Skip to content

The Editor’s Desk: Don’t be afraid to have fun

We’ve all been through a lot this summer; but it’s okay to go out and enjoy yourself.
8452750_web1_170912-ACC-M--Concert-audience
Audience members enjoying a concert by Leslie Alexander on September 9. Photo: Barbara Roden.

I don’t know about you, but the return of cooler weather over the last week has been very welcome indeed. I’m on record as not being a fan of extremely high temperatures; I live here despite the hot summer months, not because of them. For nine months of the year (give or take), the climate here is perfect for me; I put up with the three months where the temperature soars above 30 C and bless whoever invented air conditioning.

I think that this year even the people who bask in hot weather will be glad that we’re finally getting some relief (and I’ve heard more than one person who usually dreads the first snowfall say that they wish it would hurry up already). This summer the heat has been particularly oppressive for a lot of people, even without the days of heavy smoke when we knew the sun was up there—somewhere—even though we couldn’t actually see it.

Things seem to be slowly returning to normal; but it’s disheartening to see local events that usually attract a lot of people recording lower-than-usual attendances. Perhaps people are still recovering from the after-effects of the fire (a process that will continue for some time for a good many people); but it also seems to me almost as if some people are reluctant to do something enjoyable, for whatever reason.

A few weeks ago I spoke with Dr. Geneviève Belleville, a professor of psychology at Laval University, about the different types of emotions people in our area are going through after the fire. She said that talking to people about what we went through, and listening as others talked, was crucial; something the children who attended the Arts Camp in August instinctively grasped. One of the instructors said that for the first day or so the children all wanted to talk about the fire; then they moved on to other things. I suspect the same thing happened for the first couple of days after school started again last week.

I’ve spoken with a great many people about the fire and listened to their stories; not just for the paper, but in a private capacity. Time and again I have been struck by the fact that many of the people whose stories I’ve heard were more than happy to speak about what they went through, as if articulating their thoughts and feelings was a relief.

And what better place to talk about these things than in a social setting with others who probably experienced the same things you did? The Royal Canadian Legion was formed so that World War I vets could get together with others who knew what they had gone through, as a means of helping them cope. We don’t have the equivalent of a Legion for those who experienced the wildfires; but there are many other places to gather together.

Belleville stressed the need for people to enjoy themselves. “I know it’s difficult in a community that has been through a disaster,” she said, “but find a way to have social activities, to connect with friends and family.”

There is no shortage of events and activities going on in our communities for people of all ages (and also no shortage of volunteer organizations always looking for new members). Keep an eye out for notices of upcoming events that you might enjoy, or a community group that interests you. And don’t be afraid to have fun again.

Barbara Roden