As I think about all the tasks and perceptions handed down to me over time, and all the expectations that my breath gives birth to… I wonder if this life is mine or theirs.
I wonder if my actions are beyond my reach and I’m just dancing to a tune I can no longer make out. Swaying to a song still faintly heard by the masses, filled with rhymes about what life should be and the earnest importance of honesty.
My movements, no longer rehearsed are a natural part of my inertia and as I dance I can no longer tell the difference between you and me cause at some point we became them. So when I hear the applause I smile because the collective has approved of my actions and since I am them I approve of their guile.
So I’ve been in Montreal for a month now and the city is amazing. (It’ll be a shame if I have to leave) Here are five things I’ve learned about the city since I’ve been here.
1) The wild life isn’t scared of human contact - Squirrels, Pigeons, Raccoons… you have food, they’ll be all up on you. Not to mention the squirrels here are the biggest I’ve seen in my life. (Maybe it’s all the human food)
2) These boots are made for walking – I didn’t have a car for a large portion of my life and I never walked any where, having said that Montreal has a culture of bikers and walkers. I’ve never walked so much in my life, the first two weeks took a toll on my feet.
3) Outdoor living – People enjoy the outdoors, walk through any park in Montreal on a nice day and it’ll be littered with people. Reading, having a picnic, playing music, or just having a drink and catching some sun. I lived in Edmonton which has one of the biggest green spaces for a city in Canada and I’ve never seen so many people in a park that wasn’t hosting a concert of sorts. Also pretty sure every restaurants has removable windows, pretty sweet.
4) Public drinking doesn’t make everyone drunks - You can drink walking down the street, in the park… I even saw a girl chatting to a police officer with a PRB in her hand and taking sips mid convo. The common misconception is that if you allow public drinking people are just going to get smashed everywhere and public intoxication arrest will increase. So not the case, most of the time I see people hammered in public it’s A) a weekend outside a bar B) they’re visiting and take advantage of park drinking.
