The defining moment in my life that shifted the way I was thinking...and brought me to ubuntu.
Great question. Tough to answer.
In the sense of living and breathing and working and playing.
Deepak Chopra said that and right now, I could burst from all of the changes and resulting chaos in my life.
After sixteen years (seven of which I spent in Winnipeg), I am no longer a Manitoban. I remember when we first moved to Manitoba from Alberta...I was dead set on not becoming a Manitoban. I had barely even heard of this province and Virden - never (I was only 10 and an ignorant Albertan). But in the last sixteen years, I've grown a huge love for the province of a thousand lakes. Without this move, I would never have my Makamaka sisters or my Habitat for Humanity friends or any of the other beautiful souls I graduated or volunteered with. I wouldn't know Winnipeg and how much of a gem that city is, or my Hep family, my Village home or my college friends. And I honestly don't know if I ever would have found the people and funds to help me travel and see the world. There is so much this Manitoba time has brought to my life.
So, I have just a bit of chaos and confusion in my heart. I am crying one second and completely excited the next. This house is just about the only house that's ever meant something to me. The walls hold memories of love and fondues and snow golf and bumps and bruises and heartbreak and happiness. The deck had dance parties and graduation pictures and arguments and debates. The basement had tears and studying and laughter and friends. And the town? This town has held tons of nights out, parties, boredom, endless summer nights, friendships, and love for me. So to leave it behind, for now, is heartbreaking.
Yet, when you've never belonged anywhere it doesn't feel that weird to be uprooting and moving yet again. Yet it's not just me, it's my whole family. Within a few months of each other, my parents are moving to Swift Current, my sister to a farm near Gull Lake and I am moving to Kelowna. On a whim. With my brothers in Saskatoon, it will be amazing coming home to all of them within a three hour radius of each other (this has never happened in my immediate family), never mind that my Grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins and well, our Riders, are close. But it means that there's no more coming home for the holidays here and that can bring with it a lot of change as we grow up, as friends move and grow apart.
The one thing I know for sure, especially from our history of moving, is that it's through change that we discover what we are capable of. And what can come next. I have many goals for myself for this next chapter in my life and I can only hope that Kelowna is the gateway for me. I know in the end, it's never about the place you're in, but who you're with...but I also believe that we carry people in our hearts wherever we go. And you can never have enough new experiences or friends if you have an open heart. So with this move, I'm trying to remember both of those elements while getting to create a new life in a beautiful environment. I'm looking so forward to being around like-minded people, visiting markets and vineyards and hiking on the property where I'm renting. I want to canoe and snowshoe and drink cozy tea in cozy cafes. I'd love to start the bookstore / fundraising venue I've always dreamed of. And to maybe even start writing? The opportunities are endless...if only I have the courage to fully be present and take them. Letting go of what life has been like in Manitoba will be hard, but necessary. A new chapter is starting, while all of the characters I've met here will remain in my heart for good.
I move to Kelowna Sept. 15th. This means 15 days of literally living out of my car, at the homes of family and friends whom I am so lucky to call mine. I've been living out of a suitcase for over a year now, but the real gypsy life starts now. And then finally - in 15 days time - I will be settled with a place to call my own.
Here we go!
After sixteen years (seven of which I spent in Winnipeg), I am no longer a Manitoban. I remember when we first moved to Manitoba from Alberta...I was dead set on not becoming a Manitoban. I had barely even heard of this province and Virden - never (I was only 10 and an ignorant Albertan). But in the last sixteen years, I've grown a huge love for the province of a thousand lakes. Without this move, I would never have my Makamaka sisters or my Habitat for Humanity friends or any of the other beautiful souls I graduated or volunteered with. I wouldn't know Winnipeg and how much of a gem that city is, or my Hep family, my Village home or my college friends. And I honestly don't know if I ever would have found the people and funds to help me travel and see the world. There is so much this Manitoba time has brought to my life.
So, I have just a bit of chaos and confusion in my heart. I am crying one second and completely excited the next. This house is just about the only house that's ever meant something to me. The walls hold memories of love and fondues and snow golf and bumps and bruises and heartbreak and happiness. The deck had dance parties and graduation pictures and arguments and debates. The basement had tears and studying and laughter and friends. And the town? This town has held tons of nights out, parties, boredom, endless summer nights, friendships, and love for me. So to leave it behind, for now, is heartbreaking.
Yet, when you've never belonged anywhere it doesn't feel that weird to be uprooting and moving yet again. Yet it's not just me, it's my whole family. Within a few months of each other, my parents are moving to Swift Current, my sister to a farm near Gull Lake and I am moving to Kelowna. On a whim. With my brothers in Saskatoon, it will be amazing coming home to all of them within a three hour radius of each other (this has never happened in my immediate family), never mind that my Grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins and well, our Riders, are close. But it means that there's no more coming home for the holidays here and that can bring with it a lot of change as we grow up, as friends move and grow apart.
I move to Kelowna Sept. 15th. This means 15 days of literally living out of my car, at the homes of family and friends whom I am so lucky to call mine. I've been living out of a suitcase for over a year now, but the real gypsy life starts now. And then finally - in 15 days time - I will be settled with a place to call my own.
Here we go!
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