It has been a surreal six months but I think I can finally almost call myself a nomad of sorts, couch surfer, free spirit (my favourite 😊) …. whatever?? 😊!! At least for the time being. I hope to explore yet more of our world in the coming years. The wanderlust never totally seems to leave me. I need to dust off my gypsy boots and see if they still fit!

My children, grandchildren and sisters are the recipients of most of my furniture and all the various makings of a home … the bedding, dishes, cutlery, glasses, pottery, pots pans, art, endless knick knacks from our travels around the world, Persian, Turkish, Indian carpets, Buddha sculptures of wood and jade, art , etc. etc. …. whew … one collects a lot over the years in the process of creating homes as our family grew. The remainder were either sold at an estate sale/garage sale or given to a family of new immigrants.

I did set aside a few pieces of furniture for the two studio condos that I purchased and rented out. There is apparently a shortage of rental properties in Calgary and indeed everywhere in Canada.

I know there are many family and friends who consider my decision to downsize to the degree I have rather strange and unorthodox … they are correct … it is!! I do not personally know of anyone else who has done this. Instagram however, has a handful of nomadic folks I like to follow that may have had a slight hand in the decision 😊! Time will tell if I will regret it but somehow I doubt it.

I do however, feel a delightful lightness of being for the first time in many years.

After the upheaval, I joined my daughter and grandkids in Victoria and Glen Lake for parts of July and August. I had a month on my own after the kids went home, hopping around Vancouver Island trying out various tiny house Airbnbs, testing out the accommodation waters for the foreseeable future, feeling more comfortable daily, taking up less space, less clothing, less everything.

To share a bit of the history … With over 10,000 years of history in the region, the Ktunaxa (pronounced K-too-nah-ha) people are a resilient, proud people with a unique culture to celebrate. Despite the dark historical period of these abominable Residential schools and their impact on generations of our Indigenous throughout Canada, the Ktunaxa have powerfully chosen to reclaim the St. Eugene Mission building and move forward, taking over running the Mission and Golf Resort, presenting a place for both learning …. (I attended an informative talk, walked through the museum and watched a documentary on the Residential school from the perspective of the few remaining survivors) … and provide economic development for future generations of the first Canadians of this region in the Kootenays.

From the breathtaking views of the valley to the historic photos that line the red brick inner walls, it was an opportunity to reflect on a part of our Canadian history that was kept from us for well over a hundred years!

In more ways than one, it was perhaps the best place to bring closure to my summer …. a summer of both immense joy, beauty and release. So, yes, it was fitting that I find myself sitting near a teepee, in a reflective introspective mindset, surrounded by nature on these Ktunaxa lands …. very healing.

Stay tuned for stage two on my journey into the lightness of being 😊.