Climate Change
It’s a blessing to be able to leave -24°C and land in 79°F. I love looking out of the plane window and seeing palm trees instead of snow banks. Politics and currency exchange aside, life in Florida is always fascinating.
We took a walk Friday night along the sidewalk that curves against the beach in Fort Lauderdale. As people came and went, I realized we were experiencing a shift change. The sun worshippers were heading back to land to clean up after a day at the beach. Tourists were walking to an early dinner. Locals were pulling into the parking lots for post-work activities.
A young man wearing loose black pants topped with a flowing kimono-like belted robe passed by us on a onewheel, a self-balancing skateboard with a single wheel in its centre. People zoomed by on bikes, scooters, or running with the ocean breeze behind them.
A little farther down, we passed a busy outdoor gym, Calisthenics Park, where the kimono-clad man was upside down on the low bars, his legs in the air, crossed at the ankles. I stopped to watch, noticing how his arms did not shake at all while supporting all his body weight. He held that for a good thirty seconds, then dropped off, climbed back on the onewheel and moved on.
Next door, the basketball courts were hopping. Four different pick-up games at four different nets. Music blaring, but not in a disruptive way. A group of young ladies sat on the wall bordering the sidewalk, watching the guys play. It was like a scene from a 90s movie.
A little further down, a woman dove for a volleyball and slid across the sand. She stood up, dusted off, and got back to the game.
My feet were burning from the friction of my sandals, but I did not want to stop walking. Life is everywhere on Seabreeze Boulevard. The Jungle Queen Riverboat was loading passengers for it’s all-you-can-eat BBQ river cruise. The Elbo Room was packed, a singer’s voice travelling out to the sidewalk as patrons cheered and hollered. People spilled onto the sidewalk from every bar, the music blaring and blending.
Life in a tropical setting is just so different.
We walked 5km and would have gone farther if not for my poor footwear choice. I am a different kind of person when I’m somewhere warm where I can see the ocean. I experience my own personal climate change. I want to walk forever, taking in the sights and the sounds, watching people doing a different kind of living.
Have a great week!
xo Dana
What I’m reading
I have no recollection of buying Pity Party, by Daisy Buchanan, but it’s on my Kobo and it was calling to me. I laughed out loud when I read the opening chapter where the main character, 30-year-old Katherine, is at her husband’s funeral on a Wednesday afternoon and she thinks, This really feels more like a Friday. I laughed out loud, and have done so more than once in the first half of the book. Sometimes dark humour is exactly what I need.
Have you checked out my books page on my website? Everything is there, including the digital version of UnFunk Your Mind. Also, spring break is coming, so why not treat yourself to a feel-good story about female friendship? Grab a copy of Katya Noskov’s Last Shot online or at your preferred independent bookstore.