While half the community is out there singing “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow,” I’m over here begging to “Let them Plow, Let them Plow, Let them Plow.”
My family lives in a part of town that is not plowed by the City of Duncan or Municipality of North Cowichan and as such, we have a private contract for snow removal. Being a pretty budget savvy neighbourhood, we generally try our best to keep the neighbourhood shoveled so we don’t have to spend the money.
A sense of camaraderie falls over my neighbourhood when the snow falls. Everyone pulls out their shovels and works together to clear their driveways and then all of the common areas. It’s fun. The first time. Maybe even the second time. But with each subsequent shoveling session it becomes exponentially less fun.
The third time we head out to shovel, the novelty is starting to fade and while everyone still chats, the tone has shifted.
At some point, around the fourth time we bundle up and head out, it’s like the fun switch has not just been turned off but has been disassembled completely. Nobody is happy about being out there anymore. When you look out the window and see a neighbour has gone out to start shoveling, a wave of guilt followed quickly by annoyance washes over you.
Oh man. They shouldn’t have to do that alone… but I don’t want to go out there! Can’t somebody else go out? Why did they have do it NOW? I just made my tea and that super important reality TV show I’m obsessed with is beginning any minute….
By the fifth shovelling session, the things everyone only dared to think about, begin to get mumbled out loud…
Why hasn’t Neighbour X helped out? Is Neighbour Y just going to keep looking out the window until somebody does their driveway for them? Does Neighbour Z even have a shovel?
People notice who helps and who doesn’t. My guess is that’s true for other neighbourhoods, too.
What I notice more though is when my kid is shoveling snow from the banks of cleared snow onto the road I just cleared. However cute he is, it drives me wild.
I think my mom instilled in me when I was younger this mindset: when I’m getting the job done you’re either with me or against me. If you’re not going to help, go away and if you aren’t willing to do that than certainly don’t make it harder for me to do it myself!
With that logic, I’m not nearly as annoyed with my neighbours as I am with my own kid.
That being said, my four-and-a-half-year-old is out there every day with his little Lightning McQueen shovel, digging out my neighbour. I’ve been trying to teach him that she’s a helper (she works at the hospital) so we need to help her so that she can get to work to help others. And also, I feel bad because she has to put up with the constant noise that comes with two kids under five right next door (but I don’t tell him that.)
I will say though, there has been many a bright side to this massive snowfall. It has really inspired me to slow down, settle in, do only what needs to be done, and to really enjoy the chats with the neighbours and company of my family. Best of all though, is the sound of the neighbourhood kids tobogganing down the nearby hill, not a piece of digital technology in sight! My children have spent hours outside playing with the neighbour kids. It’s good for them, and for me. It means I get to drink my coffee while it’s hot.
Be safe out there, citizens! And grumble quietly about it if you must, but go ahead and help your neighbour if you can.
sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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