I have lived in Calgary my entire life. I have always loved this city but much has changed since I was a little girl. Calgary used to be known as friendly city where we waved to thank the driver behind us when they let us in traffic......we even waved if they didn't exactly let us in. We used to be a city where people would wait far longer to hold the door for the next person than anywhere else I've ever been. We all said please and thank you to clerks at the local store long after it was obsolete in any other city. We were a little old fashioned but being neighborly was part of our identity. We had a common mentality of community and pride in our city. It just felt like a small town here.
When I was little pretty much knew everyone on both sides of our street. We knew their kids, we knew their stories. As the years went by and Calgary went through several boom and bust cycles our little city welcomed people from all over the world. It was almost inevitable that as people melted into our pot, the Calgary mentality blurred a tiny bit. A little good, a little bad, but definitely different. It changed and just didn't feel like the same small city. I still loved it but instead of smiling and saying hello to your neighbors we went from "we" to "me" just a little bit. You may know the name of your immediate neighbor but many of us didn't really hang out with them. They just happened to be the people beside us.
And then the waters came. A flood of epic proportions washed over our city and fear came with it. My own home is far away from the river and in a higher part of the city. And while the kids and I were spared the devastation of property there is a profound feeling of sadness for those whose homes were impacted. And let me say that the word impacted seems somehow so incredibly inadequate. We use that word but it means nothing compared to the sewage filled, disease ridden waters that in some cases rose almost to the second floor of homes. My heart aches for these men, women, and children who once had homes that were their little piece of the world. The place that defined them, that told their story. Dead fish and black mould now fill their sanctuary. I mean, how do you even express to them how sad you feel for them? You simply can't....there just aren't words.
But as the waters receded something no less than a miracle happened. Stories of 4 year olds handing out food. A shelter for teen mothers began to collect cleaning supplies and distribute them to families that need them. Neighbors covered in grey mud slog together to clean out their mangled homes. Complete strangers show up to help knock out dry wall and strip a basement down to the studs because they saw a post on Kijiji asking for help. Armies of volunteers roam the streets until they find someone in need....and it's back breaking labor folks. There is nothing glamorous about it. And yet there are thousands and thousands of "unaffected" Calgarians that can't get there fast enough. We want to do this work.....this disgusting, smelly work that ruins the clothes you are wearing, makes you hurt so bad you can't stand it....yet we are there for one another. Countless companies paying their employees regular wages but allowing them to volunteer wherever there is a need. Lemonade stands popping up to raise money. And landlords waiving rent for the month of July to allow their tenants to get back on their feet despite an enormous financial hit they themselves will take.
Calgary never left, we just forgot how to see it for awhile. We are the biggest small town you could ever find. We may have gotten sucker punched by the Flood of 2013 but we turned around and kicked it's ass. Yahoo!!
