Life is but a dream

I don't know if I'd say I am rowing my boat gently down the stream.. 

Image shows Lisa and Max making funny faces as they sit in kayaks on the Columbia River. You can see the high-water levels on the river in the background. Max's arm is holding onto the side of Lisa's kayak.

... but the stream is flowing and I am keeping up.

It's been a little over two weeks since I moved from the dreamy little mountain town I called home for 1.5 years, to another dreamy hot springs-centric community nestled between the Rocky and Purcell Mountain Ranges. I had a friend come to visit the other weekend and we were reflecting on the magnitude of change in my life in the past two years. 

Two years ago I was in the final semester of my Master's - living in the hustle and bustle of East Vancouver - commuting 1.5 hours by bus to get out to UBC Campus, a mere 18km away. In these last two years, I've moved five (5!) times - temporarily back in with my parents in Deep Cove, then to Cranbrook for a 3-month stint before jumping ship to the much more desirable town of Kimberley 30 minutes north, then moved 5-minutes from that place to live with one of my best pals in our fancy huge-windowed appartment, and finally, moved an hour up the Valley to live with my sweet darling in our off-grid Tyvek-wrapped tiny(ish) house that he built (and has more than a few quirks).

A photo of the main living quarters of the house. It is late evening and the sun is pouring through the window casting a golden glow on everything in the room. The image shows a cuttered table, a dog sitting in the foreground, and highlights the stolen ski sign above the window which reads "Dreamer" - a blue ski run sign.

Now I am blessed to call home the little hamlet (perhaps?), apparently home to just 476 permanent residents. Less than a 10-minute walk away, there are panoramic views of the Columbia Wetlands, which are widely known for their unparalleled biodiversity. Along with the hundreds of bird species that call the wetlands home, many days you'll find a large herd of elk hanging out in the area. To have this unique and majestic ecosystem in "my backyard" (acknowledging that I am a settler on unceded ʔakisq̓nuk lands - ʔakisq̓nuk means: people of the land between two lakes) is something unbelievably special. To be a guest on these lands is an absolute blessing. 

I could not have predicted two years ago that this is where I would end up. You just never know what stream your boat will carry you down - but thankfully this one has been merrily for me. 

I find that with rural living you somehow tune into a different frequency. I am appreciating the very little things, like having an organized spice rack. Really appreciating that.

Image of the spice rack area. There are 3 rows of magnetic spice racks, 6 spices in each row. The jars are each labeled with a spice and arranged in alphabetical order. Below the 3x6 rows of spices are other miscelaneous spices sitting on a wooden shelf. To the side of the spices are jars of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and balsamic vinegar.

Lazy mornings drinking coffee in a hammock have become the weekend ritual. I feel in no rush to get going with the day. Through my line of work, I have been reading, hearing & learning a lot about Rest is Resistance, the power of rest in reclaiming our most basic humanity; something our society has largely disregarded in the name of capitalism.

Image shows Max laying in a hammock, holding Ricky (dog) in his arms. They are both looking towards the camera. It is a sunny day, Max is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and sunglasses.

"You were not just born to center your entire existence on work and labour. You were born to heal, to grow, to be of service to yourself and community, to practice, to experiment, to create, to have space to dream, and to connect." - Tricia Hersey, Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto

We were born to create:

Image shows a wooden chair with a newly upholstered seat cushion on it. The fabric on the cushion is maybe an Aztec-inspired geometric design with dulled/neutral colours - burgundy, mossy green, dark navy blue, a rusty orange, and a salmony pink colour. The rest of the chair is a standard wood chair with wooden columns for a backrest.

Image shows Max in an apron seated at a pottery wheel. In front of him is a bowl-shaped clay structure positioned in the center of the wheel. 

Image shows Max pouring a layer of clear apoxy over a large slab of wood which has been lightly burned using a tiger torch to highlight the grains of the wood. Max is wearing surgical gloves and distributing the apoxy in one even layer across the slab of wood.

My sweet boy has never been more tired and more happy in his short life. If I were a dog (and in charge of my own destiny), I would chose to live here, hands down:

Image shows a selfie of Lisa and Monty. It is a very close up of Monty's nose/snout as he lies on the couch cuddling with Lisa. He looks tired/pensive in the photo, and Lisa is making a smirky face behind him, enjoying the couch cuddles!

It's now Sunday evening. I have had a wonderful weekend of riding bikes, hanging with good friends, getting to know new friends (coworkers), cooking up some delightful vermicelli bowls, and engaging in some good old-fashioned rest. 

Photo shows a mountain bike trail from below. Higher up on the trail is a very small-looking person on their mountain bike, ready to descend down the trail. Large, towering trees are shown from the below angle making them look massive. The cloud in the background is blue with scattered cumulus clouds.

We watched The Grizzlies (produced by the incredible Alethea Arnaquq-Baril), which I truly believe is one of the most important, heart-wrenching and honest films highlighting many of the challenges faced by Inuit (a raw glimpse into the youth suicide crisis), but also showcasing Inuit resilence and the transformative potential of sport. A must-watch for all Canadians, in my books.

Now I have stayed up writing far past my bed time - I have an early start tomorrow - but I am closing off this weekend with my heart bursting at the seams. Feeling unbelievable greatful for where this stream has carried me.

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