Raccoon on the roof

Well…winter is finally here!! The air is crisp, snow is falling…and I am one happy girl! LOL. I will admit though, with the start of this more wintery weather, I’m happy my walk to work has been shortened by nearly a kilometer and a half, with the reopening of a nearby bridge.

This particular bridge was in desperate need of repairs to make it safer for all its users. So, when it closed for a full rebuild, although it would make my commute much more inconvenient, I was glad it was happening! Interestingly, the prep work for the rebuild took longer than the build itself and started several years before the actual bridge construction; a total of six homes were assumed and leveled, the embankments on both sides of the highway were re-designed, major conduit and water mains were dug up and replaced with bigger ones.

Needless to say that while walking this route over the past six years, I have seen the neighbourhood go through some pretty major changes!

One of the houses I walk by has always stood out to me. It has a big tree planted near the sidewalk, an interesting garden, and a large front window. What initially drew my eye to this home six years ago was the children’s artwork, which was taped to the front window, facing outward toward the sidewalk, for the rest of the neighbourhood to see. I liked to imagine there was a youngster in the home, just beaming as their parent, believing their creation so grand it should be shared, took it and hung it up for the whole neighbourhood to see…so good right!

I had only been at this job for about 18 months when we all found ourselves trying to understand what it meant to live and work and connect during a global pandemic. As a frontline worker, I continued to leave my house every day and make my way, often along empty streets, to my place of work. I’ll never forget how much it lifted my spirits, to see the cheerful artwork in that big window, and to see alongside the artwork, kind and encouraging messages for people walking by. Messages like, “Thank you Frontline Workers,” “We are all in this together,” and “You are loved.” I don’t think that family will ever know how significant that simple act of kindness was to me (and many others I’m sure!).

I work shifts so I am often walking to work either very early in the morning or very late at night…before the sun has had a chance to rise or long after it’s down…you know…when animals like raccoons are up and at ‘em LOL (and skunks too…but that’s another story!!). This same house, with artwork and hopeful messages, also had a resident raccoon! I would see the raccoon staring down at me from the tree near the sidewalk… and as much as raccoons can be quite the nuisance, they are really quite cute…especially their babies (yes, this raccoon had babies…IN that same tree!). The other place I would regularly see the raccoon is running around on the roof!! It became a point of interest for me on my walks to and from work, always wondering if I would catch a glimpse of the sneaky raccoon!

Then the road closed. The bridge was removed. And I didn’t walk down that street for over 18 months…

Until last week! Which is really great because it gets COLD here and the buses don’t always start early enough for me to get to work on time (that’s also another story!!), so a shorter walk when it’s -15 is definitely a bonus!! I couldn’t believe how much the street had changed since I walked it last; one of the houses has been completely redone, there’s a new front door on one, a big camper parked in a driveway of one, a hedge that’s trimmed way back (which is great because it has some pretty thorny branches!) and one that is very overgrown! 

But! I’ll admit, although I was quite pleased the distance to work was shortened with the bridge open, I was mostly excited to walk past the house with the big window, see what new artwork would be pasted up and of course hope to catch a glimpse of the rascally raccoon! 

When I walked past the house, I actually stopped on the sidewalk and stared at it (now thinking about this, I really hope no one was watching me LOL). There was no more artwork taped to the window and no matter how hard I strained my eyes, no sight of the raccoon in the tree or on the roof. I also noticed there were no toys on the front lawn, no footprints or snow angels in the fresh snow, and no more swing tied to the tree in the front yard.

Time had passed. Things had changed. 

We are nearly at the end of another year, a time when most of us take a few minutes to reflect on the year we’ve just lived through. A whole year, another trip around the sun and just like that…365 days have come and gone.

Time has passed. Things have changed.

Yes, things like interest rates and gas prices have changed, but more than that, we’ve changed. No matter what you or I have done or experienced this past year, it has changed us. We’ve grown, we’ve learned, we’ve loved, and we’ve lost. 

Take a walk through the past year. Can you see it? Maybe there are things you’ve been forced to let go of (so tough), maybe you’ve had to do some rebuilding of sorts (planned or unplanned), maybe some trimming back or experienced some fully abandoned, wild, uncontrolled growth in areas that surprised you. 

I miss the cheerful artwork and that sly raccoon that brightened my walks to and from work, but I won’t soon forget them.

So, if nothing else, can I encourage you, at the end of another year, to let others know if they’ve done or said something that has made a difference in your life, refreshed you or helped you to grow? Tell them how their actions or their concern has had an impact on you, cheered you up, got you through a tough time, or maybe how incredible it was to celebrate with them…

I know I could probably spend another thousand words or more, listing all the incredible people in my life who have cheered me on, pushed me to be grow and not given up on me when I wasn’t quite being the best version of myself I could have been this past year.

I will take a quick minute to make mention that there are some incredible groups of people doing important and timely research in the field of inflammatory disease. It encourages me to know there are people out there who continue to work hard at fighting for much better tomorrows for so many of us…I raise a glass to all of you, and truly thank you for your dedication and persistence.

I’m thankful for the ACE team who continue to think big and dream big! I am grateful for a place to share my story, use my voice and connect with people all over this country and beyond #shoutout.

And to you…if you’re reading this, I’m thankful for you! Writing (although slightly terrifying! LOL) has been a surprisingly helpful part of my journey. I appreciate your comments and feedback and hope to continue to share my life with you.

May this season of reflection bring you a sense of hope, of wonder and of love. May you, in your own way, enjoy a wonderful holiday season, surrounded by those you love and love to be with…