Bonding in the Dark

Yesterday as my family was preparing for the evening’s social events we had a power outage.  The rain was pelting down and the wind was howling.  This was the second time we had had such an outage in our new-old house. 

The first occasion was during a hurricane at the end of the summer.  It was a little scary and it caught us off guard.  We had no water, toilets, telephone, candles etc.  Our neighbour arrived on our doorstep within a few minutes to see that we were ok.  Being that we were new to the neighbourhood and country living, she was worried for us.  She asked us to raid our fridge for anything edible and bring it to her house.  She gathered the neighbours for an incredible feast and evening of fun, laughter, and story telling as we watched the sun go down.  It was a great community evening.  We felt much better as we headed back to our house in the dark and settled down for the night.  We determined then that it was our gentle warning to be prepared for the winter months. 

By the middle of November we had the electricians out to wire the old house for a generator, and we finally purchased one and started preparations for the next outage.  But, we had not primed the generator yet when the final flash of lights went out last night.  We dug out the candles, flashlights and matches, and soon we were sitting in the “parlour”, (it is an old house), deciding which board game we should play, and thanking the heaven’s that the storm was a warm one at ten degrees. 

Our teenage son was whining about not being able to use his X-box, and my daughter put away Facebook.  The television was not a possibility, although with laptop computers we could use the battery power and still watch a movie.  But, that isn’t what living with power is all about.  This was time for us to be together without all the gadgets and gizmos.  The board games came out of the dusty old bins.  In no time, we were laughing and joking and just spending time together.  We were truly connecting as a family.

My son reminded me of another power outage when I had taken him to a dance workshop in Boston when he was twelve.  It was one of our first big dance training trips together.  We landed in Boston and after traversing the subway with all of our luggage for several hours to get to Lexington, we dragged our tired bodies into a restaurant next to the hotel.   We were really enjoying each other’s company as the rain pelted down outside.  As we were finishing our dinner and preparing to pay – the power went out.  There was a room full of dumbfounded people all wondering how they would pay for dinner with no credit card opportunity and cash only becoming the means of paying.  Soon all the tables were talking to each other asking for change for a twenty, and finding change to use for tips.  We met some incredible people that night as we talked and waited for the lights to come back on. 

One couple that we were chatting with were enthralled that we were from Canada and that we were dancing in Lexington.  They offered us a ride in their car to the local grocery store.  Normally I would not make it a habit to jump in a car with a stranger – especially with my son in tow, but it was pouring, we needed a lift, and we had just spent the last 15 minutes in the dark getting to know this couple.  So, with a little apprehension we accepted the offer and off we headed.  The couple was very excited to show off their town, so instead of heading straight to the grocery story they took us on a tour of all the historical spots in Lexington.   In 1860, Paul Revere raced through the countryside on his horse to warn the colonists that the British Army was coming.  We saw sights, talked history and got a great feeling for the place.  They dropped us at the grocery store about an hour later wishing us well.  What started out as an initial evening in a strange town, warmed to a welcoming into the community with history and pride displayed in the incredible hospitality. 

With the invention of electricity our lives have opened up to so many incredible possibilities, and at the same time, our modern dependence on electricity has created some limitations for us too.  It amazes me how people can connect when modern convenience disappears, and how time stands still for those occasions. 

Raised as a city kid, our first power outage on our acreage was a scary occasion.  Now, as we become more prepared to handle the challenges, I do look forward to letting the world fall away with its seeming demands on us.  I look forward to finding memorable moments that we can share as a family, or as a neighborhood, or as a community.  Life has so many wonderful gifts for us when it is just about being together.

Life is About Creating Yourself!

As I face my first few words as a new blogger, I am faced with the daunting task of introducing myself to the world.  So, who am I?  Why would someone want to read my thoughts and feelings?  What do I have to say?  Wow!  I feel like I am back in Junior High and faced with an English essay assignment.  What will be my catch phrase be?  What is my conclusion?  What does the teacher want?  Yikes!  I thought I had left that world behind.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I do love to write and I am thrilled I am not getting graded on this, but I do hope I am worthy of your time to look at my words.

Who am I?  I am a wife.  I am a mother.  I am a sister and a daughter.  I am a recently retired Dance Studio Owner.  I am a teacher.  I am a new resident of Cape Breton Nova Scotia.  I am a former Albertan who now gets to reflect about life on the prairies while enjoying life by the ocean.  And, I am rediscovering parts of myself that got lost in my profession and the demands that it placed on my time, my family and my friends.

In my daughter’s room is a sign on her bulletin board that she looks at each morning and night – “Life Isn’t  About  Finding Yourself, Life is About Creating Yourself”.  When I asked her where to start, she wasn’t much help, but her bulletin board sure was. 

For the last 14 years I have been spending parts of my summer in Cape Breton Island, specifically Mabou on Route 19.  I have been embracing the music, the dance and the culture and letting it spill out of my pores in Alberta during the off season.  This past February my family and I decided it was time to chase the dream and make the big move to the place we were missing with every breath of our days.  I sold my business,  I transformed my profession, put the house on the market, and packed up the moving truck.  Within a few short months we were trekking across the country and heading towards a new home and a new way of life.

I thought I had found myself already.  I thought I had created the person I wanted to be.  But what I noticed every day,  was that the schedule was predictable, the demands were the same, and I had created a life that was fabulous but consistent.  If I were to pass from this world tomorrow, would I be happy with all the choices I had made?  Would I have chased my dreams?  Would I be happy with the successes I had achieved and sustained?  Yes, I would.  But, what if I didn’t leave the world tomorrow?  Could I try something completely different?  Could I embrace shaking up the core of my being?  Would I find something I didn’t know existed, and would it be better than where I was presently viewing life?

Many people are happy to live in the same house for most of their lives, work at their profession until retirement at 65, and then look at doing some travelling in old age.  Why wait?  What are you waiting for?  My husband and I had a plan, and we were on that path.  But, our hearts were really somewhere else and we wanted to be there.  We wanted to slow down.  We wanted more time together.  We wanted to be enjoying life, not just counting the days until we could experience the real things we wanted in life.  Life is too short to count down!

One of the most amazing experiences during this transitional period was the beginning of work with ACE Communities.  Active, Creative and Engaging assignments began to open up my world for consulting as a dance workshop specialist.   I had no idea the fun that I could have teaching dance in rural communities.  I discovered a lot about myself and my ability to teach on the fly when plans shifted on a dime.  I was amazed at the resources I had established and that I could share with others.  I had always worked for myself in the dance profession, and now I had a team and an incredible leader to guide me.  There was a whole other world out there once I left the safety of my dance studio space and my students and teachers.  And, working with musicians was a dream that I had had, but never had time to pursue.  Our ACE team consisted of two dance teachers and two musicians.  We were all passionate about the Arts and all eager to share.  Working as a professional team was uplifting and fun.

So, I have begun the process to re-create myself, and it is a fun and eye-opening journey.  There are days that are challenging, and I wonder if I should have held on to those incredible students I had trained.  Then there are days when I get to sit at my computer and research background on new programs I am building about dance and movement, and I feel free with the time that is in my own hands.  And then there are days when my husband and I have a nap in the middle of the afternoon, and we smile at each other and repeat our new motto:  Because we Can!  Life is what you make it, and we have choices.  I embrace each day and the new opportunities.  “Life is About Creating Yourself” and I am thrilled to say: “Because I Can!”