And just like that, the shovels and plows have emerged for the foreseeable future. A great dollop of snow has been dumped in our laps and the only thing we can do is deal with it.
Honestly, it might be the worst thing about winter. For all of our technical advancements and sophisticated gadgetry, we’re still ruled by the weather.
Not only is it cold and miserable, but there’s . . .
waist-high slush to clear from the end of the driveway. Even after dozens of years on this planet, the lack of light is still depression-inducing. You’d think it would be a cycle everyone should be able to get used to, but nonetheless it looms ominously every year.
The dry air feels like sand paper jammed up your nostrils, causing nosebleeds so frequent that even your friends and co-workers will start to think you’re a closet coke fiend.
On top of this amalgam of cruel jokes, we’re currently being told that Christmas celebrations are contingent on a “moral contract” with the premier. That’s right, François Legault has had enough of people flouting the public health rules and he’s now ready to offer strangely lenient rules for specific dates during the holidays. As long as they isolate for a week prior and after if possible, Quebecers, even those living in red zones, are going to be permitted to gather in groups of up to 10 from Dec. 24 to 27. How Mr. Legault plans to enforce these ridiculous guidelines is obviously irrelevant, people were going to break the rules en masse and he’s just providing the moral framework to absolve their guilty feelings.
Don’t worry, public health directives don’t really apply to the people that celebrate Christmas and are well-off enough to be able to isolate for two weeks. Sure, the government’s timing of this likely has more to do with the economic effects of skipping lucrative retail holidays like Boxing Day than with religious observance (the CAQ often touts that we live in a “secular society” after all), but they claim this particular four day period was chosen because it fell into the middle of the school break. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
You can’t really blame people for taking risks in order to get some reprieve from this miserable year. It’s been a catastrophe from nearly start to finish. With a long, dreary few months ahead, everyone could use a bit of fun and social interaction.
But let’s not pretend that adopting half-measures is going to do anything other than prolong this crisis. Right down the road from us, a retirement residence is dealing with the worst outbreak in the province, with nearly half of its 165 residents infected. While we’ve been able to avoid anything similar in our region, there’s always a possibility of that changing.
Though this winter is just now getting underway, it’s shaping up to be a long one.
Caleb Nickerson
