So Friday I decided to head out on a kayaking weekend with my
friend Leslie. This was the first time in about 8 years that I
went camping again, and I had a ball sleeping under the stars. A
fabulous weekend in nature makes you think about life a little
bit, so here are a few snapshots of what’s been going through my
head in the last few days. In particular, I have been thinking
about our lifestyles in the city and some of the stark contrasts
with the experiences of this weekend.
City snapshot number 1: Thursday night I linked up with a friend
of mine who works for a big international bank in finance. He
was telling me how his employer was sending around a survey to
find out what tasks people were spending time on at work, all
for the purpose of efficiency and downsizing the workforce. In
his employee newsletter he read that his company was proud that
the annual turnover rate among employees is now below 30% (!),
and this was a big story in the newsletter. We were wondering
why a turnover of almost 1/3 of the entire staff in a year would
be considered a good thing, considering the recruitment,
training and outplacement costs as well as the disruptions
caused by a constantly fluctuating workforce. But on a few days
of the year his company gives away free icecream cones to their
employees….
City snapshot number 2: Leslie and I left to go on our kayaking
excursion at 3 pm Friday. We left in mid-town, just north of the
401, Toronto’s major cross-town highway. It took us about an
hour and a half, to get to Toronto’s eastern suburbs, from about
Pickering onwards we were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic
until I had enough and headed northwards to a local road where
at least we were moving in between being stopped at red lights.
City snapshot number 3: At the outdoor adventure camp I actually
talked to another weekend traveller who told me that he worked
for many years for a major international paper manufacturer
until he got unceremoniously laid off a few years ago. He had
been living and working in Toronto’s east end. After his lay-off
he finally found a job in Toronto’s west end and he ended up
commuting probably about 2 hours in rush hour traffic on a daily
basis between his house in the east end to his new workplace in
Toronto’s west end. He figures there is no point in moving since
he doesnt’ know when he’s going to get laid off again and where
his next job might be.
City snapshot number 4: This same person told me that one of the
travellers in his group was trying to use her cell phone in the
middle of the wilderness on Calumet Island in the Ottawa River.
She even tried to get up on a picnic table and lifted the cell
phone up in the air to try to get better reception. He found it
rather ridiculous that someone would need to make a cell phone
call during an 2-day weekend outing into nature. I guess we need
to be wired all the time these days.
City snapshot number 5: Life is speeding up all around us. To
meet a friend for coffee you now need at least 3 weeks notice
and set up an appointment. People work on the weekend, according
to official statistics, many Canadians don’t even manage to take
advantage of their full 2 weeks of vacation since they can’t get
away from work. I was talking to a client recently who works for
a major international retailer. I asked her why she doesn’t work
from home since she receives all her documents electronically
from head office anyways. She said the head office people just
don’t trust people working from home, so she continues to spend
2.5 hours a day in traffic (on a good day, way more during a
snowstorm…)
Country snapshot number 1: After getting out of rush hour
traffic my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed the drive into
Eastern Ontario, particularly once we headed north of Belleville
into the rolling hills, past tiny country towns and provincial
parks. Saturday morning we were woken up by the mooing sounds of
cows who were announcing day break. The sounds of crickets and
cicadas filled the air in the campground.
Country snapshot number 2: The facilities at the Equinox river
rafting camp are extremely basic. We realize that we can get by
on 2 toilets in tiny plywood cubicles and 4 co-ed shower stalls
that are located in a wooden shed. We sleep in a tent on a mat,
I forgot my pillow and I borrow Leslie’s mini-pillow. There is
no Internet, no cell phones, no appointments, no fancy clothes,
no make-up.
Country snapshop number 3: Evening in the campground. About 60
city folks are letting out their inner child, they are partying,
shouting, playing music, having fun. That’s what it looks like
when city people let loose. The next night is a lot quieter,
after a full day of paddling the rafters and kayakers are tired
and Saturday night was a much tamer affair.
Country snapshot number 4: I am doing my interview with Krista,
the spunky young intern at Equinox’ river camp. I ask her if it
would be possible to borrow one of the bicycles that were
leaning against the shed. “Sure”, she says, “just help yourself,
my bike is the silver-coloured one. Just grab it whenever you
feel like it”. You don’t see this easy-going generosity in the
city.
Country snapshot number 5: During the interview, Krista tells me
that a number of her rafting/kayaking guide colleagues are
living in tents, in a tree house or in a cobbled-together shack
during the summer. During the winter they go off to teach
English as a Second Language, study theatre, teach skiing or
plant trees and do horticulture in the spring. Krista mentions a
key phrase several times: “It’s amazing how little you need to
live.” And this morcel of wisdom is coming from a 25-year old
woman! The guides are young adults that co-exist without a lot
of structure, very few rules, and they are just having fun doing
sports they love and interacting with the clients. And somehow
they manage to feed the clients and safely get them down the
river. Everybody, the guides and the clients, feels like a kid
again…..
Makes you think, doesn’t it?
