When I moved to Red Deer from a town down the highway, I was shown how to maneuver around the outskirts of the city each morning to avoid the traffic lights and the jostle of morning commuters (yes, there is a morning rush hour outside the major centres!). It was a fellow I used to work with who showed me how to plot my strategy. From where I live in Red Deer to where I work 20 minutes down the highway, I could exit the city and go slightly further east, drive a couple of kilometres down the rural road, turn once or twice – and still end up on Highway 2 with only having to come to a complete stop three times, instead of stopping every other block through the city route. “You won’t even know you live in a city!” he declared.
But why, then, I asked myself, did I move here? Just to avoid it? There were many days, though, that I considered his advice an absolute gift. When I paused at one of the three complete stops to actually take the time and look around myself. The glow of the sun to the east, rising above ambling hills that were dotted by trees and cattle and fields… and little else. Watching the spring thaw lead to explosions of yellow canola bloom, seeing the ducklings waddle their way along the little pond at the second full stop, often spotting deer and once or twice a moose and her calf (which creates an opposite feeling to tranquility, to be sure, but is still a sight to behold).
Seeing magnificent Vs of geese making their annual migration – me issuing a silent welcome in the spring and a heartfelt ‘Godspeed’ in the fall – every single moment was something my siblings and cousins in Calgary could never hope to experience on their commute. Even my friends in Red Deer who hadn’t been privy to this outskirts-mapping idea didn’t get this simple pleasure. But I kept coming back to those words: you won’t even know you live in a city.
Well, living in a city is actually something I love. I grew up in Calgary, vacation in Toronto, and am planning a trip to New York. I moved to Red Deer because of its medium size, wide open green spaces and extensive path system, proximity to… everything. It has lots to explore, and retirement is giving me the time to do it! I’ve been out and about since arriving, of course, having eaten at many if not most restaurants in the city by now, watching for and attending literary events, taking in the occasional concert or play.
Choosing new approach of exploring beyond the usual fare to uncover more hidden gems was a commitment on my retirement list that I was suddenly keen to check off. My first retirement foray, attending a performance of the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Juno Award-winning Claude Lapalme, was a gift in itself. But while there, I ran into my old neighbor from my former town, met up with an old friend and garnered two invitations to other fun things in the city.
Eureka! Maybe all roads, everywhere, should actually lead deeper into the heart of any given city.
Sandy Bexon is stepping into retirement after over 35 years as a communications professional, reporter and writer. She lives in Red Deer.