I have to admit, the unanticipated gem of my visit to Trinity Western University has been nothing other than Tim Hortons. Now, I have to admit, as I did many times on this trip (and those from the Columbus area can understand), I thought it was an Ohio chain! I mean, it's had a merger with Wendy's, and according to the current Wikipedia entry (which isn't always the most reliable, but nearly always the most convenient), it has more stores in the Columbus area than in any other US metro area.
So when I first arrived at the Toronto airport, lo and behold, Tim Hortons everywhere! And they dominate the Canadian fast food scene.
You see, Tim Hortons exemplifies down-to-earth excellence. 24-hour quality coffee and a large variety of donuts for a reasonable price! A good place to chill at any hour of the night or day. And I suppose I enjoy it more because it reminds of home, of Buckeye country.
Now, Tim Hortons kept me from going crazy last night. Let me explain. I got talking with a student named Justin at TWU, and in typical friendly Canadian fashion he showed me around town, around Vancouver. We saw some churches, some great downhill views of the cityscape and landscape (breath-taking, even at night!), and walked around the downtown. It was all going well until we forget where we parked...so the next 3 hours (no joke) ensued with at first "Hey, this is funny, eh?" to "Where's you car, dude?" to outright panic. Needless to say, I discovered firsthand 1) the value of taking note of where you park, especially in large metro areas and 2) Justin wasn't lying when he said he had a bad sense of direction! So once the panic ensued, we stopped at the nearest Tim Hortons, enjoyed some double chocolate donuts and hot coffee (it wasn't "freezing" outside, but definitely cold), and rested our feet. At this point I had laid out a new exhaustive method for sweeping the streets in a zig-zag pattern up the major avenues we knew the car was between so that no moments would pop up again where we said, "Wait a minute, didn't we go here once we parked?" We stuck to the method, even when one of us thought we were "feelin' it," and the car was found since probability took its course. Crisis averted.
I should mention, the somber part of the night was meeting this Australian chap who was in dire straights. I didn't understand the details, but basically he had been wandering around the city that night in need. He said no one else had given him a chance to talk. His hands looked nearly frost-bite and he had some mild Tourette syndrome! He clearly wasn't a bum going by his appearance and accessories. He told a sad story that basically that night he needed $20 more to get a bus ticket to see his daughter. There was something about a manager who went on vacation and papers he needed from him. The story sounded shady, honestly, but he clearly wasn't a bum and it brought us to tears to see the sadness in his eyes and how he debased himself in begging so fervently. He said he'd give us his headphones, iPhone, and even shoes for the $20. We didn't want to do that to him and Justin hooked him up after quizzing him a little bit to see if this guy was for real and I gave him my business card with my email. I told him to email me how it went with a picture of him and his daughter. I've prayed for him, and we'll see what happens....
So thank you Tim Hortons for memories of home, a refreshing brew, and fresh donuts. The sun is now rising here in the Toronto airport as I sip my brew, and I will once again cling to my wife, be reunited with my love (parallelism). Life is good.
Oh, and just a side note. Despite all the news about it, I haven't gone through any body scanners or gotten "groped" so far, despite all the security gates I've been through. Take that for what it's worth?
