This morning, I woke up feeling refreshed.
For the first time in a while, I had a really good night's sleep. I got up slowly, had my usual morning routine, and turned on the radio.
Then I heard the weather reports from yesterday.
Wow. What a storm.
On September 2, 2026, a powerful storm swept across parts of the Greater Toronto Area. The reports described large hail, torrential rain, flooding, fallen trees, damaged cars and even tornado activity in some areas.
Some of the pictures and videos were astonishing.
Cars were caught in flooded streets. Water rushed through roads and parking areas. Trees were knocked down, sometimes taking power lines with them. Hailstones battered vehicles and buildings. In some places, the damage was serious enough to make the GTA look completely different from the peaceful communities we know.
And yet, sitting here this morning, everything feels so ordinary.
That contrast struck me.
Yesterday, some people were running for shelter, trying to protect their homes and cars, or simply trying to get safely home.
This morning, people are getting up, making coffee, going to work, taking their children to school and checking the damage left behind.
Nature can change the atmosphere of a city in just a few hours.
Watching the storm through other people's eyes
After hearing the radio reports, I became curious.
I decided I would look at some of the videos people had taken during the storm.
YouTube has become a fascinating record of moments like this. Instead of waiting for the evening news, we can now see what happened through the eyes of ordinary people who happened to be there.
Someone captures hailstones bouncing off a driveway.
Another person records a street disappearing under floodwater.
Someone else points a camera toward a fallen tree blocking a road.
These are not professional news reports. They are personal moments.
And sometimes those personal recordings tell the story better than a television report can.
Living through changing weather
Having lived in the GTA for many years, I have experienced plenty of Canadian weather.
We have snowstorms, freezing rain, heat waves, thunderstorms and occasionally very powerful winds.
But weather seems increasingly unpredictable.
One day can be extremely hot and humid. The next day, a violent thunderstorm can arrive with very little warning.
It reminds me that, despite all our technology, we are still living with nature.
We can build tall buildings, drive modern cars, communicate instantly around the world and use artificial intelligence to analyze enormous amounts of information.
But when the sky turns dark and the wind becomes violent, we are still remarkably small.
A quiet morning after a noisy day
That is perhaps why I appreciate this morning even more.
I had a good sleep.
The house is quiet.
The storm has passed.
And I am sitting here thinking about what happened yesterday.
There is something comforting about waking up after a frightening event and realizing that a new morning has arrived.
For those who suffered damage yesterday, the cleanup has already begun. Trees need to be removed. Cars need to be repaired. Streets need to be cleaned. Homes and businesses need to be inspected.
Life goes on.
That is one of the things I have learned during my own Grandpa Journey.
We cannot control everything that happens around us.
Sometimes the best we can do is stay calm, stay safe, help where we can—and wait for the storm to pass.
Yesterday, the GTA experienced a powerful reminder of that.
This morning, I am simply grateful to be here, rested and watching the world begin another day.
The storm has passed.
And Grandpa Journey continues.
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Video archive: Backyard fence blown down by tornado couple years ago.
🌪️ 席卷大多伦多地区的暴风雨——2026年9月2日
今天早上醒来，我感觉特别精神。
昨晚睡得很好。对我来说，一觉睡得安稳，本身就是一件值得珍惜的事情。
早上起来，我照常开始一天的生活。后来打开收音机，听到天气新闻，才知道昨天大多伦多地区经历了一场相当猛烈的暴风雨。
哇，昨天的天气真的不简单。
9月2日，一场强烈的风暴横扫GTA部分地区。
收音机里不断传来令人吃惊的消息：大冰雹、暴雨、严重水浸、树木倒塌，部分地区甚至出现了龙卷风。
有些地方的情况相当严重。
汽车被困在积水中，有些道路几乎变成了河流；大树被强风吹倒，有的甚至连同电线一起倒下；冰雹猛烈地打在汽车和建筑物上。
听着这些报道，我脑海里不断浮现出那些画面。
而我坐在家里，却觉得今天早上一切都那么平静。
这种反差让我想了很多。
昨天与今天
就在昨天，有些人还在暴雨和狂风中寻找安全的地方。
有人担心自己的房子。
有人担心汽车。
有人可能被困在路上，只希望能够平安回家。
而今天早上，人们又重新开始了生活。
有人起来准备早餐。
有人赶着上班。
有人送孩子上学。
还有很多人已经开始清理昨天留下来的残局。
大自然有时候只需要几个小时，就可以完全改变一个城市的面貌。
用YouTube看看昨天发生了什么
听完早上的天气报道，我产生了一个念头：
我要到YouTube看看昨天的风暴。
现在这个时代很特别。
过去，我们只能等电视新闻播出灾情。
现在，只要有人拿着手机，恰好身处风暴现场，就可能把整个过程记录下来。
有人拍下冰雹不断落在车顶上的画面。
有人拍下道路被洪水淹没。
有人拍下倒在马路上的大树。
有人记录天空突然变黑、狂风突然袭来的那一刻。
这些不是专业记者拍摄的新闻片段。
它们是普通人亲眼看到、亲身经历的真实记录。
有时候，这些普通人的视频，反而比新闻报道更加震撼。
我们永远生活在大自然之中
在GTA生活了这么多年，我已经经历过不少加拿大的极端天气。
我们有暴雪、冻雨、酷热、雷暴和强风。
可是这些年来，我越来越觉得天气变化有时候真的很难预测。
前一天可能还是酷热难耐，第二天却突然来一场猛烈的雷暴。
这也提醒了我一件很简单的事情：
无论我们的科技多么先进，我们仍然生活在大自然之中。
我们可以建造高楼大厦，可以驾驶现代化汽车，可以通过互联网瞬间联系世界各地的人。
我们甚至可以使用人工智能分析海量的信息。
但是，当乌云压下来，狂风暴雨突然袭来的时候，我们还是会感觉到自己的渺小。
风暴过后的宁静
也许正因为这样，我更加珍惜今天早上的宁静。
昨晚睡得很好。
今天早上精神不错。
窗外已经恢复了平静。
我坐在这里，一边喝着咖啡，一边想着昨天发生的事情。
风暴虽然过去了，但对于受到影响的人来说，真正的工作才刚刚开始。
倒下的树木需要清理。
损坏的汽车需要维修。
被水浸过的房屋和商店需要检查。
道路也需要重新整理。
生活还要继续。
这也是我这些年来走过 Grandpa Journey（爷爷之旅） 所学到的一些东西。
我们不可能控制生活中的每一件事情。
有些事情突然发生，我们无法阻止。
我们能够做的，是保持冷静，注意安全，在能力范围内帮助别人，然后等待风暴过去。
风暴会过去
昨天，大多伦多地区经历了一场猛烈的风暴。
今天早上，我却能够安静地坐下来，睡得饱足，精神 refreshed，看着新的一天开始。
这让我想到：
人生有时候也像天气一样。
有阳光的时候，我们享受阳光。
风雨来的时候，我们尽量保护自己。
风暴过去以后，我们重新站起来，清理残局，然后继续向前走。
这就是生活。
今天早上，我只是觉得自己很幸运。
能够平安地坐在这里。
能够睡一个好觉。
能够看到新的一天。
风暴已经过去。
而我的 Grandpa Journey，还在继续。
2026年9月3日
加拿大安大略省 Richmond Hill
September 3, 2026 — Richmond Hill, Ontario
