In a reputable university, in an overcrowded city, there is a small patch of green. People walk around it, over it, through it. Even when it got barricaded for crowd control, people still found a way to walk around it, over it, through it. For the record, it is a soccer field. Okay, okay, field hockey/lacrosse too. Happy? Better make that football. The last thing I want to do is start off by ticking off a bunch of football players. It’s your space too. It’s all of our space.
Over the past year, we all tried to tackle COVID-19 as best we could. For some, it meant yoga mats on the university green. And while some opted for deep breathing, others opted for burpees, boot camp and fast footwork karaoke around orange pylons. Students tossed frisbees; boys played catch. The Fencing Club crossed swords; pole-vaulting resumed. But of course, the latter two were short-lived and back we were again in Lockdown. An 80-year-old man ran laps around the green all throughout. He never stopped. In 35 degrees celsius, he ran. In minus 40 windchill, he ran faster. All this, on a teeny tiny patch of green.
If only our city had more green. Imagine the possibilities. During this pandemic, Nigeria was thinking green. They were thinking so much green that it amounted to 5,360 trees being planted to combat deforestation.
(https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/03/how-we-planted-5-000-trees-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/)
If Nigeria can do it, then we can do it too. I’m not asking for 5,000+ trees to be planted overnight around our city. I’m just asking for a little more green space. So that people can find inner peace and recapture the physical activities they enjoyed so much, pre-pandemic. Do you know how nerve-racking it is to take a walk downtown? Walking used to be leisurely. Now it is plagued with thoughts of aerosols and variants. It may have been just a placebo effect, but the mere sight of green grass is soothing. Even if it happens to be artificial.
Apparently, I am not the only one who has developed a soft spot for green grass over the past year. In a recent survey of 1,600 Canadians, 70% appreciated parks more during this pandemic. Moreover, 82% acknowledged the importance of parks for mental health. Public parks are even perceived as “the great leveller” for this is where people from all walks of life converge. Take the name of a major park in Massachusetts as an example – “The Boston Common”. Exactly what it says – for the common people.
(https://policyresponse.ca/how-city-parks-can-be-part-of-the-covid-19-recovery/)
(https://thewalrus.ca/how-parks-got-us-through-a-tough-winter/)
Toronto is in the grey zone and outdoor dining resumed the other day. Inevitably, we will toss and turn between zones to the point of making everyone seasick. So long as this pandemic lingers on, let us hope that our green space will be available to us for the months to come. As long as I don’t get kicked in the head by a soccer ball players or get sweat splashed on me by a runner, I think we’ll be okay.
