The past 10 days have been a sort of homecoming and sort of journey continuation.
On February 24 we said farewell to Costa Rica and +35° temperatures and flew back to Edmonton, Canada, to -35 degree temperatures. Brrr…. Apart from the weather whiplash, what struck me most was the sudden lack of colour. After three weeks surrounded by vibrant flowers and flashy bird feathers, now all was white.
View from the airplane as we neared Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
We had a frenetic five days in Edmonton, catching up with colleagues, family and friends, running errands, refilling prescriptions, and managing to offload more of our possessions so we are now down to only one large suitcase each plus carry-ons for the next three to five months.
It was great to see my mother and daughter. We lucked out: the apartment unit right next to my mother’s was vacant so we were able to rent it and float freely between the two spaces. At one point I felt guilty about just sitting in my mother’s apartment working and not chatting with her, but she assured me that she was happy just to see me there. I didn’t quite believe her until that evening, when my daughter was sitting in our unit studying, and I realized that I was happy just to see her there.
It seems we forgot to take photos during our quick 5 days in Edmonton, but here are the two most important women in my life.
The time back in my home city also gave me a chance to test out a conclusion I suspected I’d finally reached about my life: that I am ready to “retire” from my business side. I hadn’t said anything publicly because I was afraid that once I got back to my regular environment I might change my mind. But as I tested out telling people – business colleagues with whom I am also friends – it felt right. I’m still a little afraid that I will change my mind after I’ve gone public, but I don’t think so.
I continue to enjoy not having the self-imposed pressure of maintaining my public profile, spending hours a day on social media, working to keep up with (or stay ahead of) the big names in my field. I no longer get upset when I see someone who I know is superficial but a great self-promoter get attention. Whatever. If that’s who the market wants to reward, so be it. I don’t have to play that game anymore.
I don’t feel any great need to go out there and “network” now that I’m back in Canada. It is great to see real friends, but I’m not tempted to go to business group meet-ups. I did it successfully for years, but it was never really me.
I’m still happy to speak or write for pay or consult if somebody approaches me with an interesting opportunity, but I’m not going to go out there seeking those opportunities. I’m lucky to be in a financial position where I don’t have to.
I’m looking forward to being able to spend more time on what DH calls “personal projects”: continuing to learn Spanish, writing purely for fun rather than for marketability, exercising regularly so I can improve my health, reading for pleasure, watching good shows, and volunteering.
Even in the volunteering role my focus is changing. I have served on volunteer boards for decades, in both the corporate and arts worlds. While I’d still love to be invited onto a paying corporate board, I recognize that’s not very likely, and I’m looking forward to choosing what nonprofit board(s) to serve on once we settle back in Edmonton. But I also feel that I’ll now be able to justify spending time doing some hands-on volunteer work, preferably with children. Perhaps a reading recovery program.
My only real work over this next stage of our sabbatical – three months in Vancouver – is to help DH with the conference he’s organizing and get the taxes done.
A beautiful view of Mount Robson, in the Canadian Rockies, on our way to Vancouver. Photo credit to DH.
We’re still not sure where we’ll spend June and July, before settling down in Edmonton in August. DH has a conference in Japan at the start of June. Sadly, because of the severity of my allergies to things like fish and sesame, I won’t be able to go with him on that trip. Not sure what I’ll do or where I’ll be, since our lease here ends at the end of May. A slow drive back to Edmonton? After that, we may end up returning to South America for the rest of the pre-Edmonton time, but nothing is confirmed yet. And I can live with that.
