Suddenly, Without much warning, spring has landed here in toronto.
Or rather early, climate driven summer. It is shorts hot out today, right on the heels of Easter weekend. I was still skiing eight days ago, but now the sun is blazing, the birds are driving me nuts at 5 am, and all I want is to be out.
I want to eat outside, walk, bike, garden, hang, have a beer, cruise the park, stand by a playerund chatting to other parents, learn pickleball, lose at tennis, read in the shade, really anything but sit inside, looking at my laptop.
Sunny days like these are the great equal izer, because they remind every living soul around that we love the sun. We come from the sun, the sun fuels our world, dictates the rhythm of life, but we tend to forget that. We live in a way that largely ignores the sun, shuts it out for the most part, leaving it as a sort of ornamental light to provide ambiance. Then, on the first spring day when it roars back from hibernation, we are in thrall of its power and just how much fun it can bring to us.
I imagine none of this sounds particularly groundbreaking, but there was something I noticed today, walking around the city at lunchtime, in the blazing light: people were out, happy, talking, eating, sitting in parks or benches.
Most were with friends, some alone, but almost all were looking around appreciating the day and the sun. What I didn’t see were heads bent down to look at the lesser light in their hand. It was too nice, too sunny this early in spring for that.
We talk a lot about the diminished ability to enjoy the world, be present, sit in nature, and play outdoors. How can all that compete with TikTok or Nintendo Switch? Well, go outside and see. The neighbors chatting about nothing, the kids playing tag, the last minute picnic, or just the young woman lying on a bench, eyes closed in a big smile. The sun is infinitely more powerful than all the screens in the world, and a lot more fun.
I'm heading back out there. See you in the park.