Getting Used to City Life

Two weeks back in the City and  I’ve spent nearly every day working, eleven days in a row to be exact. The weather has been typical for April in Ontario; volatile. Some days have been quite pleasant, but others have been filled with snow, rain, wind and cold.

I’ve been riding to work but had not gone out for a proper ride until Sunday when I rode with Rob West to Kleinburg for coffee before working at noon. It was grey, chilly and just what I needed to get my head straight. On my first day off, I did a bunch of laundry, looked for a room to rent for the summer–yup, still homeless–and decided to be a tourist in my own town. The Royal Ontario Museum is hosting an exhibit about tattooing. The history, the culture, the direction, the artists. It was pretty cool. It also caused me to look at every person there who was covered up, wondering what ink they were sporting underneath their clothes. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.

So, as I get re-oriented in the City, I am reminded of it’s beauties and it’s horrors, including having my bike nearly stolen. And when I start to miss the desert and my family there, I am reminded of a conversation I had with Kt as we drove from Terlingua to Toronto. That those warm, positive feelings are always available to me, for the exist inside me. All I need to do is close my eyes, imagine the Chisos mountains before me, the trails underneath me and my posse around me. I can bring those feelings to life and continue living, regardless of where I find myself.