Image by Mohamed Hassan from PixabayJ and I have worked hard to make our lives something we are proud of. We have tried to maintain a certain set of values and be role models to the boy and the girl. Like all parents looking back, I think we have succeeded, but of course could have always done better. I want to continue being a role model for my children and the people around me and one of the ways I can try to do this is by setting a good example. I have learned many lessons throughout my life but something that seems to be standing out more and more to me in the last few years is that we can always make more money, we can always get more stuff, but the one thing we will never get more of is time. We all have a set amount of time and will not be able to make more of it, so what will I choose to do with mine?
New Year's Day 2013 Bush Hike near Grande Prairie, ABAs J mentioned earlier, I had recently made a transition in my career from an active role in operations to a management job. This was very good for me and a great way to decompress, slow down, and start seeing things from a new perspective. In the short time I was in this new role, I was able to make some impactful changes for the organization, and forge many new and meaningful relationships, so I don’t begrudge myself one minute I spent in this role. But I saw a shift in my thinking. In the past, when I was not at work, I was often thinking about work. In this new role, I found that when I was at work I was often thinking about my personal life and very much looking forward to my free time that I could spend with my family. My original plan had been to spend a few years in this role while I prepared for my retirement. I would just accomplish a few more things and save a little more money. However, I spent my days in my office looking out my small window, watching the precious few hot summer days slip by and hoping the weather would be nice on the weekend, so J and I could break away from the long list of tasks we had at home. I began to wonder why I was letting these days pass me by and just hoping I could spend time with J. What was most important to me? I knew I still had value to give to my employer, but could I reconcile that I had given enough and could leave, proud of what I had accomplished. J and I discussed this so much that I think she was starting to dread the quiet moments where my mind would inevitably drift to retirement; what it would look like and how could we afford it. I would discuss it ad nauseum and rehash it over and over, using her as my sounding board. She never wavered, she would support me no matter what I wanted to do: work or retire. She was very patient and allowed me to navigate, at my own pace, to a place that she always knew I would end up; retired and happy I had done it. I decided that I wanted to spend my time and energy living my new dream.
That dream was to not use up any more of my days looking out the window, but to get out and make the most of every moment. I knew that to make the most out of every day I needed two things: 1) I needed to spend as much time as possible with J and ensure that every day she knew she was the center of my universe, and 2) I needed to be in a climate that was hot, where the sun shone, and I could live an active outdoor lifestyle.
Taboga Island, Panama Dec 2019
We are on the verge of undertaking our greatest and most exciting adventure yet, even more appealing because we are doing this side by side. At this time, we are planning to move to a small fishing village in Belize, but we don’t know exactly what this will look like yet; what we can find to rent or buy, or when we can buy a house. Since we will have the car, we hope to explore Belize and find the right place to live. If all goes well, we will return to Canada in the spring, sell our house and nearly all our worldly possessions other than a few keepsakes and what we can pack into our little car, and again head south to Belize and begin calling it home.
Image by Stephane VERNEY from Pixabay
If the past has taught me anything about J and I, it is that at best, our plans can be described as flexible. Just because this is our plan doesn’t mean that this is how it will end up. But there are a couple things I am certain of: we will face some challenges making this all happen, but we will face them together, as a team; we will be warm and have a place to sit together to have a cocktail and laugh about how we got where we are; and we will have learned from whatever the challenges were. We do well to find the good in almost every situation, and standing together, we will find warmth, sunshine and happiness wherever this new adventure takes us.
Everyone must choose their own path and find what fits for them. I would encourage you to consider that time is finite and at the end of our days, all we are left with is our memories.
What will you do to make yours great?