Good morning.
It's 5:08am. I woke up to the pitter-patter of much-needed rain. The muffins that I was planning to bake before dawn are laying disassembled in the cupboard. I forgot that Alek used up all the eggs yesterday. No eggs, no muffins. Thank God there is a Tim Horton's across the street.
These muffins have been promised to my traveling companions in exchange for a ride to Pt Alberni. We are planning to board the M.V. Frances Barkley at 7:30am and take a day cruise through Barkley Sound to Bamfield. (I use the word "cruise" loosely; the Frances Barkley is a packet freighter.) Altough sunshine allows for lovely photos of the picturesque scenery, rain and fog would remind me of everything that I love about Barkley Sound. I love the torrential rain. I love the blinding mist. I love the permeating cold. I love the salt in the air and the spray in my face. I love the concentration of life both on land and at sea. I love the whole package.
Rain or shine, I'll be smiling.
One of the best things my parents ever did for me was to teach me to love my environment. Camping trips to islands or the coasts make up my fondest childhood memories. The radius of Mum's smile was directly proportional to the diameter of the tree closest to her. Dad's mood would improve as he neared the ocean. It also helped that we usually got hot chocolate on such trips. Mum was a happy shutterbug on at least one of her ancient SLR cameras, and I was knee deep in tidal pools or wild flowers, spouting off common names and tidbids of ecology. And today, once we get to Bamfield, I envision myself on the beach, scouring tidal pools and boasting my new knowledge as a BSc student. And I am going to be the shutterbug. And I am going to buy some hot chocolate.
Loving my environment has helped me out for two reasons. 1. I enjoy being outside. This promotes an active lifestyle (blah blah blah). But really, it's just nice to enjoy scenery, since you can never really escape it. 2. Since I love my environment, I want to maintain it for my kids and their kids and their kids. Sure, I ripped some seastar feet off (accidently) as a child. But now the choices I make are to ensure the survival of our ecosystems and our resources. I have something to fight for; my childhood is dissolved in those tidal pools and growing in those rainforests.
So today I am going to go out and enjoy the gift that is waiting there for me. If it's sunny, you may get some photos on here! If it's rainy, I'll smile a little wider and put on an extra wool sweater.
It's time to go and pick up those muffins.
