A whole new world

As I sit here, looking out the window at the blue sky, slightly pink from the setting sun, I wonder what others around the world are seeing out their windows. I have spent a lot of time in my life wishing I was somewhere else. The saying is true that the grass always seems greener on the other side.
I have spent years… literally years… wishing that I lived in Prince Edward Island. I wanted it so much that I actually applied to the UPEI, even though I knew that I would never be able to go there. It’s such a peaceful place, a slower pace, nice people and water as far as the eye can see. Heaven.

But as I have gotten older and wiser, I have taken a closer look at the province…the unemployment rates, the lack of modern healthcare, the absence of both The Keg AND Costco and I have come to realize that this idyllic spot is maybe not the perfect haven I once thought it was.

One trip in December to Vancouver has made me think that maybe this is the place for hubby and me. After all, it has water AND mountains, and is really very beautiful. But then I read the news and see stories about a rash of gang-style killings and think…hmm…the worst thing gangs are doing in London is writing graffiti on the walls. But we don’t have a Granville Island, Stanley Park or Purdy’s Chocolate. Well, the last one I can live without, but the first two are fantastic.

But there are so many places in this world I could imagine us…Chicago is awesome, I know I would love NYC, we enjoyed St. Maarten immensely when we went there on a cruise, I’ve always wanted to see Australia and I’m sure it would be fun to live there, at least for a while.

And what about all those places I've never even considered. Maybe I would love Morocco, maybe Norway is my perfect place, or what about Italy...I can live on pizza and pasta, I'm sure of it.

But I can’t help but wonder if it’s the destination that is really important, or the fact that it would be a change. It’s easy to get into a rut sometimes, and you find yourself doing the same things day in and day out, not even thinking about the world that surrounds you.

Some people are quite content to settle in for the long haul and are happy to have the same routine every day. I am that type of person, to an extent, but a little voice inside of me tells me that there is so much more out there for me to see and do. It has nothing to do with unhappiness…I love my husband, I love my job, I love our life…but rather the fact that I never want to look back and regret not having experienced all that this life has to offer.

I have always lived life on the safe side. As a child, I was much more grown up than many grown ups are today. I spent a lot of time trying to take care of those around me, and in the process, didn’t allow myself to have the same childhood that my friends did. Oh, I played with toys and got in a few good games of Hide and Go Seek, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t enjoy my youth with reckless abandon, and for that I’m sometimes regretful. But is it too late to recapture that youth? My tired body and grown up mind seem to think so, but my heart isn’t sure.

So as I watch lightening streak across the sky, lighting up everything around it, I wonder what life holds in store for me. Will there be an opportunity for me to explore the world around me? To be brave and try something new and exciting, just to say I did it? To visit a place I never thought I would get to go?

It’s hard to know what life has in store for us, but there is one thing I know for sure … when I listen to Great Big Sea, or crack open a lobster, or sing my favourite Anne of Green Gables song, I am instantly transported back to my little piece of heaven and maybe, just maybe, that’s good enough.