This week I had to get my car fixed for a trip out of town. I left it with a mechanic whom a friend recommended, so I couldn’t drive my wife to work the next morning. An acquaintance who lives near us didn’t hesitate in offering us her car keys. She told me where she’d leave them and instructed me just to help myself because she’d be sleeping. She also asked me if I knew anyone who’d come and live with her cat for a few months while she’s away.
My point is that this woman is so calm, so accepting of the world. What if I crashed her car? What if I gave her contact information for someone who ended up wrecking her house? She’s certainly not careless. She’s just calm. I really admire that.
It kind of reminds me of someone else, a fictional character. People my age might remember the movie Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Many people find the character Pee-Wee annoying or dumb. Others remember the actor who played Pee-Wee for something less savoury than his acting.
But I remember Pee-Wee for his joy, awe and innocence. A great example is the nine-minute clip of Pee-Wee’s morning routine in Big Adventure (search YouTube for Pee-Wee’s morning). He’s so glad to be alive, so entertained by things we take for granted. Of course, in his world, his clothes magically change from his pyjamas to his suit, breakfast prepares itself and home is filled with more toys and fun things than any kid could dream of.
But on deeper contemplation, one wonders if his external reality is really like that or if we’re just seeing the normal world through his eyes. Maybe he just sees the world as one big toyshop, filled with magical, fun, hilarious, amazing things to discover every day.
We all have to grow up, get jobs and compromise to get along. We can’t be children forever. But that’s the difference between being childish and child-like. A child-like perspective allows us to truly feel the gift that life is.
Some say, “Small things amuse small minds.” But I very much disagree. Small things fascinate open minds. Small minds bore easily. Small minds can’t entertain themselves. Small minds pout a lot.
The reason I think of all these things now is because of the weather. We’ve had near-record snowfall recently and the cold snap is turning into a cold quarter. People are grumbling everywhere I look. Well, not everywhere. Some people smilingly say, “It sure is cold!” It’s a Pee-Wee-like observation. It’s an accepting mention of the way things are.
Someone I know recently wrote on Facebook that Alberta in winter is a frozen wasteland. I replied with something akin to, “I know, hey? It’s so cool!” But this person didn’t think it’s very cool. This person much prefers the hot shores of a Caribbean beach to the frozen wasteland of Alberta.
And of course many Albertans do. That’s why Caribbean nations advertise themselves here as desirable vacation getaways. That’s why so many people I meet here in the winter are days away from their next stint at another all-inclusive resort in Central America.
I must have some of Pee-Wee’s joy in me, something of my acquaintance’s acceptance. Sure, during winter I miss summer’s freedom to roam freely outside, to sit on patios and to ride my bike fast. But I never seem to strain at winter’s bonds, to ache for shores of foreign seas.
Here, I’m surrounded by family, friends and otherworldly landscape with a beauty all its own. Here is my home and I like it. It’s stark and challenging. Plus, I always know that summer’s just around the corner.
Dave Lloyd is a writer and musician who grew up in St. Albert.
