When I launched my website I didn’t intentionally omit where I live to make it sound like I float aimlessly amidst the clouds, it’s just that I didn’t know where I lived.
Fun, right?
Before 2020 hit, I made the decision to uproot my Vancouver life and move to the mountains. With my family on Vancouver Island, I figured a move was the perfect opportunity to take some time to spend with them. Really, I was hoping that by parachuting myself into their lives for two straight months I could make them forgive me for moving even further away than I had for the prior 13 years. (This backfired.)
My move was scheduled for April 1st.
Do I need to explain why that didn’t go as planned? Insert world pandemic here. Not everyone who had their life plans disrupted was so lucky as to have an amazing family to lean on. I am so fortunate to have been able to spend the worst of the pandemic isolation phase with my family. This really kicked up the ante on project make-them-sick-of-me. But apparently they just got really used to having me around and were even less agreeable to my move. Oops. They weren’t the only ones who got more attached; it was hard for me, too . Especially with the most adorable 8 and 6 year olds you’ve ever met asking for “Aunty Jill” to stay forever. My heart will never be the same.
Time went on and eventually moving was once again a possibility.
Has anyone moved recently? Isn’t packing and unpacking just your favourite activity? (cue eye roll). Let’s blast through that part.
I have now landed in my new home in the picturesque town of Revelstoke, BC.
And what a home it is. I fell in love with Revelstoke nearly four years ago, but only truly admitted it to myself this past fall while visiting. There is something about the mountains that soothes me, makes my heart feel at ease. Revelstoke is surrounded on all sides by peaks, each with a unique personality that I learn a bit more about each day, as I gaze up from a new vantage point, or while the sun highlights a different scar.
For this coastal girl who has never lived more than a 10 minute drive from the ocean, water is a must for my sanity. Instead of salt, I now walk along converging rivers and visit nearby lakes. While the scenery is incredible, all good things in life require more than physical beauty alone. A huge part of what pulled me towards building a life in Revelstoke is the people. The sense of community here is unlike anything I have encountered. I’ve been lucky to have many incredible friends, across many towns and cities, but here, in this place, I feel like I’ve found my people.
So there you have it. My June 2020 summed up: Launch a business that lights my heart afire, move to a mountain town that feeds my soul, then pause and breathe it all in.
– J.
