Between Human Cruelty and Human Kindness — Saskatchewan to Manitoba, Canada

I spend a few more hours in Moose Jaw, most of it walking around town and waiting for my appointment.

One of the reasons I took the hotel is because my left hip has been bothering me for a while now. I know I need to give myself a break, but lately the pain is increasing, and I am hoping a healing massage will help.

I also know I need to do a better job of not driving for too long. I need to stop more often, walk, and gently stretch. The thing is, that is not always possible. Sometimes the roads are long and rural, with no shoulders and no safe place to stop.

I get to Regina in the evening and enjoy a walk through Wascana Park.

For the night, I find a spot near Cabela’s. It is a quiet parking lot, and there are two other vans there, so I feel safe enough to stay. However, it is a tough night.

I cannot find a good position that does not hurt my hip, and I know I need to make some changes. Driving to Riding Mountain National Park is not going to happen. I let it go.

But first, I need to get up, find a park with a picnic table to lay my yoga mat, walk a little, and move my body gently.

I call Mel, my dear friend, a Pilates instructor who has always been such a supportive presence in my life. She is part of my Power Girls text group, and even from far away, I know she will be able to guide me.

It seems I have been doing the wrong exercises for a while, and that probably aggravated my left hip even more. It is beyond frustrating.

This is where I lose my patience with myself. My spirit feels so young, vibrant, curious, and excited to live, yet my body is asking for something slower, and I do not always appreciate the direction it is taking me.

After my morning session with Mel, I finish my breakfast. I am about to wash up with my little faucet when a woman approaches me.

“New York? You drove from New York?”

And just like that, a beautiful conversation begins.

The connection is instant. Two souls, meeting in a parking lot, both carrying respect for the universe, love, and kindness.

This wonderful encounter lifts my spirit. I am so grateful for Marilyn and her beautiful energy.

Before leaving Regina, there are still two places I want to visit: the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and the RCMP Heritage Center. Since Deb told me she donated her own flashlight to one of the displays, I feel honored to go and see it.

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is so well done. My favorite section is the history of Indigenous people.

I feel a deep respect for Indigenous cultures and their way of seeing life, honoring the land, the animals, the ancestors, and the connection between all living things. It is heartbreaking to think how much wisdom and beauty were lost through colonization.

My Canadian friends warned me that driving through Saskatchewan and parts of Manitoba would mean long stretches through very rural areas.

They were not kidding.

There are hours of driving through open land and farmland. Do not get me wrong, I love it. I always enjoy a good view of farmland. There is something simple and grounding about it, something basic that brings me a lot of joy.

I also take very seriously the advice to keep my gas tank at least half full.

That is a definite must!

I am heading to Winnipeg, where I can regroup for a few days, and hopefully, some rest will ease my hip. I break the drive and find myself at Moose Mountain Provincial Park.

It is quiet and peaceful. I enjoy a gentle sunset, make dinner, and settle in for the night.

I am not sure at what point during the night the rain starts. By the time I wake up, it is pouring.

The slow, relaxed morning I had planned is no longer possible. I set everything back into driving mode, jump into the driver’s seat, and head out.

I continue traveling east, cross into Manitoba, and realize I have also changed time zones. Just like that, I am now in Central Time.

Oops. The next coffee shop or gas station on my route is more than an hour away.

Eventually, I make it to Winnipeg.

It feels like a good place to regroup, take care of business, and do an oil change, especially because I am not sure when I will be in a city again.

I am once again humbled by the kindness of people who begin as strangers.

Peggy and Steve open their home to me. The only connection between us is Janet, because Peggy and Janet are cousins. Otherwise, I am a total stranger.

And still, Peggy and Steve welcome me like family.

They spoil me, give me a place to rest, and send me on my way with so much care.

My main stop in Winnipeg is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

I spend several hours walking through the exhibitions, witnessing history, some of it familiar and some of it new to me. I feel my heart breaking again and again. Learning about the cruelty of humankind toward one another is heartbreaking.

I consider myself an open-minded person, but there is still one question that continues to baffle me and stop me in my tracks:

What makes one person think they are better than another?

How do humans come to hurt, reject, or dehumanize others because of culture, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or simply because someone lives differently?

I keep coming back to the same simple truth.

We all enter this world the same way, with one first breath of life.

And we all leave this world the same way, with one last breath.

How, in between those two breaths, do we forget the loving and kind heart we were born with?

After spending hours inside the museum, holding the heaviness of what humans are capable of doing to each other, I feel even more grateful for the kindness Peggy and Steve showed me.

Again and again, the road teaches me the same lesson:

Yes, there is pain.

Yes, there is uncertainty.

Yes, there are long roads, pouring rain, and plans that need to change.

But there is also kindness.

There are strangers who become part of the story.

There are conversations in parking lots.

There are friends who guide me from far away.

And there are people who remind me that even in a world that can be so broken, the human heart still has the power to open, heal, and welcome.