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!”
