Taking Advantage of What's in Front of You.

When I was dating my now husband, I used to live in the "Parkview Towers" the y-shaped tower at the foot of the Burrard Street Bridge.  This iconic residential apartment building designed by architect Peter Kaffka in 1960 is pretty cool mostly because every side has a stunning, unobstructed view of the city, its two steps from the seawall, a hop, skip and a jump to the city center, a 3 minute jog to the beach and a stone's throw to the shops. Anyways, as you can tell, I loved living there, but what got me thinking about living in this apartment?

Yesterday, on my way back from picking up the kid at school, I had to wait for the light at the crosswalk for 15 minutes, as per usual, while the 4 o'clock sun lazer-ed into me and beads of sweat dribbled out of every pore on my skin. "Come on! You friggin' traffic light, change already!" Final, friggin-ly! We waited on the boulevard for another 10 minutes for the next lane to stop. I describe this overheated moment as "heat rage" which can only be alleviated by jumping into the ocean or the swimming pool.

Refreshed and floating on my back while the kid was paddling around me, I couldn't help but be so grateful for having access to a swimming pool in this country which has only two seasons in my mind; infernal summer and hot summer, and this got me thinking about Parkview Towers which also had an outdoor swimming pool. The funny thing is, given that private swimming pools are pretty rare in Vancouver, mostly because yards are about the size of a potted plant or non-existent, no one ever used that pool except for me it seemed. So many times, I did lengths all by myself, and I remember one particular morning when the air was cooler than the water and I was completely enveloped in clouds rising from the surface. It was wonderful!

In my mind, easy access to a swimming pool and not using it regularly is a crime. Just like living walking distance to the beach and never going. Even if you are a self-proclaimed " not a beach person", it's just plain wrong.

As I watched the kid swimming happily with his foam noodle, I realized that though I've taken advantage of the swimming pool mostly because the kid prefers it to the giant surf waves of the beach,  I haven't taken advantage of living a block away from the ocean! And as I said, it's just plain wrong.

This got me thinking about what else I don't take advantage of and really should. Now, "should" sounds like its a duty, but I want to use it as a small, friendly kick in the pants. So, here's the deal, I am making a pact with myself; a daily dip in the ocean for 30 days.

Now, I know the folks back home probably want wring my neck right about now, reading all this talk about jumping in the ocean and hot weather, but I'd like to put it out there for the folks in the cold too; what is right in front of you that you're not taking advantage of? Maybe its the neighbor that has repeatedly offered to babysit your kid? Maybe its the foodie friend who knows all the exciting restaurants in the city? Maybe its the fact that there's a beautiful view from the top of your office at work? Or the fact that your friend has an empty guest room, a swimming pool, an ocean one block away and happens to live in one of the most interesting cities in the world.... hint, hint :) Off for my dip!