I live in an interesting place. It's transient... remote and people will do crazy things to get here. Just yesterday I saw a Kijiji ad that stated someone was going to be walking here from Edmonton and was looking for a ride. (It's been -25 all week or colder... are you crazy?) People come here for so many different reasons and from all over the world. Yesterday I met a man we will call Chris as I have no idea what his name is. He is from Louisiana and if I didn't know that as soon as he started talking I had no doubt!
Chris came here to work as an ultrasound tech. He lived in Sask-at-chew-an (his pronunciation) for 4 years prior to coming here so assured me he is used to the cold. He was very entertaining as he shared his life growing up playing football against Brad Pitt and in college dating Cheryl Crow. In his southern drawl he talked of being on the set of the movie "White House Down" as it was filmed 5 miles from his house and got a free lunch for being and extra. His larger than life persona was refreshing and did his job quickly, efficiently and had us out of the office quickly.
As we walked out of the River City Centre I felt like I had met an amazing story teller. There are so many different people in Fort McMurray and all with very interesting stories to tell... if given the opportunity.
As we prepare for the Christmas season, let's not forget the many people in our communities that have no family around to celebrate. I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone, and invite someone in for a coffee, or meal and remember what Christmas is really about!
Feliz Navidad
Beth
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Make a Life not a Living
Yesterday I went to the mall. I saw an old coworker there and asked her how she was doing. Her response was " Awful" Now this lady I have found is naturally a "glass is half empty" type of gal.
Knowing she just moved here in the summer I wanted to get to the bottom of awful. My response back was this " Let me guess, you work and go home and sit and stare at the walls at home"
I was 100% correct. After making some suggestions on how to get involved in the community and make friends (all suggestions and ideas were shot down) I left the store and pondered this.
Now this can be said for any place in the whole world Paris, Auckland, New York... not just Fort McMurray. If all you do is work and sit at home YOU WILL BE MISERABLE. I will say that living here does require some creativity and thought however dissing a community and saying it sucks is an unfair statement if you have not yet really experienced it.
I have moved a lot in my life. There are communities I prefer over others strictly based on layout, amenities, location in the province etc. However, more so I love a place because of the people. The feel of a place is determined by your sense of belonging to it and your feel of connection to other humans in friendship, hobbies, and interests.
Last weekend we went back to Red Deer for a much needed getaway. I was completely overwhelmed at the love we were shown by people we had not seen 5 months. People are what make life rich. It is common for people to come to Fort McMurray to work and make some big bucks. It is harder here to establish and maintain friendships because of shift work and peoples priorities to make money. It's not impossible make friends but can be a challenge.
At the end of your life it is not going to be said on anyone's deathbed, I wish I had made an extra $50,000 this year. I challenge you to make the time to invest in relationships... people....organizations.... hobbies.... faith.. Things that will bring a depth and richness that cannot be bought.
Knowing she just moved here in the summer I wanted to get to the bottom of awful. My response back was this " Let me guess, you work and go home and sit and stare at the walls at home"
I was 100% correct. After making some suggestions on how to get involved in the community and make friends (all suggestions and ideas were shot down) I left the store and pondered this.
Now this can be said for any place in the whole world Paris, Auckland, New York... not just Fort McMurray. If all you do is work and sit at home YOU WILL BE MISERABLE. I will say that living here does require some creativity and thought however dissing a community and saying it sucks is an unfair statement if you have not yet really experienced it.
I have moved a lot in my life. There are communities I prefer over others strictly based on layout, amenities, location in the province etc. However, more so I love a place because of the people. The feel of a place is determined by your sense of belonging to it and your feel of connection to other humans in friendship, hobbies, and interests.
Last weekend we went back to Red Deer for a much needed getaway. I was completely overwhelmed at the love we were shown by people we had not seen 5 months. People are what make life rich. It is common for people to come to Fort McMurray to work and make some big bucks. It is harder here to establish and maintain friendships because of shift work and peoples priorities to make money. It's not impossible make friends but can be a challenge.
At the end of your life it is not going to be said on anyone's deathbed, I wish I had made an extra $50,000 this year. I challenge you to make the time to invest in relationships... people....organizations.... hobbies.... faith.. Things that will bring a depth and richness that cannot be bought.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Back in Fort Mac
Wow.. it really happened. I moved to the last place in the whole world I thought I would ever end up. When I wrote last we were attempting to transition from Red Deer to a farm in Olds, AB and as the stomach turns and life gets stranger than fiction, we ended up back in our old stomping grounds.
This is not necessarily a bad thing either. After 5 years of painful commuting, our family is back together again full time. So that is a plus. The downside as is the lifecycle of Fort McMurray, 80% of my friends that resided here before are now gone and relocated down south. I am grateful however that I kept up on other relationships through Facebook and Christmas cards. Atleast there is a little bit of familiar.
We were able to move back into our place here that we had been renting out while we were away so that was a seemless transition although going from 2400 sq. feet to 1400 sq. feet is a bit of a shock to the system and we have spent a considerable amount of energy downsizing our life and belongings. Strangely, this process has been quite freeing.
I will admit it is a struggle to make new friends and we dearly miss our rock start support system we had in Central Alberta.. but things take time and I am confident that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.
Love, Peace & Chicken Grease
Beth
This is not necessarily a bad thing either. After 5 years of painful commuting, our family is back together again full time. So that is a plus. The downside as is the lifecycle of Fort McMurray, 80% of my friends that resided here before are now gone and relocated down south. I am grateful however that I kept up on other relationships through Facebook and Christmas cards. Atleast there is a little bit of familiar.
We were able to move back into our place here that we had been renting out while we were away so that was a seemless transition although going from 2400 sq. feet to 1400 sq. feet is a bit of a shock to the system and we have spent a considerable amount of energy downsizing our life and belongings. Strangely, this process has been quite freeing.
I will admit it is a struggle to make new friends and we dearly miss our rock start support system we had in Central Alberta.. but things take time and I am confident that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.
Love, Peace & Chicken Grease
Beth
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
City vs Country
Well its been a really long while since I looked at my blog... my life has been entirely too chaotic with so many major life decisions and changes that I have felt like my head has been spinning for the last 6 months. Without getting into the "why" of it all, I can say that enough was enough and it was time for a change.
Some people who know me thought the idea absurd that I of all people would ever desire or be able to function in a rural setting. After all I am an avid cyclist (of course I support bike lanes), love the feel of downtown, and am big on urban agriculture (community gardens). I also love the idea of local food and even more than that, knowing where my food comes from and how it is handled before I consume it. In saying all that,wouldn't the next logical step for me to start my own small scale hobby farm?
I have loved all of the "benefits" of city living. We have been in Red Deer for almost 5 years and it has been good to us. I have made it my home... I have built some incredible, once in a lifetime relationships (many of them from Twitter if you believe it) and have actively contributed to making Red Deer a better place. But in saying that sometimes we are faced with a crossroad, pinnacle moment where we need to make a really tough decision...... regardless of our personal feelings, regardless of what we "want" and give all that up to do what we NEED to do to better our families and and perhaps those we have not met yet. I feel so strongly about this.... we need to recognize that our purpose is greater than saving for retirement or another trip to Mexico and focus our time investing in people that really need it.
I have felt for a while that my time in Red Deer was coming to a close, not because I wanted it to but because I felt I had fulfilled the reason for moving to Red Deer.... Our life here has been hard and wonderful and I am grateful for it but what I am going to in Olds needs more than an occasional visit. Call me hokey, illogical or whatever but this is something I NEED to do. Am I grieving the loss of my life now?? sure am... but this too will pass.
In saying all this... today was a rough day of transition. We have moved onto our friends farm for the next few months until our house sells, 25 minutes from town and my day to day life is now drastically different. No more... "\let's see how the day goes".... no more spontaneous coffee dates with friends. Today was my first real day living this new reality. Lots of sitting around... doing my friends dishes ... a little bit of work and then what?? AND... THEN... WHAT.... by the afternoon I came out of my room and being in tears told my husband that I needed to get a routine. I need to find "normal" again... whatever that may be... but just hanging around the house and spending a few hours doing some work is not going to cut it... So if you have an suggestions that can make an urban to rural transition a little easier I would love to hear your suggestions.
Some people who know me thought the idea absurd that I of all people would ever desire or be able to function in a rural setting. After all I am an avid cyclist (of course I support bike lanes), love the feel of downtown, and am big on urban agriculture (community gardens). I also love the idea of local food and even more than that, knowing where my food comes from and how it is handled before I consume it. In saying all that,wouldn't the next logical step for me to start my own small scale hobby farm?
I have loved all of the "benefits" of city living. We have been in Red Deer for almost 5 years and it has been good to us. I have made it my home... I have built some incredible, once in a lifetime relationships (many of them from Twitter if you believe it) and have actively contributed to making Red Deer a better place. But in saying that sometimes we are faced with a crossroad, pinnacle moment where we need to make a really tough decision...... regardless of our personal feelings, regardless of what we "want" and give all that up to do what we NEED to do to better our families and and perhaps those we have not met yet. I feel so strongly about this.... we need to recognize that our purpose is greater than saving for retirement or another trip to Mexico and focus our time investing in people that really need it.
I have felt for a while that my time in Red Deer was coming to a close, not because I wanted it to but because I felt I had fulfilled the reason for moving to Red Deer.... Our life here has been hard and wonderful and I am grateful for it but what I am going to in Olds needs more than an occasional visit. Call me hokey, illogical or whatever but this is something I NEED to do. Am I grieving the loss of my life now?? sure am... but this too will pass.
In saying all this... today was a rough day of transition. We have moved onto our friends farm for the next few months until our house sells, 25 minutes from town and my day to day life is now drastically different. No more... "\let's see how the day goes".... no more spontaneous coffee dates with friends. Today was my first real day living this new reality. Lots of sitting around... doing my friends dishes ... a little bit of work and then what?? AND... THEN... WHAT.... by the afternoon I came out of my room and being in tears told my husband that I needed to get a routine. I need to find "normal" again... whatever that may be... but just hanging around the house and spending a few hours doing some work is not going to cut it... So if you have an suggestions that can make an urban to rural transition a little easier I would love to hear your suggestions.
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