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Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Finding purple amid the grey

Life everywhere
Odessa, ON
June 2021
This photo originally shared on Instagram


In the middle of a long drive no one ever wants to take, we stop to refuel the car and ourselves.

It is literally the middle of nowhere, hours from where we started and hours from our destination. And like all highway rest stops, this particular one, known as an ONroute because Canadians feel the need to come up with geographically ironic branding for everything, is more functional than luxurious.

Which is fine, because the mission isn’t to coddle as much as it is to get you back on your way with a minimum of fuss.

Yet as I watch other families walk their dogs in the scrubby grass between the parking lot and the off-ramp, I pick up glints of purple in the distance and ask myself if I’ve misjudged this place. Perhaps I should slow my brain down just enough to appreciate a tiny bit of beauty in a spot where few might feel the need to look for it.

I settle on the purple wildflowers and ask my wife if she minds humoring me before we set off. It’s our code phrase, and she always knows when my photographic wheels start to turn.

I wander off and capture two frames, the dry grass feeling prickly on my sandal-clad feet as I kneel down to get the shot.

Who knew a place like this, designed to speed us on our way, could also help us slow us down and smell the flowers for a bit?

Who knew seemingly meaningless moments like this one mattered as much as they do?

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