A friend of mine recently suggested that I should remove the last blog I posted, at the beginning of my longest summer. She said it made me look foolish, naive or was it shallow? I'm not afraid of being any of these things that most people avoid, partly because I have nothing to hide and I'm not ashamed of anything. Sure, the relationship with this vegan in St. Faustin turned out to be a big mistake for both of us, and I opted to leave by persuasion, after six days in captivity. I felt like some rare animal from the jungles of Madagascar that could not be caged. But I made my bed and I had the next four months to sleep in it. Three long months later I can say its been an interesting and very full summer for this dude. What made this solo trek bearable and enjoyable was being able to stay in touch with friends and family with my new smart phone. Yes, I can thank JoeAnne for helping to nudge me into the 21rst Century. I did do some solo trips to Mt. Tremblant and Lac Superior and other places in this beautiful part of the Laurentians, but my time and space was not my own, and hence colored my outlook with a certain foggy haze. I did not relate to the financial inequity that pervades this region and no matter how much I tried, I could never call this place my home.
Since leaving, I've lived in a yurt, an Air Stream trailer, a pop up tent on Brown's Lake in the Gatineau Park and have couch surfed all over the place. Some of these experiences have been wonderful, some I'd rather
not comment on. The one outstanding feature of this "living out there" experience, has been to slow time down in a dramatic way. Since I made my last entry in June I feel I have lived a lifetime and I'm not exaggerating. OK, maybe my life was a bit boring, lonely and predictable before I threw caution to the wind, but I'm glad I somehow found the gumption and courage to do what I did this summer. By renting out my house, this was a paid adventure. My "job" this summer was to boldly go where no Andre has gone before and shake up my world. I succeeded. My brother Marc was able to join me on an epic camping adventure across the US and I returned solo across Canada. Part of the excuse for taking this trip, complete with a brand new rented car, was to visit my sister Suzanne in Nelson, BC. As was a reminder of the hot and dry summer out West, there was thick smoke in the air.
Before Marc and I left on this bucket list adventure, visiting places like Devil's Tower and Yellowstone in Wyoming, Mt. Rushmore and Montana's Glacier National Park among many other cool places, I stayed with my oldest brother John and his lovely wife Louise at their new country home in Odessa, Ontario. Together we bonded over renovation jobs, camping trips and a few too many glasses of wine. I learned how to text with my new friend Teresa. I've learned to let life unfold as it will and should. I tell some people that I found a way to slow time down but when I tell them how to do it, they realize there's a catch. Putting yourself out there means you can't be "in here" where we call home with all our rituals and habits. Shaking things up can be scary and inspiring. I've taken the time to write a journal called "keep calm and take a road trip" which chronicles the synchronicity and adventure of letting go and flowing down the river of life...
Now I'm back but still shut out of my paradise on the Gatineau. Some friends have let me stay in their beautiful home in the area. I've got 5 weeks to go before I can go back so the adventure continues. I might not do something like this again or not too soon anyway, but my tenants have had a wonderful time in my place, it feels good to share the beauty of the Gatineau river. I know it will feel good to eventually go back home and be reunited with my cat JoJo, but until then I'm learning to swim in uncharted waters and taking my time to see what's around me and what's important. I know all my problems and fears will greet me when this is over, but I've learned something very special this summer. Don't be afraid to take a chance, and if your best plans don't work out, don't be afraid to do something else. Keep rolling with the punches. Life will unfold as it should. Maybe this experience has given me insight into what carpe diem really means for me.
Posts
