A little over two years ago I could have been defined as a body in motion. I never stopped moving. Literally. I was on my feet all the time, and my body responded accordingly by not gaining weight, by allowing me to eat anything I wanted and by feeling good. Fast forward a couple of years and things got a little softer, fluffier....okay, okay, fine, fatter. At first I blamed it on age. I had heard all too often that once that magic forty hit you, you could kiss your metabolism goodbye. So I resigned myself to the pudge. After all, it was only a few pounds. Okay, Okay, ten pounds.
When my family first started out on our summer of being tourists in our hometown, we did not expect the unexpected, and yet that is what we got at every turn. I’m not sure why most of us think our own city is not as exciting as far off destinations, but when you stop and look at your city with the eyes of a visitor, you begin to realize you’ve taken a lot for granted. Our last excursion took us to Calypso Waterpark and I have to tell you, I am living with a world of regret right now. Primarily that my family has not spent way more time there.
If you’re like most people, you are always planning your next getaway to some place far, far away from where you live. The unfortunate thing about this philosophy is we very often miss the amazing attractions in our own backyard. I know this because I have been a resident of Ottawa for 12 years now and while I’m one of the proudest Ottawans you’ll ever meet, I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve taken advantage of very little this city has to offer.
Last night, I collapsed into bed after a day of my head bobbing while in the car (passenger), on my Dad’s boat, sitting on the couch and working at my computer. Any time that I was not standing or moving, was a cue for my body to shut down. This has become an all too frequent occurrence. August, in particular, is a busy month for me and I not only look like the walking dead but I feel like it. I am completely and utterly exhausted with too much on my plate and not enough hours in the day to fit it all in.
Last Friday, continuing on our mission to be tourists in our own town, my family and I did something I am now referring to as the Heartstrings Itinerary. With Ottawa Tourism’s help, we decided to visit the Museum of Civilization, see Born to Be Wild at the IMAX theatre and finish our evening on Parliament Hill watching Mosaika. Why the Heartstring Itinerary? Keep reading.
The other day I was reading an article about the drought in the Horn of Africa. The news was sobering. This is the worst drought in 60 years; 10 million people are in need of food, there are overcrowded refugee camps and dying children. One mother relayed how two of her children died en-route to a camp. She saw at least 20 other children dead or unconscious along the side of the road. My heart crumpled as I empathized with this woman. Then I did something really stupid. I scrolled down to the comments.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away in Eastern Ontario lived a beautiful, worldly, ever so gracious Queen who was terribly misunderstood. Her subjects thought she was mean and spiteful, as to never allow that most fun food, known as hot dogs, into the royal land. The Queen stood firm though, proclaiming that “Nitrates, and things I cannot pronounce need not touch thy offsprings lips” and banished them from her Queendom for eternity. Her ruling was met with pouts and an occasional underground hot dog when her subjects left the land without her.
