It’s the big thaw! Or at least it was until around noon on Apr. 2. The weather people are saying back to normal tomorrow, though, so my plan is still on. It’s time to crawl out of the hole that I’ve been hiding in (my loft) and face the world (my friends and family).
Like many other people, my head gets pretty messed up in the winter. I’m not the most active person and the lack of sunlight often has me looking and feeling pasty. If it weren’t for my introduction to Stardew Valley—and, I can’t lie, my re-introduction to recreational cannabis—I’m not sure how I would have made it through this one. Twenty-nine winters and they still don’t get easier.
But anyways, once things pick up speed and kick into gear and we are back in action, my innie waves goodbye for the year and all the sudden I just love being outside again. Not specifically outdoors, just outside of the house.
Every time the winter ends, it feels like I’m a sponge soaked with a lifetime’s worth of shitty feelings that need to be replaced with good ones as soon as possible. And so, I hit the ground running, I make plans, I commit to those plans and then I see them through. And all the while, I get to tell the little voice in the back of my head to shut the fuck up. I don’t want to stay home and veg.
It’s like my brain is saying, “you will be 30 years old in 94 days, maybe you should max out your TFSA contributions and limit your consumption of alcohol,” but my heart just wants to drink beer and play pool with my friends.
I don’t know what the point of it all is. As I accumulate time, my priorities do shift. And yeah, I am beginning to think about, “but what if I do live past 40? Then what?” And I am getting unnerved by the lack of progress I have made towards future proofing my life financially. I just never really understood what people meant by “start saving your money now!”
And honestly, all I did for like two months straight was play Stardew Valley with my wonderful partner. We built a magnificent life together in Pelican Town. It was so dope, and I saved so much money because I spent so much time at home and the game only cost me $14.
While I am pretty stoked that I didn’t spend as much money at Value Village this winter as I usually would have, it’s not the extra savings I’m walking away with an attachment to.
It’s the time I spent with Paige at St. Jude’s Farm. Our trips to Ginger Island. It’s the memories.
Because for me, future proofing doesn’t mean making sure there is always money in my bank account. It means making sure that there are always good people around me, and then trusting that good times will follow accordingly.
I do have a lot of shoe-box money now though.
Leave a Reply