My birthday was a few months ago, but my wife said that she was getting me a custom present and it had been delayed.
Yesterday, out of the blue two friends showed up from Ontario. Apparently, she helped pay for them to come over.
They had originally planned to come earlier in the summer but due to their personal circumstances, they couldn’t make it until now, which worked out pretty well overall.
Having them over is actually proving the perfect kind of break from everything.
Due to the wildfires, I’d spent an obscene amount of time on the computer. First of all, I’ve been working some extra hours and secondly, I’ve been spending more time inside and on the computer because, well, with the smoke it’s been less pleasant to go outside.
Lately, however, at least at my house, the smoke has been much less. Meaning that it’s actually great to be back outside and there aren’t even that many bugs!
We’ve gone for walks, played board games outside and played fetch with the dog.
For many of us, the last few months have been quite stressful and with the smoke clearing (I’m keeping my fingers crossed), it’s the perfect time to go back outside and be reminded why it’s awesome to live in the Cariboo.
Now I’m not saying we should go buck wild in the back country. Afterall, there’s still fire danger and several bans in place (offroad vehicles, campfires and fire zones) but if we’re careful, there’s just enough nice weather left to have some fun out on the lakes and with other activities.
While it’s still too early to understand the full impact of the B.C. wildfires this year, reports have shown the impact, for example, the Fort McMurray fire had on mental health.
Various news media have reported on everything from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to Major Depressive Disorder and increases in claims with the Workers’ Compensation Board.
Undoubtedly, over the coming months, and maybe years, they’ll find similar results for people affected by wildfires in B.C. this year.
Hopefully, everyone will be able to go back home soon. When home, perhaps going outside and spending some time with friends or family (depending on your family) is a perfect way to let off some steam and improve our mental health as we get back into the regular and daily swing of things