To New Beginnings

And we're back!

To say I was on a blogging hiatus seems like a bit of an understatement. The truth is, I'm at the tail-end of a phase of (justified) internet paranoia that made me decide on a whim one day to make this blog invite-only. However, since I didn't invite anybody to read, I pretty much just pressed the pause button on it all and things were quite dead around here.

Writing is more fun when it's shared.

Since my last blog post I got a new job, finished said job, moved, got the ball rolling on my research, accepted a new job, moved again (this time several thousand kilometres away from home), got to travel through 11 U.S states.... just to name a few things.

The new job (which appears to be an excellent step in the right direction for my career) begins this week with an orientation, which I am sure will be riddled with dozens of cheesy ice-breakers, awkward introductions, and my favourite part: free food.

New province. New town. New job. New life. With all of these new beginnings, I can't help but be hopeful and optimistic. I feel like my life thus far has consisted of 24 years of mountaintop and 3 years of valley. These past 3 years have, in so many ways, sucked the life out of me and to be honest I miss my happy and light-hearted self. At some point things have to start looking up and I'm hoping that maybe this is the beginning of a steep incline. I just want, need, something good to happen. Jack Layton, the leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada and a man I greatly admire, passed away today. His parting words to Canadians were as follows:

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful, and optimistic. And we'll change the world."

I agree whole-heartedly. I cannot live my life waiting in fear for the next person I love to die. I have to make the most of my time here because this is it. This is all I get. One shot. I don't want to waste it.

During these past few months (between blog posts) I've also continued on a journey of learning and reflection that began probably sooner than I realized it did. And I'm not referring to my university education. I have read, studied, questioned, discussed, and pondered. I feel enlightened and am content and at peace with the things I am learning about life. I'm also feeling the freedom and sense of awakening that comes with throwing out the things that I had mis-learned. And oh, was there ever a lot of mis-learned information. It feels like finally rolling out of bed after a 27-year slumber (almost 27 anyway, happy birth-month to me!), opening my eyes and embracing the sunrise. I realize I'm being cryptic and for that I apologize, but that's all you get for now.

I think one of the main lessons I'm learning as I near my late-twenties is to never become comfortable or complacent. Life is too unpredictable and quite frankly too short. The fragility of it makes it all the more precious. Butterflies may not live long, but they live. You don't see them cowering in a corner anticipating impending doom. They dance through the air and explore their surroundings. They make the most of what they have. That's the best any of us can hope for.