A friend unexpectedly invited me to go cross-country skiing with her today. In the blink of an eye (and after a stop at Tim’s so my friend could get a dollar latte), I was transported from a somewhat dull Vancouver day to bright snowlight, perfect conditions and an awesome, invigorating aerobic workout. The parking lot at Cypress Mountain was packed with skiers and snowshoers, all ages out having fun, burning off the stress of the week, and inhaling that fresh winter air while it lasts.
Many years ago, a guy I used to work with at an ad agency in Winnipeg moved to Vancouver and was amazed to find himself going out for walks in the evening and stopping for frozen yogurt. He was amazed because on Winnipeg evenings, he would have gone to Tim’s for a donut or boozing at a social. Exercise there consisted of running through the underground tunnels to get from your office to Tim’s. Sure some people did occasionally get out of their cars, but let’s just say the healthy lifestylers weren’t as prevalent in Winnipeg as they were in Vancouver. That may not be true today. I think we might have just as many Tim’s as them now too. No doubt the Vancouver market had something to do with their latte introduction.