I am uncomfortable with complacency, always have been. My
head lives in the world of "What if?" It has led me through so many
wonderful and disastrous life decisions. From my fragile foray into performing
with Newfoundland and Labrador Theatre to puppeteering for kids, from
waitressing and bartending to ushering folks around the world as a tour escort,
I have had so many incredible experiences. My creative heart discovered a home
with our theatre troupe, Madcap Players, and my drive to know more, do more, be more, found its place in education as a teacher, a consultant, a post-secondary educator and an administrator. I
thank all of you who have been a part of those experiences that challenged,
enriched and fulfilled me. I am blessed, blessed, beyond blessed.
Still, it was not enough. It is no secret to those who know me
that stumbling across Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series ignited, in me, a
renewed passion for reading and writing. In 2008, I began my writing journey
with Raven's Path. What a buzz! It is a high so addictive that DH and I sat down
and made a plan that would allow me to sniff the sweet blossoms of fresh words
on a regular basis. It made no sense to give up a career I loved, a lucrative
one to boot, to chase dreams across the page. Yet, that is exactly what I did
because, you know, what if?
2015 was our first full year of embracing the new
"us". We snowbirded it (that really should be a verb considering the
number of Canadians who head south each winter), breaking from the mainstream
who head to Florida and, instead, went to Texas—because we met in The Best
Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1985. We were ecstatic with the unfamiliar
freedom, yet plummeted as we grappled with the lives and the careers we left
behind. The rollercoaster had left the platform.
A bitter ice storm and an eight-hour drive that turned into
fourteen hours, with many cars—including police cruisers—off the road, changed the
trajectory of our lives. DH looked at me the day after that intense drive and
told me that I needed to find a house that I wanted…in British Columbia.
Our path has been clear since that proclamation, but it has
not been without its peaks and valleys. Goodbyes are hard. Really hard. Hellos
come with challenges too. Yet, as we embraced new friends, we also discovered that we have not said goodbye to old ones.
In some ways we are more connected than we were when we lived amongst those we
love. You make that special effort to reach out. You recognize that it is no
longer sitting and waiting for you because you live around the corner. Some of
those friendships are glowing brighter because of the distance, some in spite
of it.
It's the end of the year, and our roller coaster seems to have
eased into the station. Let's step into the bar, pull up a chair and choose a
beverage. We'll lift a libation to celebrate the moment, the year, our lives. I'll begin with champagne, but I think it
needs to be followed by something a little more complex. Something
that reflects the choices we have made. Perhaps something shaken, not stirred.
How about you? What toast reflects the year you have left
behind? The year that lies ahead? Whatever it is friends, old and new, I lift
my glass to you and wish you the strength to pursue all of the what
ifs in your life.
Cheers!