“What exactly would you do if you stayed home?” Kevin looked at me as I stared at my little two-year daytimer. Keep Calm & Carry On is emblazoned on its pale blue cover. I refer to the cover quite often.
He had a new plan that I didn’t think was particularly calming. “It’s simple,” he said. “We’ll drive to Saskatchewan this Sunday and stay for a week. You fly home on the 3rd so you can catch your flight to the U.K. on the 4th. Then, I’ll drive back to Vancouver with Cory and Lea. On the 12th, I’ll fly out to join you in London.”
I was suggesting that this might be, well…maybe too much. Too much packing. Too much driving.
Just. Too. Much. I’m older now. I don’t want to be a perpetual motion machine.
Maybe, I suggested hopefully, we could go to Saskatchewan when we returned from the U.K. on October 1st? Maybe, we could stay here and deal with the remaing stuff from our move? Maybe, we could get the last remaining crap off our balcony before the neighbours start a petition?
Or how about this?! Maybe we could pretend we actually live in Vancouver on a quasi-full-time basis?
Kevin is a man with strong opinions. Imagine having to live with that? I mean seriously, I am so demure and acquiese far too much. I hardly ever challenge him and his forceful ideas.
Oh. Right. This isn’t a blog of fiction. This is supposed to be true stuff. It might be true, that I too, am a woman with strong opinions. Still. I maintain that Kevin is a man to be reckoned with. Luckily, I’m usually up for the job.
But what I love about him (and the very thing that frustrates me in equal measure) is his ability to make me consider my position on things. So, I mulled over his question again. What would I do? I would certainly continue schlepping stuff from this corner to that in an effort to make it all fit. I would blog three days a week. I would go for walks, work out and cycle a bit. I would go see my dad once a week. I would see my friends. In short, I would get settled into a new routine.
But, aside from the cycling and the gym, it was clear to me that my life was/is quite portable. That is, I could do all of the above (except for that stupid schlepping!) while traveling. Well, almost all of the above. I would not get out to see my dad. But if I stayed back for him and he found out? He would not be happy. My dad likes that I travel and he likes praying for me wherever I am in the world. He likes telling me that too. He says things like, “I prayed for you every night that you were in South Africa.” He knows that he has a hand in my safe return.
And too, there would be no settling in. That’s quite true. There would be no settling.
However, one of the big reasons for downsizing was to do more travel. Opportunity was knocking and I was busy complaining about the noise.
Plus, there were big added bonuses. It would be a chance to hang out with some truly fine family at Wakaw Lake. A chance to see everyone in person instead of in Facebook photos. A chance for us to fit a little camping in on the way. A chance to have a holiday together. A chance to escape from perpetual downsizing-mode. Besides, if we weren’t here, I wouldn’t be reminded of what still needed to be done.
So. This Friday, I will do my last blog post from Vancouver.
After that? I’ll be coming at you live from the road, whether the road is on the way to the Canadian Prairies, or from somewhere in England, France, Belgium or Holland.
Wherever. Whenever. However. Whatever.
Traveling Light will be coming in from Somewhere Out There.
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Fabulous that you are joining your hubby. We will be heading out that way in 2 weeks so please blog about the worthy spots on the way. I am thrilled to be able to shut the door behind us and leave “regular life” behind for awhile.
Barb, I can’t wait to hear about your epic journey across the country and into the U.S. Sounds amazing. I want YOU to keep notes of worthy spots as well 🙂 I’m really looking forward to everything and quite ready to leave this mess behind too!
I totally get this. My life seems to be on a permanent rinse & repeat cycle, and yet it all seems so delicate and my presence necessary. I like that Kevin pushes you to take a step or two sideways to look at things from another angle. I have to constantly remind myself that nobody dies if I take a break for a new perspective or press the ‘reset’ button on a day or week.
So last night Diane and I got dinner on the table early enough to take out our 12′ Trixie in Sechelt Inlet for fishing, farting around, and some freedom under the full moon coming over the eastern hills. The fact that we nearly went insane from not catching a fish despite being in the middle of what seemed like thousands of them boiling all around us is beside the point! By the time we hauled out at almost 10, the boat all cockamamie on the trailer, we had definitely forgotten what work was like earlier in the day, for the fresh hell we were in was, well, fresher :P)
As the dearly-deceased Dorothy Parker so succinctly said, “What fresh hell is this?”
Indeed. Sometimes we jump out of the pot into the fire, but hey! it’s a different type of heat.
The moon was truly spectacular last night. It must have been even more beautiful from the water. So, I’m sure there were moments of fabulousness (in between wanting to kill each other as things went askew).
But really…what more can we wish for than the odd bit of wonderment in between the other ‘stuff’.
Sounds like you have a plan! Have a wonderful time in Saskatchewan and London! And you’re right, sometimes when you’re away travelling you think you don’t really need everything you have at home – you can do with so much less. Probably all you need is your laptop, and then you can do what you do from anywhere in the world! Enjoy…
Thanks for the good wishes Janice aka Sand in my Suitcase. I think you know of what I write 🙂
And yes, it certainly seems like a plan. My laptop fits in my daypack, along with a spiral-bound notebook, a few pens and my camera…I have an entirely portable office.
Toss some clothes in a bag and bon voyage!
There is only one kicker (pun intended). I have to figure out what shoes to take. Sigh. That is always the killer decision. What to slap on the feet for optimal versatility…