Little Big Things

When I wrote the first installment of this set of blog posts on elements of Canadian culture that could be found in a number of places across the country, I did not expect that this second post would come over a year later. It's for a good reason - my finally getting a long-term teaching position at a music conservatory in Toronto - but this summer has been a welcome break. I suppose I'm not the only one. Many city folk, while eternally grateful for the everyday busyness of life that allows us to put food on the table, sometimes want a complete change of pace: a moment to get away from the bright lights; the noise; the traffic and air pollution; the near-daily news headlines about violent crime. And it's not just physical - many of us would love to get away from the frantic pace and intense competition of city life, and the toxicity and mental strain that it brings. Perhaps that's why, during times of mass urbanization and social and personal turmoil, people have turne