The Sunny Side of the Street

I was crossing Jasper Street from my office to the pharmacy at noon today, when I noticed a great big metaphor staring me in the face.

At that time of day, the west side of Jasper is in the sun, while the east side is in deep shade. Today there were only puddles of water on the west side in front of the pharmacy, with maybe a little dirty ice in the gutter, while on the shady east side the ice was thick and covered with a skiff of snow in places.

Isn’t that just the truth.

Many people probably think the world has gone crazy and we are facing Armageddon, while others shrug their shoulders and prepare to wait this new normal out. But like the icy street improving with the sun, we can feel better about our situation if we approach it with optimism and a sense of humour.

In fact, while I was out talking to people, the notion struck me that we could use the current state of affairs to remember how we used to do things, before busyness took over our lives. 

We can make sure our neighbours are ok. We can worry about the well-being of our whole community, and not just that of a few people. We can shop in town. We can do jigsaw puzzles with our families and cook together. We can smile at people and give them kind words.

We can plan our gardens and plant our seeds.

We can be mindful of our health care, pharmacy and grocery store workers, who face the worst of this situation. We can order take-out. We can keep Mayor, Council and Town staff in our minds while they sort through this, and think about our grads, and the party we are going to throw for them when it’s safe to do so.

And while we’re at it, we can remember seniors and shut-ins, and offer them help if they need it. 

So this is an opportunity to let the sun shine in and disperse the ice and snow. Quite frankly, after the winter we have had, I am all in for that. 

So stay well, wash your hands, and let the sun in.

Tina Cresswell, Maple Creek Chamber of Commerce