Dear Blog Readers,
I have always taken for granted that I grew up in a large city. If I couldn’t go somewhere by walking I could ride my bike there or take transit. If my mom sent me on an errand I only had to walk to the corner to get what she needed. I babysat for neighbours or rode my bike for 20 minutes to get to the house where I could take the child to the park. If my friends and I wanted to see a movie we would hop on the subway. I never went to my neighbourhood schools but it was easy to cross from one side of the city to the other to get to the school of arts I attended. I learned to drive on busy streets and to parallel park in small spaces in a car that barely fit between the other cars. I forget that people who live in smaller cities can’t jump on a subway to go 3 stops when it’s raining. I never thought about the kids growing up in small towns with no buses. There are kids who can’t walk to their friend’s houses or go sit in a cafe and pretend to be grownups. I feel for those children, especially the ones dealing with mental health, Eating Disorders, loneliness, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other identity or curiosity that doesn’t have a community or support available to them. I am lucky to have grown up in a large city where I could explore my identities unhindered by geography or under time constraints because I had to be picked up when an adult was available to take me out and bring me home.
This week we hear from Martha who lives in rural Alberta far from school and feels isolated on her family farm.
Be kind to yourself and remember to nourish your body, mind, and spirit.
Your Blog Moderator,
Kira
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My phone is my refuge and my connection to the world. I feel alone in the world until I scroll my socials. I scroll through feeds of people I will never meet like celebrities and influences and I feel connected to them. Without those people I would be totally alone. I love my phone. The world is in my hand when I have my phone. I can look at photos of far away places I’ll probably never be able to afford to go to. I can read recipes but probably never try them until I am an adult living on my own. Maybe I can learn to paint with watercolour paints. Maybe I will even meet someone that I want to talk to online but never meet in person. My phone is my lifeline in this tiny town I live in. One day I will move away from my parents. I want to live in a city. I want to hear cars out my window and be able to walk to a store. Maybe I will get a pet lizard and feed it crickets that I buy at a pet store instead of the ones I catch in the corn field. For now I will use my phone and be content in this lonely run down town that has no buses and no taxis. I will go to school on the only bus and see the same faces all year long every year. Some of them are my friends and some I hate. It’s okay though because they hate me back until we like each other again. I might go on snapchat tonight and see who is still awake. One day I can actually walk to a friend’s apartment! Maybe we can order things! I will walk on paved streets. I will go to yoga classes and sit in a Starbucks. I’ve never been to Starbucks. The closest one is a couple of hours from here and I’m not old enough to drive. Until then, I will use my phone.
By Martha D
Photo Credit: Sharon Miller