It's amazing how you can get used to almost anything, given enough familiarity.
Think about the people who live down in the U.S. Midwest's so-called "tornado alley."
Despite Mother Nature regularly raining devastation down on their heads, these steadfast people build right back up and hope it doesn't happen again.
I'm sure some can't leave because of circumstances out of their control, but many come from long generations of folks who've lived in the same parts and had to suffer with the same troubles.
Through experience and education, they've learned to manage the risks and mitigate the dangers.
It's just the way things are.
It's normal.
It would be a huge news story if even the smallest funnel cloud came down in Squamish, but in the U.S. Midwest the same thing probably wouldn't even register unless it took a few roofs and a herd of cows away to Oz.
Of course, this area of the world has its own things that need getting used to if you come from somewhere else.
I'm originally from just outside the metropolitan city of Montreal, so you can imagine what was going through my head when, in my first week or so in Sea to Sky country, a bear broke into my basement suite and tore my kitchen apart.
I had just moved to Whistler to work for the newspaper, and had even written one of my first stories about bears breaking into neighbourhood houses for food.
Writing about bears, and facing one while in your underpants (me, not the bear - but wouldn't THAT be a story?) are completely different things, let me tell you.
I spent time in the military, and as a city boy I've faced some scary situations, but when a 300- to 400-pound bear growled and bluff charged at me, I ran screaming like a girl as fast as my legs could carry me.
I know you're not supposed to run, but my feet had ideas of their own, and my brain was too busy going "ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!" to be any use whatsoever.
Fast forward to more than a decade later and I see bears all the time grazing on the side of the road, on my favourite hiking and biking trails, and even once or twice outside my door right in suburban Squamish.
No problems now.
Folks back home can't fathom living in a place where bears roam all over, any more than we can fathom living where tornados wreak havoc.
They get even more freaked out when they see reports of bear attacks like those in the news recently, or you tell them stories about cougars in the area, swatting at mountain bikers and carrying dogs away.
Think about this, though.
We all live in a place where real-life lions wander around the forests (as well as black and grizzly bears), and most of us still continue to enjoy the outdoors, hike or bike the trails, and go about our business as usual.
It's indeed unfortunate when encounters with wildlife turn tragic; however, the good news is those are actually rare occurrences.
But that's because, through education and experience, locals manage the risks and mitigate the dangers.
It's just the way things are.
It's normal.
But I still wouldn't live in a place called "tornado alley."
