zaps then when they find out too late it was just there to kill them.
I don’t get it and find it is all consumerism, parties and such, just not for me. There’s a new term floating about called Nature Deficit Disorder and I want to read this book because I think it aligns with what I have been already thinking for years now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_deficit_disorder
Richard Louv wrote a book called “Last Child in the Woods” and it essentially about how children are spending less and less time around nature and how unhealthy it is. It has reached a point where some kids may never see nature until they leave their parent’s home in their teens or twenties. That scares me!
Ever hear the old joke that when Americans ask Canadians if they ride polar bears to work? or live in igloos? It’s funny how many times I get asked questions along those lines when approached from someone from Toronto about Northern Ontario. Yes, we have electricity and running water and actually the Future Shop wasn’t too far from my place =)
What I reply with is, I have Future Shop five minutes from my place, but I also have pristine wilderness full of life and clean water ten minutes from my place, do you? I believe in a healthy work life balance and that includes Nature. I hope you feel this way too.
So this summer plan on getting out to Nature, visit one of Ontario’s Parks, we live in a country where there is so much land and wilderness to discover, it’s cheaper, healthier and better for you then driving to Toronto or the USA and hitting the closest shopping mall.
