#i love what my mind conjured for this and i cant wait to (hopefully) write it down

[silhouettecrow]

365 Days of Writing Prompts: Day 23

Adjective: Flowery

Noun: Cascade

Definitions for those who need/want them:

Flowery: full of, resembling, or smelling of flowers; (of a style of speech or writing) full of elaborate or literary words and phrases

Cascade: a small waterfall, typically one of several that fall in stages down a steep rocky slope; a mass of something that falls or hangs or in copious or luxuriant quantities; a large number or amount of something occurring or arriving in rapid succession; a process whereby something, typically information or knowledge, is successively passed on; a succession of devices or stages in a process, each of which triggers or initiates the next

[kootenaygoon]

So,

What an overwhelming experience.

I just watched Amy Bohigian's Knowledge Network documentary Only in Nelson, and I could barely handle the nostalgia. I was stoked to make a tiny cameo appearance (it shows my byline and uses my photos from the 2014 election), and to see some of my favourite Kootenay people on screen: Kori Doty, Anna Purcell and of course Deb Kozak.  

I thought Amy did a masterful job of touching on the social issues facing that little mountain town, capturing the unique creative spirit of the community and establishing the larger-than-life personalities of people like Bubbles the Clown, John Dooley and Howie Ross. Without being heavy-handed, she also explores the dark realities of the street and drug culture - acknowledging its long-term relationship with the illicit cannabis industry and including the Baker Street beating death of Matty, my buddy from Red Sands, in 2018.

It was incredibly surreal to see the places I lived, worked and played for four years conjured on screen. (Goddamn, I miss it.) I couldn't help but compare Amy's version of Nelson to my own, as I put the finishing touches on my memoir This is how you talk to strangers. Hers is sunnier, and a little more hopeful, but both of us are essentially writing a love letter to one of the most special places on Earth.

At the end of the documentary, Anna says "we tell stories and stories are contagious". She encourages the "meaning-makers and storytellers" to be "so tender and careful about the stories they tell about our city and really make sure they feel true". I think Amy accomplished exactly that, and hopefully one day my book can as well.

When it came time to see the election results, I was surprised to find myself legitimately upset at the outcome (which I already knew). I thought Deb was a visionary mayor who was treated unfairly and definitely deserved a second term. She had a huge impact on my life, was always there for me as a friend and pseudo-mother, and she genuinely wanted to build bridges (like BOB) between the polarized factions of Nelson. Now that she's running for the Senate, I cant wait to see what she accomplishes next.

At the end of the documentary Deb says "my biggest fear for Nelson is that the community becomes so divided, and if you're divided fear seeps in and the rational mind doesn't work well. There are some big things that are happening in the world, and I would like our community to be able to face those things no matter how tough things get and be able to stay in love with each other."

Amen.

The Kootenay Goon