- an article I wrote to document our "big move"
When I recently moved to little Rossland from the Lower Mainland, I didn’t know I would be ringing in the New Year watching CBC in my new long underwear! Is this exerpt from rural Canadiana really the life I signed up for?
To be truthful, sleep beckoned and wooed me in by 10, thereby rendering me asleep for the big event. And did I mention I have two “kidlets”, 3 and under, so my hubby and I haven’t exactly danced in the New Year for a while.
Despite its lackluster quality, January 1, 2007 proved to be a memorable eve. My husband and I had just moved our little family here to accomplish resolution #1 – to live intentionally and I threw in #2 – to live with joy.
Resolution #1 was inspired by an intentional and welcome maternity leave. It was all the nursing, playing and cuddling of a newborn that reformed this once “type A” city-slicker.
Frustrations mounted, however, when the pace of life seemed to dictate otherwise. That pace grew frenetic with a return to the workforce, adding a second baby and single parenting in the absence of a stressed-out father.
But then that stressed-out dad dared suggest a lifestyle change.
Except my husband, from small-town Nova Scotia, was born snow-worthy and had already made one great pilgrimage in his life. I, on the other hand, was a native mild-climate city-dweller. City people like me don’t dare leave for small town life; it’s those small towners that move to the big city!
Funny how most of the people I’ve run into in my new small town have come from places like Victoria, Vancouver or Calgary.
Funnier still is the irony of “hipster” girls in mild Vancouver wearing their knee-high, fur trimmed boots to the mall (yes I’m guilty), while the “hipster” girls in the Kootenay mountains wear their low-slung, lace-up skate shoes in 3 feet of snow. So when I could once deceive myself into thinking I was “cool” I am now considered “practical”!
Despite my initial resistance - only to be overcome with divine intervention - we played the game of “spin the map of BC” and landed here. Here to a snow covered mountaintop with no jobs, family or friends to justify the move.
How am I going to live up to resolution #2 – to live with joy?
Easy!
I have my husband home all day while he renovates, infusing heritage charm back into our heritage home; my kids benefit from a dad who is now present, introducing our daughter to ice-skating and our son to sledding; my knee-high, fur trimmed boots were extremely functional for the 110th Rossland Winter Carnival this weekend; and “Kootenay time” affords us the luxury of intentional living. To live with purpose and let that purpose dictate our daily life will be the source of my joy in 2007! And I take it as a good sign that New Years was comedy night on CBC and I laughed my butt off in my fur-trimmed boots, thus fulfilling resolution #2!
To be truthful, sleep beckoned and wooed me in by 10, thereby rendering me asleep for the big event. And did I mention I have two “kidlets”, 3 and under, so my hubby and I haven’t exactly danced in the New Year for a while.
Despite its lackluster quality, January 1, 2007 proved to be a memorable eve. My husband and I had just moved our little family here to accomplish resolution #1 – to live intentionally and I threw in #2 – to live with joy.
Resolution #1 was inspired by an intentional and welcome maternity leave. It was all the nursing, playing and cuddling of a newborn that reformed this once “type A” city-slicker.
Frustrations mounted, however, when the pace of life seemed to dictate otherwise. That pace grew frenetic with a return to the workforce, adding a second baby and single parenting in the absence of a stressed-out father.
But then that stressed-out dad dared suggest a lifestyle change.
Except my husband, from small-town Nova Scotia, was born snow-worthy and had already made one great pilgrimage in his life. I, on the other hand, was a native mild-climate city-dweller. City people like me don’t dare leave for small town life; it’s those small towners that move to the big city!
Funny how most of the people I’ve run into in my new small town have come from places like Victoria, Vancouver or Calgary.
Funnier still is the irony of “hipster” girls in mild Vancouver wearing their knee-high, fur trimmed boots to the mall (yes I’m guilty), while the “hipster” girls in the Kootenay mountains wear their low-slung, lace-up skate shoes in 3 feet of snow. So when I could once deceive myself into thinking I was “cool” I am now considered “practical”!
Despite my initial resistance - only to be overcome with divine intervention - we played the game of “spin the map of BC” and landed here. Here to a snow covered mountaintop with no jobs, family or friends to justify the move.
How am I going to live up to resolution #2 – to live with joy?
Easy!
I have my husband home all day while he renovates, infusing heritage charm back into our heritage home; my kids benefit from a dad who is now present, introducing our daughter to ice-skating and our son to sledding; my knee-high, fur trimmed boots were extremely functional for the 110th Rossland Winter Carnival this weekend; and “Kootenay time” affords us the luxury of intentional living. To live with purpose and let that purpose dictate our daily life will be the source of my joy in 2007! And I take it as a good sign that New Years was comedy night on CBC and I laughed my butt off in my fur-trimmed boots, thus fulfilling resolution #2!
