I went to Montreal last weekend and had a great time. It has been about half a year since my last vacation, so I was due. (I am, of course, not counting vacations that involve prodigious amounts of running.) This was a chance for me to connect with a circle of friends I only seem to see when I travel. I term them the Level 3 friends for ease of categorization.
It was great to see them again. And I made full use of my time by sleeping as little as possible. I was regularly up until five in the morning. I still managed to have somewhat productive days. On one day most of us went up to Mont Royal and took a lot of pictures. On the Monday, I did a 22km run across the seaway.
That run was very illuminating. A friend, from Mexico, joined me on it. Well, she was in a bicycle, but it still counts. She gave me an appreciation for my country. She was amazed at all the different trees in close proximity. She was emotionally overcome when crossing the seaway itself. Basically, she liked the rocks and trees, and trees and rocks. (And water!)
I did have one embarrassing moment. I did enjoy it at the time, but I don’t want to talk about it. If you were there, go ahead and laugh. But if you weren’t, why would I want to let you make fun of me?
The one thing I really appreciate about these friends is how huggy they are. It was nice to be with people who had no discomfort about public displays of affection. I took advantage of at as often as I could. I don’t get enough physical contact in my life.
Everyone was very supportive of me, and I am feeling better about myself than I have in a long time. I have faith in the future again. And it is nice.