Slippery sidewalks

No, I am not going to rail about the state of Montreal sidewalks. I'm going to rail about the people who can't stop railing about the state of Montreal sidewalks instead.

Oh, the irony, I know.

As Powell and I were driving back from Vermont today, we happened upon another talk radio show urging callers to share their complaints about icy sidewalks, snow-bound streets, etc.

Perhaps the radio show host doesn't really care about the sidewalks. Perhaps he simply needed a hot topic that would get the phones ringing. But I've had it with all this complaining already.

Allow me to make a few friendly reminders:

• The Ville de Montreal does not run this city. Nope. Mother Nature runs this town. We live in a place that experiences deep winter, so stop complaining that getting around is hard. Sometimes all the salt and gravel in the world cannot counteract the whims of the Big M, so don't waste your time pointing fingers and muttering. Hello!? Any of you remember the Ice Storm of '98? In the Tremblay vs. Winter bout, I'm putting my money on the white giant. 

• If most of you wore decent boots, walking would be a far simpler task. For example, UGG boots and leather booties with three inch heels were not made for our harsh winters. So don't give me that shocked look when you wipe out in your dainty footwear and I fail to shower you with compassion.

I love listening to talk radio and engaging in debate (even if it's only yelling "You tool!" at my car radio), and as an avid walker, I too get frustrated with slipping and sliding, but I am soooo tired of listening to the world complain incessantly about situations that can only be accepted, and not modified.

Be upset that a closed coroner's office is delaying the funeral of a Canadian soldier. Be saddened that financial woes may have led to the deaths of three children in the Saguenay.

But icy sidewalks? Leave earlier. Take public transit. Buy crampons. And be grateful that winter is the least of your worries.