In 2008, Town Council of Cochrane recognized the need for a new swimming pool and many of the residents, me included, were delighted. However, as costs escalated and the opening date was delayed from March to June and then July, it sometimes felt like it was never going to happen. However, on Sunday, July 30 our new leisure center was finally opened to the public.
Over the last month, I’ve gone down to the centre for a few swims and to check out the other areas. The facility is very impressive and is another feature for Cochrane to be proud of. It’s been great to see so many people there – families, individuals, youngsters and seniors – all enjoying the water.
In total, the centre covers 150,000 square feet and includes retail space, a new curling rink which has six full sheets and three for junior players, and will be open for other uses in the off season. There are also fitness rooms, programming space and tenant space that will help bring Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sport Centre as close to revenue neutral as possible. The pool itself contains a lazy river, leisure pool, hot tub, wave chamber, two slides, an eight-lane pool for competitive swimming, warm water therapy pool and a small spray park.
So, despite the setbacks with completion and cost of the project, in the end, it was well worth the wait and, as we know, that can be said of so many things.
But, in this age of ever-advancing technology, it is easy to become impatient. These days, nearly everyone now has access to a computer and most people have phones to carry around with them, whereby they can receive instant texts, calls and emails and take a photo or video whenever or wherever they are.
Gone are the days when you had to take your camera on holiday, reload the film and wait to get your pictures developed, in the hope that at least some of them have turned out OK. You can get information about anything by pressing a few keys and have access to people almost anywhere in the world. Which is all good, in a way.
Sometimes, though, having to wait for something isn’t a bad thing. It brings with it that feeling of excited anticipation and then the joy, when it finally arrives. Even more so when it’s something we’ve worked for or maybe an item we’ve saved for.
There’s an old saying, “Patience is a virtue...” and it is something that we need to remember and perhaps teach our children and grandchildren.
Technology is advancing at a rate never seen before and I can’t even imagine what devices our grandchildren will be using come the 2030s. But, there will always be things that need waiting for and, hopefully, they will be able to appreciate the experience.
After all, for our great, great, great - grandchildren, Santa Claus isn’t going to come any sooner!
© 2017 Martin Parnell
www.martinparnell.com
