Reconnecting to NS
So, in a year we will likely have just arrived back in Nova Scotia from Mexico. Already our calendar is filling up with social appointments to go to once we're back and some engagements that are dangerously close to our admittedly fuzzy E.T.A.
I feel so loved though! I've been away for seven years, and now that we're coming back there are going to suddenly be all these activities involving all our friends and family - it'll be like a homecoming overload! I'm starting to think that maybe we should have some sort of party too, to celebrate our return, but the logistics...just thinking about it makes me nervous:
1. We don't know where we'll be living in the province. One should know these things before inviting others over. Will we rent a place? Crash at someone's? Truro? Halifax? Bridgewater? The Valley? IDUNNO!
2. Like I said, we're not entirely certain just when we'll be back. How does one invite many people to a party to which some of them will have to travel significant distances, and not give a firm date for said party? IDUNNO!
3. We're planning on building such a great place once we buy property - I'm sure we'll want to have a party to celebrate our official "settling in" when our place is built. Should this be the homecoming party instead? IDUNNO!
4. I'm certain some of our old friends & family members are not sure how to treat us now due to our "dirty hippy" tendencies. It's been an easy problem since we've lived so far away, but you'd be surprised how often and in what sort of weird situations this catches people up. I remember a time when Mark's poor mother didn't know what the hell to feed me whenever I came to visit. There was a lot of mac 'n cheese and veggie soup from a can, and I think she struggled even with that. She seems to have gradually stopped being afraid of hosting vegetarians at meal time, which is cool cuz it's not too hard really, especially with (mostly) non-fussy and difficult-to-offend guests, but what are our friends and family going to do with our composting toilet? Will we have a party, but before it starts, take all these salt-of-the-earth folks down to the bathroom and give them a lesson on how to use it? Will it freak anyone out? IDUNNO.
Anyway. In some ways this will be like straddling two worlds. I don't want any of our friends and family to feel uncomfortable around us and I hope that doesn't happen, but all we can be is ourselves.
My my, this is turning into an introspective post!!
So the social appointments we have to look forward to so far:
- Mel's getting married in June in the Valley!! Yay!!
- Tanya's getting married in May, presumably in Halifax! (this is the one that's borderline in terms of timing.)
- Our friends from Vancouver Island, Kristina and Jeff, are planning on flying out to visit us and see a bit of Nova Scotia that summer too!
There are some odd changes to look forward to. Mark's mother now lives about four blocks away from the house that he's lived in since like grade 3. My parents just moved out of Lower Sackville (finally! I hated that non-town!!) about three days ago, and bought a house in a rural neighbourhood outside of Truro. Hey mom & dad, if you're reading this, where do you live now? What's your phone number? I've been trying to reach you, but guess what: You moved away AGAIN without giving me any forwarding info. Are you trying to tell me something?? Wait, don't answer that.
I must quote Stan Rogers again, and the song that our blog is named after. From "A Northwest Passage":
How then am I so different from the first men through this way?
Like them, I left a settled life; I threw it all away
To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men
To find there but the road back home again.
