26 Nov, 2023

I feel much more alive this week than last.

I even remembered to call my parents! They’ve been spending some time with my Uncle.

Apparently he doesn’t understand my way of life. It doesn’t make sense to him.

This was shortly followed by a classic comment about how when I’d be settling down.

They’ve yet to explain to me exactly why they feel this is so important. I expect it’s simply the belief that that’s just what people do. There is one correct narrative to life: School. University. Job. Large house. Family. Summer holidays. Retire. Expire.

Still, my mum is often right. Not always, after all, she originally told me moving to Canada wouldn’t be a good idea. But I do credit her with knowing me fairly well.

So, why might they be right? Well, the more I travel, the more I hone in on the things I love. That desire to be close to the mountains, particularly skiable ones. But, not somewhere so remote there isn’t a community to befriend. There’s only a limited number of place that fit the bill. It makes sense that I’ll pick one of them to call home.

Except, this also assumes that individuals don’t change over time.

The trend of my life isn’t looking convincing in favour of that argument.

Nine years ago I thought I’d live in London forever.

I bought a home there.

Seven years ago I thought I’d only ever live in English speaking countries, even if I was leaving London.

I sold my home to move to Canada.

Three years ago I thought I’d live in Vancouver forever, by the ocean. And the dog park.

I bought a home there.

Two years ago I thought I’d never leave Squamish.

I rented out my home to other people permanently.

One year ago I decided I would move to France.