YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE WEATHER

or How To Stop Finding Excuses

It was only 2.5 km from our hotel.

That’s a healthy 32 minute walk.

We can do this.

So off we went.

Shannon and I were in St John’s, Newfoundland, last weekend as you may know.
We were keen to see the sights and immerse ourselves in the world-famous Newfoundland culture of niceness (it’s all true).

Part of that culture is ignoring the weather.
Not entirely, of course.
Safety first and all that.
Appropriate outerwear is considered and adopted as needed.
However, for all intents and purposes, the weather plays very little role in what you will do on any given day.
Because the weather in Newfoundland is, more often than not, quite shit.

A day is a day and what you do with that day is up to you.
The weather may help shape what it is you do with that day, but it will not stop you from consuming that day in almost any manner you see fit.
The weather just is.

So, off we went to Signal Hill.
Uphill.
Then mercilessly uphill.

We pushed onward.
We were going to stand atop Signal Hill where Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic wireless message… A carefully chosen, “s”.

Which, coincidentally, at many points during our ascent was the only sound we were capable of making beyond the occasional gasp for air.

The rain started.
The rain stopped.
Then the wind and rain teamed up for a duet.
Then they formed a kitchen party band with the fog.

Finally, we were at the top.
167 metres, or about 550 feet, above the water below.

Standing at the precipice of one of the most beautiful vistas on the planet.

We could see fuck all.

Edges disappeared into windy wet nothingness.

But…

We did it.

Our plan was to walk to the top of Signal Hill that day, and we did it.

You can’t always let the weather dictate how you will spend your precious time here on Earth.
Sometimes you need to adapt, adjust, and just… go.

You can’t change the weather.
No matter what the ‘weather’ is.
You can, however, change how you spend your days.

You can’t change the weather.
The weather just is.
So get on with it.
You’ve got living to do.

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(Pictured: Author and wife stand atop Signal Hill, Newfoundland, knowing their day was well spent and Marconi would have probably hated Vine)

**I wrote a song about this. Yes, that is a bit Hasselhoff of me.
You can find it here.