Living so close to the mountains, I’ve been to Banff, Canmore, Jasper and Lake Louise more times than I can count. I grew up escaping to the mountains every second weekend so you would think that the sights would be nothing new now. However, it’s the opposite. Every time I see the mountains for the first time when a new season rolls around, it still takes my breath away. There’s nothing more relaxing than spending a weekend in the mountains and this trip this past weekend was very much needed.
However, it’s not all fun and games in the mountains. Sometimes, bad things can happen. Things can happen that make you question everything. Question what is life and what is death. Because something died this past weekend and to say I’m devastated over it’s loss would be a vast understatement. I bought this parka five years ago during my very first year in university. I went to Aritzia and bought the Community Paradigm Parka. A $350 parka seemed like a million dollars at the time for 18 year old me. But I loved this parka. Not past-tense, no. I LOVEthis parka. I used my student loans at the time to buy it (don’t worry, I have no student debt anymore). It was the love of my life. But all good things have to come to an end.
I was walking. Just minding my own business. Just trying to stay warm inside the layers of goose down and hemp fibres. And then I heard a ripping sound. I didn’t think anything of it at the time until a couple of minutes later when I looked down and saw a sight that would later change my life for the worst. Something that would change how I lived my life in the future. Because looking down at my parka, there was a huge gaping hole in it. The fabric had just given up, just teared, just decided it could not live anymore. I tried to save it. I really did. But at the end of the day, I had to face the facts. My parka had lived a good, long five years. We had shared so many good memories together. It came along with my on all my good trips to the mountains, kept me warm when I needed it the most, saw me through all those long snowy days waiting for the bus. It was good to me. And now it’s in a better place. In the dump.
Stay tuned to next week’s (or next next next week’s) outfit post to see the parka that replaced this one. But it will never replace the spot it holds in my heart. As my good friend, Joey, would say, RIP.
