The Middle

The sun is shining, and Vancouver looks gooood.

From my 17th floor perch, I can see the city all dressed up in its Sunday best as it prepares to welcome hundreds of sweatsuit clad olympic hopefuls. The mountain tips are peeking out the top of the clouds, the grey sky has finally changed back to blue, the winter air smells of rain and pacific ocean salt.

I'm home.

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At first, it was hard to be here. At first all I could think about was the white sand beaches and sweltering noonday heat I had left behind. I had dreams of limestone holds and peeling right handers, I could still taste the mango sticky rice and chicken tikka masala.

And when I looked out the window, everything was grey, and cold, and rainy, and I didn't think I wanted to be here. What was I coming back for? What about this life could be better than the one I just left?

Then, on Sunday afternoon, I walked my little brother down the street to catch his bus back to school.

"Ok. See you next week!" with a smile and a hug he was off.

And that's when it hit me: I actually WILL see him next week. Because I know where I'm going to be next week.

I will still be here.

For the first time in what feels like an eternity, I am going to be in one place long enough to make plans. I am going to be in one place long enough that goodbye doesn't have to mean forever anymore.

Back somewhere where you don't need to say goodbye, just 'see you later'.
Amazing.


Suddenly, little comments mean something completely different to me.

Wow, you're blonde!

My hair is indeed lighter - and you know that because you've known me for longer than a month. Which means I don't have to tell you my life story. You're already a part of my life.

I remember that!
You remember things, because we have a shared past. And a shared future.

Let's hang out at my place.
You have a place where we can hang out, and it's actually yours, not a hotel room or a shared room in a guesthouse. It's yours.

All the comments that seemed so offhanded before, all the sentences that just used to be words...now they're something more than that. Now they're a reminder of how wonderful it feels to be part of something. To share.


And although I know my love for the road will never leave me, although my full time job will always be to adventure and wander and experience, although I will never stop wanting to challenge myself with new suns and borders and faces, this has been a pretty long shift.

So I'm going to take a coffee break for a few months, and enjoy THIS part of my life. Spend time with my family and friends.

Live.

Check ya later.













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Thanks for coming on the ride with me. Thanks for your support and your words of encouragement - they helped!

The stories written here are just a few of the thousands that have made up this last year. And for the price of a beer or a cup of tea I'll share a few more with you, face-to-face.

Or you could buy a plane ticket instead. Go make your own stories.
Just a thought......