Winter Lesson

A few days ago I needed to take the bus downtown to get a criminal records check for a job I'm applying to. There was a wind chill of -40C that afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly. I printed off the bus schedule and decided against bundling up to-the-nine, since I reasoned I would be there and home in no time. The trip would last less than an hour, and I would be inside a heated vehicle or building for the most part. Long johns keep one warm, yes, but become a prison of heat when one exits the cold.

I'll never make that mistake in judgment again. The application took 13 minutes longer than I expected. So I missed my bus by 3 minutes, and the next wasn't coming for 40 minutes. I was stranded downtown on a corner, with a fierce arctic wind howling through my shivering frame. What was I going to do?!?!




I decided to walk the six blocks to the bus terminal, where I would find a bus quickly to whisk me home. Portage and Main is the windiest intersection in the world. I thought I was never going to be warm again. When it's this cold you can't even use a cell phone to text friends to tell them how cold it is because the screen begins to go through display hypothermia. Images take longer come up and to go away. My phone became sluggish, also a sign of hypothermia in humans. While using the cell phone, my fingers began to throb in pain. I felt doomed that I'd loose my fingers if I did not put them back into pocket pocket right that instant. I cursed my cell phone and it's cold technology.

I was walking for what seemed like ages against a biting wind I swear was freezing my tears against my cheeks. It was so cold that my knees stopped shaking and began to feel as though the oil which keeps my joints lubricated was solidifying. Walking became twice as exhausting. I was in a little bit of a panic.

I will never, ever again, go out on an errand in -25C without donning some polar wear. No matter how planned I think I am.