The snow is back. It has never really left but it’s drifting from the sky heavily again. And I’m going ice skating for the first time in Canada. I went skating when I was a kid. And then I stopped, probably the day I saw a fellow classmate falling on his back and realising we were wearing razor blades on our feet, which means we may very well kill, enucleate or cut off body parts of people passing by. So I switched to less threatening hobbies after that.
As we reach the tracks at the Olympic stadium with our rented skates, I’m flustered that the rink doesn’t have a border: it floats in between ridges of snow pelted by one of those tractors, and there are no rails you can grab to steady yourself while you learn. « I feel like Bambi » says my friend. A graceless fawn I sure am, wobbly and hesitant on the ice. I almost fell twice and I haven’t even reached the rink yet. So what I do is what any wise grown up would do: I steal a plastic panda from a kid, one of those skating aid, with handles and mini skis, that helps four-year-olds learn how to skate. And swoosh, swoosh, wobbly swoosh, I go around the rink, throwing my legs on one side then the other, clumsily mimicking the movements of other skaters. My first round isn’t successful and ends with a well deserved chat on the bench with my friend, the other graceless Bambi.
« I can’t wait to go skiing » he says. « Nah » I argue. It’s so much money and effort, it’s not my thing. « Oh you’ve got to try the magic carpet at Mount Royal », I yelp. « You can get 3$ ones at the dollar store and it’s so darn easy! ». I went down the slopes two or three times with my housemates. The first time I was hesitant, then I warmed up to it. The second time is when we brought the dog. We were all supposed to be washed out by our day, and we were all really just going because we thought the dog would have so much fun. In the end I wouldn’t leave the slopes, exhilarated that I was. Sledding was new and fun.
« Have you seen a hockey game » another friend asks, back at the ice rink. « The Canadians are losing so you’ve got to be quick before they stop playing at the Bell centre here in Montreal ». I’m on my bench again after another couple of rounds of that wonky swooshing dance with my panda. It’s been so long since I’ve been sitting on a bench. It was probably back in fall. You can’t sit anywhere outside in winter, you can only brave the cold/snow/ice/wind to go from one overheated place to the next. That drives me nuts and is making me hate winter.
After the ice rink, we’re heading back to my friend’s place, where we have a hot cocoa with mini marshmallows. Then I go meet another group of friends for beer and poutine. That trifecta of gravy, hot fries and cheese wasn’t very appealing to me until the cold started to take our days in hostage. Now it’s carbed bliss.
Coming home at night, the snow is sleeping quietly everywhere, not falling from anywhere, and I feel satisfied.
I’ve been dreaming of spring lately, even though we’re another month or two away. But at the end of that joyful day, I tell my grumpy self : friend or foe, winter is here to stay. So embrace it, treat your stomach to cosy food and dip further into that winter sports thing: skiing, sledding, snow angelling, snowshoeing, and even ice skating with a panda. Because, maybe, that’s the only way to bear the long cold snowy winter here.
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