In 2017 we packed up our life, and quit the 9-5 to head out into the world. We came with no expectations, we only wanted to experience life. Since we have left, we have packed more fun and adventure into our lives than we ever could have imagined. Being on the road now for over a year, has brought with it the freedom to explore what it is that we want to do to create an income for ourselves, the time to pay attention to the things that are truly important to us, and the adventure to truly make life fun and interesting once again. We left seeking an exciting life, and we have not been disappointed! Join us as we explore as much of this big old world that we can!
It’s been almost 21 months since we flew away from Canada, bound on a one way journey to Costa Rica. We spent 9 months before that ridding ourselves of all of our possessions, pairing down our lives, shedding years of collecting things, letting go of our pets, our beloved garden and the house that we called home.
In that time, I wrote in what I called “Jill’s Letting Go Diary”, which documented the process, physically and emotionally, of literally letting go of everything. I last wrote under this heading in November 2017 , but since then we have definitely continued to let go of many aspects of our former selves. It’s impossible to dive down and list all the things, as we have now been given so much time in this life to do some deep soul searching, contemplating and realizing of things that just don’t serve us anymore. I’m talking about ways of feeling, old habits that needed to be broken, lies we told ourselves, stories that we made up in our heads. The list literally could go on and on!
But today, I realized that there is still one major thing that I STILL haven’t let go of, and that is the last town that we were living in in Canada. I lived in Powell River for 12 years, Chris for 4, and I had decided while there that it was the ultimate paradise. By then, of course, I had travelled to many places around the world, 46 countries in total. I felt that because I had seen so much, I knew how special Powell River was. And, I digress, I still do think it is a pretty special place. But I have to say, it is a small place, but a dot on the world map. Although it is spectacular, and many of its residents truly do value what it is to be part of a community, it is not the be all, end all that I had decided it was.
Powell River has many different issues that are tackled by the residents on a daily basis, their lives are entwined with what is right in front of their faces. Of course, this is the way it is with most people that live in their communities. We all react to those things that are right in front of us. We choose to be in those places, and to deal with those issues. There are always bigger problems in the world, but it is that which is right in front of us, that always gets the most attention.
Today, as I was mind numbingly scrolling facebook, I noticed just how much of my news feed still has posts about Powell River on it. Now, for a while I have been saying that I need to stop getting so wound up and involved in the politics of a place that I have no intention of returning to. But, you know, I didn’t really put two and two together that by actually seeing all the things on a day to day basis, that I WAS involved. It’s like a soap opera on TV that I can’t seem to switch off. It’s that addiction to drama, the need to keep tabs on others’ lives, the want to just see what happens with some particular project or another, that has kept me stuck. These issues literally have NO bearing on my life anymore, yet I am drawn to their outcomes, keen to find out every little detail.
OF COURSE, there are those people with whom I made special connections while living there. Connections that go farther than just the place that we both lived. These people are on the same page as me, and I feel like we are kindred spirits that will likely see each other down the road somewhere. I will keep in touch with these people always, and will always want to stay up to date with who they are and what they are up to.
OF COURSE, I do love it when people update me about the plants that we sold or gave them. They send pictures of their gardens, or mention us in comments about these sorts of things. I know that the people who bought our house are taking care of our beautiful garden well, and that makes me feel good.
OF COURSE, I will always have fond memories of Powell River and the people that helped me to grow as an individual. I grew immensely while living there, and I left a much different person than I was before I moved there. But the time has come to cut the ties. I will no longer follow business pages, the local news paper, the blueberry picking farm (oooohhh I miss those blueberries!!), or any other group that I was a part of in Powell River. My ties to these things are holding me back from moving forward. It’s like some long tether that keeps me looking back, always interested, always wondering.
It’s time to re-prioritize my time, to allow more space to focus on the issues that affect me in my current space and time. It is time to get involved in the places where I am living, and figuring out what I can do on the ground HERE, not somewhere else where I have no input anymore. We all only have so much space and time to put towards certain issues in this life, and it is up to us to decide what is important, what is not, and where we should be directing our energies.
I do think our pasts are important in shaping who we become, but we must sever the ties that do not serve us anymore. We must cut the chords of our former selves, to allow ourselves to grow and move forward in this life.
You will always hold a special place in my heart Powell River, but it is now time to say goodbye.
An update on our current travels…….
For those that are following along, and are interested in what we are up to and where we are, here is a bit of a synopsis.
We have been working at the Botanical Garden on the island of Nevis since mid February. We have gone full circle from leaving our 9-5 jobs in Canada, to seek out more freedom, to arriving right back to a 9-5 job (well 8-4 actually) here in paradise. We absolutely love the garden, and have taken great pleasure in getting back to working with plants, as it is definitely something that we have missed since leaving our home and garden, but I won’t lie, the schedule has been HARD. The time that we would spend on our art and our online shops before this ‘job’ almost vanished and we found ourselves scrambling morning and night to fit time in in order to keep some progress happening.
One day, after some sort of emotional breakdown from both of us, we suddenly realized that we were both overworked and extremely exhausted with trying to do too much. We also had been raising 3 kittens and taking care of 2 dogs that kept escaping the yard to run around the neighbourhood to kill goats (plus they killed one of the kittens!), so our emotions were frazzled to say the least.
It has been a strange and interesting few months, and I won’t get into details, but many times we have felt like running as far away from this island as we possibly could. However, we had committed to helping out the owner here until August, and that is just what we are going to do.
Call us crazy, many who have been here before us, probably would, but we have also had a huge realization that with this nomadic lifestyle comes the ultimate freedom of when you don’t like something, you just move on. However, the always running away from things, also doesn’t help us to grow. It is in the tackling of these issues and annoyances in life, when we can dig deep and learn the most about ourselves. This stop on our journey has tried us beyond belief, and it’s impossible for me to explain the details, but through it all, we have both come out feeling wiser and stronger than we did when we arrived. The serendipitous way that this place came onto our radar, meant that we had important things to learn here, and we have tried our hardest to open ourselves up to the learning, and to not be drug down emotionally by things that we have no control over.
Thankfully in June, the owner of the garden sent us off for a bit of a break to another property that she owns on another Caribbean Island called Anguilla. I have to say that it was JUST what the doctor ordered. White sand beaches and spectacular turquoise waters surround the island, and with it being the low season, we had most places almost all to ourselves. The house where we were staying was located a stones throw from the beach, so after our allotted 4 hours of work (yes we still worked a bit!), we were free to do whatever we pleased.
The beach we were on had some spectacular snorkelling right along the shore, and most afternoons we would don our bathing suits and snorkel gear, walk to the furthest point away, then drift on the natural current that ran along the shoreline, back to the house. This was the highlight of our day, and it seemed like each day we saw more and more incredible sea life than the one before it. On the last day we saw 3 Barracudas, 5 rays, 1 spotted eagle ray, a few puffer fish, some sort of spotted eel or sea snake, and numerous, NUMEROUS large schools of fish, and other sea life. The coral is not in the best shape unfortunately, likely trashed by years of people anchoring their boats on it, plus getting thrashed by hurricanes can’t help, but we did see much of it growing back, which gives me great hope that the reefs are mending.
We spent 2 weeks there healing from our kind of over-worked and hectic lives here on Nevis, but returned here on July 3rd to finish off our stint for one more month. We have arrived back with a refreshed view, and know that in a very short time, we will be off on a whole new adventure.
On August 5th we fly to the island of St. Martin, also in the Caribbean. There we will spend 2 nights before we make our way back to Guatemala for a short visit. In Guatemala, we will not only be checking in with the friends we have made in the last year, but will also be collecting our art supplies and Chris’ tattoo gear (plus some clothing), then we will start our journey back up to Canada to visit family and friends for a couple months. It’s a loose plan, other than our flights, there aren’t any set dates and times, but we like it what way of course! We expect to be back in Canada mid-August.
Thanks to everyone who follows us along on our journey. I know I haven’t done the best job of keeping you up to date, but I try to allow the writing to come when it is meant to, and not force myself to write just for the sake of it. It is in these moments that I feel like I actually have substance and thoughts that are worth sharing, and hopefully it comes through that way to my readers.
xoxoxo Jill
Thanks for reading! Please know that above all else, I aim to inspire others to just get out and see the world. Traveling is such an enriching experience, and I can’t even comprehend how much it has shaped me as an individual. If you have ANY questions, or need travel advice of ANY kind, PLEASE don’t hesitate to email me at the address below! I will do my very best to help you in any way I can!
Xoxoxo Happy Travels!
Current Location: Nevis Island, St. Kitts & Nevis
Travelling Plans: On August 5th we will start our long journey back to Canada to visit family and friends for a couple months.
To head back to the beginning of our journey, and the moment we decided to sell all of our possessions to travel the world, click here.
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Just Some Wandering 