We couldn鈥檛 be luckier. We live in a place with easy access to the great outdoors; our views really are 360 degrees.聽
With the approach of the federal election and the deluge of signs everywhere, I鈥檝e become even more aware of the gorgeous natural environment that surrounds us, and can plainly see it in 鈥� and on 鈥� my kids.聽
They have dirt under their nails, grass stains on their pants and soggy cuffs on their arms and legs.聽
My children are expert gardeners, mushroom hunters and fisherman. Food arrives on our table as often from their efforts as from the grocery store. As they grow older, I find it beautiful to watch their interest in preparing foods that they helped harvest, whether it鈥檚 ripping up basil leaves from the greenhouse to make pesto, helping filet a fresh salmon caught by the seven-year-old with her own license or chopping and sauteeing chanterelles and boletes from the forest.聽
It鈥檚 a treat to see children scramble up rocks and boulders calling on their balance and centre of gravity.聽
The muscles that my children have developed teetering on narrow ledges, logs and loose rock aren鈥檛 just in their arms and legs, but their brains as well. I marvel at their ability to run up, jump over and scale virtually anything, as much as I appreciate their innate understanding of our delicate and codependent ecosystem. They recognize that a black bear on the other side of the creek is not a threat 鈥� it鈥檚 just trying to catch dinner, as they are. They鈥檝e learned to be smart around our wildlife and have a healthy respect for it.聽
Camping overnight in the alpine is a perfectly normal thing for them to do 鈥� admittedly less so for me, but then I鈥檓 a prairie girl through and through. They understand the importance of and know how to properly use a bear cache for food.聽
They know what berries are safe to eat, and when they are in season. They have an appreciation for all things we are privileged to nourish ourselves with, whether it鈥檚 a soft thimbleberry, tender dandelion leaves or even the flowers of the elderberry bush that we turn into fragrant syrup. I鈥檓 endlessly impressed with these two, who are still under the age of 10.聽
Their intelligence in relation to their surroundings is remarkable but not unique. They are typical Squamish kids.聽
When we are on the shores of Howe Sound, we scan the sea for signs of large mammals: dolphin, whales and seals. It鈥檚 a game, but a serious one. We know they are out there, increasingly more often, and we are thrilled at any sign of life from the underside of that surface. The Sound has enjoyed a rebirth and the children value the rich life that the clean and nutrient-rich waters have brought to our area. To them, it鈥檚 just the way it is. They don鈥檛 know it to be different other than to hear their parents lament 鈥渢he old days,鈥� when the water was dirty and the air had a distinct pungent and acrid tang to it. They tell us they can鈥檛 imagine it. They tell us they don鈥檛 want things to change and go back to the old way.聽
They don鈥檛 want an LNG plant that will raise the temperatures of our waters and could make them inhospitable to the marine life that is currently flourishing there. They aren鈥檛 excited by the prospect of noise and light pollution, and particularly not the thought of the beautiful views from Shannon Falls and the Sea to Sky Gondola, where they spend much of their hiking time, being ruined by tankers, docks and a site dedicated to processing fracked gas.聽
So for a few more days, as our landscape continues to be littered with a visual cacophony of partisan signs, I find myself wondering about our ability to recognize the importance of such things.聽
Our children鈥檚 understanding of our relationship with the Earth is a million times clearer than ours. I wonder if perhaps it is only the people under 18 who should be allowed to vote, because their take on the things that ultimately matter most is unapologetic, blunt and unwavering.聽
