Yellowknife had been experiencing a much colder March than typical. We had counted on a day that might hover around -18C, but instead we were delivered a brisk wind and temperatures that were about -30C - The temperature recorded at the airport did not match the cold air that was tumbling towards us from across the vast Great Slave Lake as we set up the Human Library Event. We were thankful that our book “Hunter/Trapper” had agreed to set up a MacPherson tent - which is a canvas tent that also has a wood stove. He also brought what he called “sunflowers” - when I heard him say it - I pictured that he had gone to the florist - like my partner had - to fetch flowers to mist with hot water - encapsulating the flowers in ice - this prevents wilting in the extreme cold. The flowers were for the Parklet that we had recently built and was installed at the Snow Castle. The Sunflowers HE was referring to were not real flowers, but a heating system with two heat-emitting nodes - and it was a welcome addition to the tent.
1pm and our books started to arrive. We had created little gift bags for them, complete with a day pass to the Snow Castle (also the location of the washrooms!), a gift certificate to Sundog trading post, a nearby restaurant, a pair of “Book” themed socks, and other treasures.
All of our books had arrived dressed in extra warm clothing, but we had also borrowed some parkas, snowpants, and boots from our local school - just in case extra warmth was needed.
Readers started to arrive, and we were eager to help them get acquainted with a book. Refreshments in the tent helped to keep people in good spirits while they warmed up in-between readings. My star volunteer Natasha was incredible at going up to strangers who were walking on their way to and from the snow sculptures and the castle, to see if they were interested in trying out the Human Library - and there were so many people who came to try out the books.
Our library was well stocked with such titles as:
Grief
Hunter/Trapper
Car-Free Living
Women in Male-Dominated Fields
Resilience
Cross-Cultural Living
Coming out Later in Life
Climate Activism
Self-Discovery
Using little Library cards - the kinds that many of us used to see on the inside jacket of a book at a regular library - and we time-stamped them along with the borrower’s name so that we could keep track of the time.
When a book was finished, everyone came into the tent to warm up again, readers went along on their way - likely to the Snow Castle to explore its hidden caverns, exciting slides, and beautiful carvings. Or to where massive snow sculptures of mad skills have been displayed in incredible masterpieces.
When 4pm arrived, no one was going anywhere fast. We did not want the event to end. So many times we paused to take in the beautiful feeling of community that was being created…
But time continued on as it consistently does, and it was time to pack up. Lucky for us we did it at a very laid back pace - allowing people to continue some lingering discussions as we filed book titles away until next time, handing out some remaining food to passersby, encouraging more people to come in out of the cold and drink some coffee, etc.
And then the fire was out, the sunflower heater was turned off, and all items loaded into the truck for the final trip. Hugs and then all that remained were smiles.
But you know what else remained - tiny seeds in many hearts - ideas emerging, thoughtful contemplation, and hopeful memories from the connections that were created.
We as a society have been witnessing a steep decline in human interactions with each other. Chance encounters with our neighbours typically happen when one person is in a car, behind the wheel behind another person, behind a wheel in their car. Or it’s on a local “Rant and Rave” forum, where bots are infiltrating our space, and feeding inaccuracies and lies. Or it’s through a text.
We are losing the wave as we walk with our kid to the nearby school, the nodding head as we pass by someone on our way walking to the corner store, the smile while riding a bike along a path, the eye contact, the chance conversation that would help us gain a better understanding of how we are doing.
How are you doing? What concerns you? If I could sit down with someone to chat about our current state of the world - there would be a large variety of topics - but it wouldn’t be one sided - like how we receive information from the internet. It would be in the form of a dance, a back-and-forth of knowledge, of how we’re experiencing the world. Someone might mention something you hadn’t heard before - but instead of dismissing it and moving along, there would be contemplation and unpacking - if a debate was needed - it would come out naturally and with respect.
This is the community I need more of. I watch as my children dive into their books in our living room as I write this. The sun is beaming in from the sunroom - hint of spring is in the air - despite the still frigid temperatures and the snow all around us. They’re in their books and I’m so happy to see that. They aren’t on their tablets right now - they are lost in a world.
But I’m thinking about how are they shaping up for adulthood? What is it that they need to experience in order to become a stand-up citizen, a strong person who helps others and can thrive?
I think that they are missing community.
In Denmark, where we lived for a few years. We resided in a building that had a large atrium from which you accessed your apartment. We became familiar with our neighbours, and out from our door was a multi-use path that could lead you all the way to the kid’s school in one direction, to the local grocery store in another, or down to the athletic centre/pool area in another. CHOICE. Happenstance encounters, seeing our neighbours, walking here and there. People moving freely in wheelchairs and mobility aids, benches over near the field where they bring cows to graze in the summer.
I overheard the children lamenting about how they miss being around their neighbours. Now we live in a neighbourhood where our neighbours live in big houses, separated by driveways, connected by the road. There’s a sidewalk which takes my youngest to her school everyday, but the road where my eldest is expected to bike to middle school is riddled with high-speed trucks that are twice her height.
I can hear the hum and sometimes roar of the vehicles and trucks as they crest the hill - we have a bus stop across the street - but no crosswalk to get there. In winter you can tell when a vehicle is coming because their bright lights will start to appear first - but then summer creates a blind situation - vehicles coming up and over the hill at the listed speed of 45km/hr won’t see a person until it’s too late. We’ve tried for two years to have the city implement a safety feature that would help slow vehicles down and communicate with them about the unseen community of pedestrians and people on wheels… our hope is that eventually someone will listen. I just hope that it doesn’t require a tragedy in order to make change.
Time and time again - I recognize the need for a champion in our political realm, and I’m just not convinced that we are there yet.
