Journeys

The Music

2010-04-30T18:34:00.001-07:00

I found the CD amongst the things you left behind for me when you left. It was the music you listened to as a teenager when the "Big Bands" were popular. I closed my eyes and I imagined I was there. Maybe it was Mom you were dancing with--I couldn't clearly see her face. It might have been 1947 or 1948, 'round about when you two would have first met though.

The dance hall was filled to capacity, and the band was playing all of the classic Glenn Miller hits. There you were, dancing like you didn't have a care in the world. You were young, untouched by the trials of adulthood; the lines of life not yet etched on your face as they were by the time I knew you. You had your whole life ahead of you; ready to take on the world. After all, it was a whole new world, shaped by the just-ended war.

I wanted to talk to you, introduce myself, but I knew I couldn't. I wanted to tell you how much I missed you; how empty the house is that was once yours. But, I knew I couldn't. This was your moment, your time; and I was not part of it. I could only watch, and smile; for I knew the great things you were yet to accomplish, and the wonderful and loved man you were throughout your life.

My friend once said she wished there was a phone in heaven so she could call her father. I too wish I could call you and just talk like we once did. I miss those times, but I know the richness that was your life is woven deeply into the fabric that is my life. You were Superman to a little blond kid who scrambled fearlessly down the trails we hiked together--oblivious to any danger, because he knew Superman was there to keep him from all danger. I had to be your Superman in your last days here. You taught me well.

I miss you. Tell Mom I miss her too.

One Year (March 17, 2010)

2010-03-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

What is a year? You could see it as 365 days, or 8,760 hours; if you want to dig down into real minutia, it is also 525,600 minutes, or 31,536,000 seconds. One year is roughly the time it takes for the Earth to orbit the Sun once (it's not exact, hence the need for leap years). However, a year is much more than that. As I think about the past year in my life, it can be a time in which the very foundation of your life can shift dramatically.

Today, I am one year into what I have called "A Journey of Life". On March 17, 2009, that journey began with a phone call from my Dad, informing me of my mother's passing. What a year it has been. In that time, I learned of the tremendous and expansive influence my Mom had in her community, and of lives she touched. She was a mothering figure to many more than just myself and my brother. It was just her nature. I think it is truly what she was best at. In some ways, she has continued to "mother" me, in ways big and small. I felt her strength of character bolster me as I dealt with my Dad's illness and death later in the year.

Now, one year after her passing from this earthly existence, I am embarking on a new life, facilitated in part by the legacy she and my father have left for me. One of the greatest lessons I learned from my parents over the years is how every dark cloud of adversity carries with it a silver lining, and how important it is to always seek that silver lining. You can either let adversity drag you down and keep you there, or you can gather strength from those tough situations and use it to pull yourself up. For me, the silver lining is my impending move back to British Columbia (where I grew up), and the beginning of my new life there. By re-visiting my past, I have, interestingly enough, found my future. If anyone had suggested to me one year ago that I would be resigning my job and moving across the country in the midst of an economic recession, I would have thought you were nuts! But, here I am; doing just that.

What form this new life will take has yet to be determined. All I know is that I have an inescapable feeling that great and wonderful things await me in this new life, and the harmonious way in which all of the details of this move have worked out so far just reinforces my conviction that I am on the right path.

Right now, my plan is to pursue post-graduate studies at a university in the Kelowna, British Columbia area, but that may change. Already, some of my initial plans regarding my move, which I thought were set in stone, have shifted slightly. I have possibly sold my car (the details have yet to be finalized, so it's not "for sure" yet), so I may not be doing the cross-country drive that this blog was predicated upon. I am continually learning that our human plans are always subject to change, and that we just have to be willing and open to accepting that change. I do not believe in coincidences. Everything happens as it does for a reason, and as part of a larger plan. We just need to be humble enough to accept those changes, and move forward with new plans. When we do, great things happen.

I am, and always will be, grateful beyond words for the love and guidance my parents gave me as I grew up, and throughout my adult life. Humanly, they were always rocks I could grab on to when the currents of my life got too turbulent. Now, to a human sense, I am on my own, and while there is rarely a day or week that goes by without some moment of missing them, I know that I have learned all the lessons I need to learn from them, and am equipped with all that I need to live a life that would make them as proud of me as I am of them. They have done their job; I will continue to do mine.

Harmony (March 8, 2010)

2010-03-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

I always know if something is a right idea or right thing to do when some of the more daunting things that need to be done get done with far greater ease than I would have ever expected. That is certainly proving to be true as I move forward with my preparations to re-locate to Kelowna.

Last weekend, when I looked around my apartment, I felt overwhelmed with what looked like so many large items of furniture and other things that I knew I had to get rid of. I wondered how I would ever get it all done in just one month. Well, what a difference a week, Craigslist, and a productive weekend can make!

I have single-handedly sold or have people committed to buy almost all of the large-item furnishings I need to sell. Within seconds of posting things on Craigslist, I was getting multiple responses. A nice bonus, when it's all said and done, I will be over $200.00 wealthier. And here, I thought I was going to have to give it all away.

I am just enjoying the harmony that seems to be emerging from every aspect of this plan. Now, I know this is a right idea! I can't wait to start my new life in Kelowna!

Oh, and before I forget, here's another quote from A Father's Book of Wisdom to finish off this entry: "Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all-time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing." ~Vince Lombardi

Stuff (March 6, 2010)

2010-03-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

I wonder at times, if an intelligent extraterrestrial species were to spend time observing the supposedly dominant species here on Earth (I speak of humans), what odd idiosyncrasies they might notice. Perhaps it might be our propensity for dumb reality shows, or how emotional we get about sporting events. There are many. But, I think the one that might stand out the most is our propensity for acquiring and retaining stuff. I am definitely not a sluggard in the race to acquire stuff. I wish I was.

I am finding the preparation for moving to be cathartic. It's good to look at the material stuff and think about what is really needed, and discard the rest (well, I'm donating and recycling it). For one person, I've got way too much stuff. But, somehow, that stuff has become some sort of measure of our worth in this materialistic society, and we all--whether we care to admit it or not--fall into the trap at one time or another. I find myself multiplying the stuff I have by, well, let's think about the fact that the population of the United States is just over 300 million. That averages out to a lot of stuff! And, that's in just one country!

How much of that stuff do we really need? This is a question I am asking myself over and over as I decide what comes with me, and what gets given or sold away. It feels good to "lighten the load". I recommend this for anyone. I think a whole new economy could evolve from the re-purposing of all the accumulated stuff in the world. It can't help but be good for the environment too--think about the resources that go into the production of "stuff".

Well, I will end this post with a gem from the stuff I'm going through. It's a quote from a book my Dad gave me many years ago called A Father's Book of Wisdom. This book contains great quotes of wisdom and humor from the famous, and not-so-famous. From now on, I think I'll end every post in this blog with a quote from this book, as a tribute to the wonderful man who gave it to me. I'll start with a funny one: "First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down." ~Leo Rosenburg

In the Beginning (March 5, 2010)

2010-03-05T13:29:00.001-08:00

Last year was a year of incredible changes in my life. I started out 2009 with the two closest people in my life still with me--my parents. By the time the year was finished, they both had passed away. It was indeed a year of unexpected change. However, out of any adverse situation, I have always tried to find a silver lining, and this is no exception.

These past few months have proven to be a time of deep reflection for me, and a re-evaluation of the current trajectory of my life, and also of what is truly important to me. I have been given, through a modest inheritance, the unique opportunity now to be able to step out of my current career and life, take a break, and consider a change in direction. I know this is something my parents always wanted for me, and now I have the opportunity to use their legacy to build a new life for myself.

I have taken the first step in the journey to my new life; a step that both excites and frightens me at the same time. In the midst of a recession, I have resigned from my current job as a media producer for a non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, and am returning to British Columbia, Canada--the province where I grew up, and where my parents lived. My last day at work is March 31, 2010. I have been working for this same organization since 1999 in various capacities, and have grown tremendously both in my career, and as a person. It's time, however, for the next step.

This blog will be the story, both in pictures and in words, of my journey from Boston, Massachusetts to my new home near Kelowna, British Columbia--and some of my preparations in advance of this trip. It will be as much about my emotional and spiritual journey as it will be about the drive itself. Anyone interested in some slightly used furniture?

Since I have taken many road trips across the United States over the past several years, I have decided this time to drive primarily across my native country of Canada--something I have never done. Not only will this be my story, it will also be the story of the places and people I see on this trek across North America. I have heard it said often that the best way to see America is to get behind the wheel and drive through it and explore its back roads. I can attest to that first-hand. Charles Kurault definitely had it right. The same can also be said of Canada.

So, here I go!