Cypress Hills is—for Saskatchewan—the top of the world. Cypress towers over the prairies. During the last ice age when glaciers bulldozed the prairies flat, they never made it to those hills. It is one of my favourite places on this earth. I have not been everywhere but few places offer such a fantastic view of home. Saskatchewan certainly is my home and I certainly miss it—a lot.

Calgary is a beautiful city. It truly is. Leah and I went to the park to throw around our Frisbee (which turns purple (usually white) in the sun—it’s amazing) and go for a walk. The park over looks the downtown core, the southern side of the city and—last night—we could even see the mountains. The city is green and everything is alive. I suppose it should be said that everything is alive for now. Calgary is saturated with Hummers and so it’s really only a matter of time before they drive over all the cute bunnies and kill all the trees. But this isn’t about a tirade on Calgary. Calgary has it’s downsides and we all know them. It offers a lot too and I need to remember that.

But here’s what I know—nothing feels better to me than coming home to Saskatchewan. I breathe easier. My mind slows down and I can watch the wonder of the prairie unfold. There must be some sort of weird psychological switch in my head. It’s in Leah’s head too. It doesn’t matter that Alberta’s prairie looks almost identical to Saskatchewan, as soon as we crossed the border in Saskatchewan both Leah and I remarked how good it felt to be home. There is a weight and guilt that comes with living in Calgary, for me. Something about Saskatchewan frees all of that. I feel like I belong.

Calgary is our home for now. Saskatchewan, don’t turn out the lights, we’ll be coming home later.