Last Thursday it was 21 degrees Celsius in Toronto. If you live in a warm place, like Miami or Manila, you may be wondering what is so significant about this temperature? Why does 21 degrees Celsius, on April 3rd, matter? This year, it meant a lot. Read on to find out why.
The weather, where I live, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, may be the most popular topic of conversation – ahead of even traffic congestion, or gasp, hockey! It determines, whether you pay attention or not, so much of what you can do or how you live your life. It’s ever changing and often unpredictable. Especially in April.
In the last couple of weeks I’ve seen snow falling and accumulating, as the temperature dipped below freezing. Then there’s the freezing rain that turned the snow to slush (and north of the city left a destructive trail of power outages and downed trees). That was followed by the sunny day, at 21 degrees, followed by a huge temperature drop, down to below freezing, up and down again, and what, there’s snow in the forecast tomorrow?
We can make a joke about it, and yes, we can (and do), discuss our up and down roller coaster weather we experience in much of Canada. But I’m still stuck on the 21 degree day last week.
It was Thursday afternoon, around 4:30 pm, when, with my dog, I walked my daughter to her weekly piano lesson. It’s an 8 minute walk from our house, but during the cold and dark winter months it’s usually easier to drive. 21 degrees, blue sky and beautiful sunshine meant we had to walk.
The world had come alive outside my door. Again, if you live in a place that’s always hot, like Bangkok or Phoenix, you may be a bit confused. But let me explain. While we do enjoy some wonderful outdoor winter sports here, we don’t typically lounge on patios or take a leisurely stroll, in shorts, even in early April.
The winter can be harsh, dark and cold. This particular winter had it all, with the usual early darkness, that was followed by many grey days that were frigid and snowy. It can be cozy to stay indoors, but this winter, I found that days of darkness and bad weather really got to me. And I don’t think I’m alone to feel that.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real thing. While some people experience a deep clinical depression and need to seek mental health support, I believe that most of us are generally affected by the decrease in sunlight, coupled with the cold and snow.
I craved sunlight this winter. I desperately wanted the temperature to move up. By March, for sure I had enough of the snow. And I say this as someone who loves winter sports and semi successfully tried a new one this year (yes, I can snowboard now – not well, but I can do it!). A 21-degree day in early April, with a magnificent blue sky and loads of sunlight, was exactly what I needed.
And so did everyone else around me.
As we walked from my house to the piano lesson, I looked around at the people who were also enjoying the outdoors. The first thing I noticed was how many people were out. And the closer I walked towards the major street that we had to cross, the more people we passed.
It was almost like a scene from Pleasantville. Children were zooming around on their bikes, in shorts and t-shirts, dogs were happily smelling the grass (and each other), and adults strolled along the sidewalk, waving hello and stopping to chat.
The light breeze was warm and inviting. It just felt so good. Maybe I experience this every spring, on the first warm day. But somehow this one felt different. I didn’t realize just how much I needed the sun and warmer temperature. I wanted to stay outside and experience every moment.
As the sun went down Thursday evening, the temperature dropped back down to more seasonal levels. By the weekend the temperature hovered at about 0 degrees Celsius, with a constant drizzle. It was…. Depressing. It took all my energy to do anything this weekend. As I looked out my window on Saturday afternoon, my street was empty again and everyone hid indoors.
Would the sun come out again? Would we see another 20-degree day?
Many of us are fortunate in Canada to live a very high quality life. I never take for granted that I live in (while not perfect) a democracy, with decent (again not perfect) healthcare and educational system. My kids can grow up to be anything they want to be. But, it’s also cold and dark here for a good chunk of the year!
I don’t hate the climate I live in, but this winter, wow, it really challenged me. Maybe I’m getting older and crankier. Maybe my life has changed and I’m questioning things that I accepted before. Or maybe it was so dark and so cold this winter that I just had enough!
21 degrees, with brilliant sunshine, was divine. I’m ready for more of that.
