Author: Probe 'n Ponder

Summer, slowing down to reflect…Blog #124

Summer has officially begun! Honestly, it feels like summer began mid-May when I flew away to Spain and I’ve been waiting for the rest of the world to catch up with me!

Summer always speaks to me of slowing down, experiencing getaways and travel, adventure, lazy afternoon’s sipping wine on a patio or local winery while gazing over vistas boasting breath taking views of lakes and vineyards, long bike rides, leisurely walks (that always end at a cafe), and taking time to simply reflect on life.

Taking time to reflect…hmmm. As I was reading over blogs from previous years, I came across one I’d written on Information Overload and Creativity–these words stopped me in my tracks.

As I write this I am again reminded that what I don’t manage well is time to reflect, to slow down and relish the moment I am in, to ponder those special moments that happen each day. To call up the smile on the face of a grandchild you’ve had a chance to cuddle with, to share in the joy of good news offered, or to simply walk through the falling leaves of autumn.

In the blog I provided a link to Manoush Zomorodi speaking on How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas

Watching the video I felt at once convicted and inspired. How amazing to recognize when your body goes on autopilot, your brain gets busy forming new neural connections that connect ideas and solve problems.

I have a need to keep busy, to check my phone all too often, to stay on top of what’s happening on LinkedIn…I am guilty of FOMO! Not a recipe for effective reflection, or embracing opportunities to actually be bored.

So, I have a goal for this summer. Picture time…not taking more, but spending time looking at pictures from past adventures, absorbing every detail, reliving the moments, feeling the emotions, letting my mind remember and be there once again.

I’m ready to be inspired, to be brilliant for what lies ahead. I’m looking forward to some bored moments this summer. How about you?

Pictures taken along the way while on my recent ‘Hiking the Camino’ trip to Spain.

A travel legacy from my Dad…Blog# 123

This Sunday is Father’s Day. A day when we traditionally honour our dads and those men who have had a significant impact on our lives. For some the memories are not something deserving focus or release from long, shut away memory vaults. My heart hurts for those of you who had to suffer such pain.

For others, Father’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on past memories, and turn back the hands of time to consider how our dads have left their imprint on our lives. I’m one of the fortunate ones; while my dad wasn’t perfect, he certainly loved his family and did the very best he could. My father passed away July 2021 after suffering several years with vascular dementia.

While he still could, I loved taking Dad for coffee where we laughed, and at times cried together at shared memories of the past. He always asked the same questions. 1. How’s Rob (my husband)? How are Ian and Jennifer (my brother and sister)? How are all the kids?

The next question? Have you travelled anywhere lately? This would immediately lead to a lovely walk down memory lane as we chatted about vacations taken as a family. You see, my dad loved to travel, and he passed his love of travel on to me.

Growing up in Ireland, many of our holidays were to the South of Ireland, England, or Scotland. In our coffee chats, a favourite holiday that often surfaced in our conversations found our family of five riding a pony and trap around the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney, Ireland.

I was eight. We were surrounded by lush green beauty dotted with deep purple heather that abounds across Ireland. Amongst the heather were herds of sheep, meandering along with no thought of destination. We pasted many lakes, and jaunted along the River Loe, taking it’s time to weave from one lake to the next. I remember the surrounding majestic mountains (ok, big hills), poised and ready for the Cavalry, soon to appear rescuing me from the monotony of riding in that slow, rickety carriage!

The Cavalry never came. While the carriage was good for my parents and new born sister…and I think my brother was happy with it…it simply didn’t cut it for me! I so desperately wanted to ride a horse, untethered, free to wander and explore. Not go at a snail’s pace! But there I sat, taking in the beauty, and not sporting a bad attitude at all!

Still, the memory brings a warmth to my soul. In spite of my dampened spirit, it was a trip to remember.

Then there was the trip to Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands where we actually saw Nessie! Yup, the fabled Loch Ness Monster. It was a damp, rainy day (of course). The fog was hovering over the lake creating an eerie stillness. Cars were pulled over to the side of the road. Dad, having as curious a nature as I, pulled over to investigate. Everyone was speaking in low whispers, eyes peeled on the lake. Then we saw her…Nessie appeared through the fog, cutting a trail through the placid waters. Head held high, her eyes glowed—I held my breath not wanting to break the spell.

Then the film crew emerged through the fog and the spell was broken (deep sigh). Another wonderful shared family holiday.

I have so many memories that continue to feed my love of travel. This excerpt from my memoir (coming soon, I hope!) paints a lovely picture of what travel looked like for our family.

Imagine weekends heading to Annalong, the small fishing village in Ireland where my dad grew up. Fancy dress parades in the English gardens of a grand old boarding house in the South of Ireland. Eating fish and chips on the pebble beaches of Portsmouth and Bournemouth, England, all the while protecting the yumminess from hungry seagulls. After immigrating to Canada, even though finances were tight, our family still managed to vacation in beach front cabins that provided front row seats to weather that lit up the sky, causing our hair to stand on end, while we giggled at the sight we must have been lying in bed with umbrellas protecting us from the effects of a leaky roof in much need of repair.

From storms to heat that had our virgin Irish skin running for cover, were the trips to Disney World when four long days of mind-blowing boredom on unending highways were immediately forgotten when our eyes feasted on the magic that would create memories never to be erased.

I don’t remember a year passing without a family vacation, something my husband and I continued with our kids. Travel can be to far off lands, or to nearby campsites. It can be for multiple weeks, or a couple of days. Near, far, extensive, short–travel creates a lifetime of memories and opens up a whole new world. And, from my experience, it’s best shared with those you love.

So, Dad…thanks, you made travel happen for our family and modelled values that continue to guide the lives of your off-spring; you opened our eyes to a big, beautiful world. You are greatly missed.

A trip to remember…Blog #122

Have you ever had the experience of driving into a city and laying your eyes on something that was close to the top of your ‘things to see’ list?

The Guggenheim Museum was that place for me, and it was every bit as stunning as I had imagined—and that was just driving past it!

As we taxied from the Bilbao-Loiu Airport, each lost in our own thoughts and taking in the sights of a new city, we came down a hill, turned a corner, and there it was. I’d love to say the masterpiece structure constructed of titanium, limestone, and glass, stood in contrast to the deep azure blue sky, reflecting the bright afternoon sun…but alas, it was a cloudy, overcast day. However, even without the beaming sun and blue sky, this was a sculpture (not simply a structure), that held its own, rain or shine.

And then we saw Puppy! A sculpture by Jeff Koons made from stainless steel, soil, and flowering plants, measuring approximately 41 ft x 41 ft x 30 ft. How else would you react to a gigantic flowering West Highland terrier, than simply smile. Puppy, ‘born’ in 1992 truly fills viewers with amazement and joy. Koons had another sculpture in the Guggenheim that also brings a smile to viewers, Tulips — colourful, gleaming, and made from stainless steel.

There is much I could say about the Guggenheim’s displays, from the thought provoking exhibition of work by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye… Not Twilight Too Mighty, to the installation by Richard Serra called The Matter of Time (I loved this one…I could actually touch and interact with it!). And of course Louise Bourgeois’ amazing Maman sculpture (1999) of a spider made from bronze, stainless steel, and marble eggs (filling a spider sac). It, again, is big— measuring over 30 ft high and over 33 ft wide. Believe it or not, this sculpture was an ode to the sculpture’s mother.

Bilbao was an interesting city, not unlike most European cities with its historical centre, Casco Viejo, beautiful Cathedrals and ornate theatres; Bilbao a city buzzing with people simply doing life.

Then came San Sebastian. We hopped on a bus for the short, 60 minute drive along a really windy highway, amidst lush green country side, made all the more lovely under a deep blue sky (the one we missed in Bilbao).

San Sebastian was another beautiful city with an Old Town called Parte Vieja, housing more Tapa bars than I could count, filled with thirsty tourists looking for the best pintxos (a type of tapa), beautiful buildings, churches…and the Atlantic Ocean! As we looked out the window of our hotel, our eyes feasted on the beautiful La Concha Beach. The ocean, the sand, the sound of waves lapping on shore were truly a salve for any weary soul…and their very tired Camino feet!

Most enjoyable activities in San Sebastian: 1. Walking along the Paseo Nuevo (literally ‘the new promenade’) overlooking the ocean, 2. Seeing the El Peine del Viento (The Wind Comb) sculpture right on the ocean…amazing, 3. and the beach and ocean…the very best of all.

La Concha Beach is enjoyed mostly by locals. The simply joys of watching children play, dogs frolicking in the waves, and walking along the water’s edge was the perfect way to end our Camino vacation. And yes, I did actually go swimming in the ocean, although it was so cold I couldn’t catch my breath…but I did it!

After a train ride back to Bilbao, short flight to Madrid, and a very early 6am flight the next morning, we were on our way home.

I love travel, but I also love the joy and welcome of coming home. Our trip was great, we experiences amazing new places, met great people, challenged ourselves both physically and mentally, laughed but mostly at ourselves, ate great food, became quite addicted to cortados (a Spanish style coffee), and literally walked through aches and pains no feet should ever have to endure. But it was worth it.

The words of the late Anthony Bourdain certainly ring true:

Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts. It even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.

Anthony Bourdain

Stay tuned for more reflections as I probe and ponder experiences through life and travel.

If only my feet could talk…Blog #121

Walking down the cobbled road, decending the steps, walking through the tunnel and past the young man playing the bagpipes, then entering the vast Praza do Obradoiro, home to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, we, my hiking partner and I, were both elated, and exhausted!

We had finished the walk from Sarria and arrived in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in the early afternoon. The final task was to visit the Pilgrim Office to receive our official certificate, the Compostela. To earn this recognition we had to walk at least the last 100 km of the Camino Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, and collect stamps on the Credencial del Peregrino along the way (at least two each day) to verify we actually did in the walk.

Over our six days of hiking, averaging 20km per day, we were graced with perfect weather, while soaking in beautiful, lush, peaceful meadows, and fragrant forests of acacia and eucalyptus trees. At times we walked together, sometimes chatting with other pilgrims, and other times we walked alone, each lost in our own thoughts. And we climbed many, many long hills on paved, cobbled, rocky, gravel, and forest bed surfaces. Then down again. Only to turn a corner to find another hill daring us to reach yet another peak.

At the end of the first day we humbly admitted that we had never been more physically challenged in our lives…and that was just day one! Day two boasted an unfathomable 24 km, 17 of which were mostly vertical. How would we ever complete another 4 days of this?

But we did. At the end of each day we were rewarded with unique and wonderful accommodations, mostly dating back to the 1700’s. Each place had been refurbished while retaining most of the original structure and elegant beauty. Meals were created from locally sourced foods by skilled chefs — a delight to our tastebuds, and nourishment for our weary bones.

People choose to hike all or a portion of the Camino for various reasons. I really didn’t set out with a defined purpose. The thought of taking a break from a busy schedule and the demands of daily life was appealing. Getting away from technology was also something I looked forward to, however, without the use of a phone and internet with EU access, the journey would have been greatly impeded.

I had watched videos of the Camino and was certainly attracted by the scenes of serenity as pilgrims traversed trails that guided them through countryside and ancient villages, some seemingly uninhabited, others more vibrant yet quiet and peaceful. My experience certainly reflected the shared experiences of pilgrims that had gone before.

For me, this hike was more physically and mentally challenging than I had imagined. However, through texts, FaceTime, and daily handwritten notes of encouragement from my husband (he had written a note for me to open each day on my voyage), his message of “Dig deep, find that place of courage, strength and peace. You can do this!”, was food for my soul. Add to that the cheering voices of my kids, grandkids, niece, and friends — there was no way I was going to quit (much to the chagrin of my feet and their growing blisters!).

On day 5, while climbing yet another hill and reminding myself to breath, a moment of realization hit me; I still had the physical and mental fortitude to push myself to the limit, and walk (or limp) the St. James Way trek in my 65th year. I could do this…and more!

As I’ve written in past blogs, and in my soon to be published memoir, ‘What if…’ life is to be lived to the fullest, even in the face of obstacles. Age should never be the determining factor of what adventures we embrace. Pain, injury, health crisis, you name it, don’t necessarily have to change your goals, just the path you take to get there.

Currently we are riding a bus on a very windy road enroute from Bilbao to San Sebastián, Spain. In Bilbao we explored the Guggenheim — the architecture was every bit as mind blowing as I expected, walked the streets of Old Town and visited the Cathedral of Santiago. Unbeknown to us, our Credencial del Peregrino granted us free access (and another stamp) to take in the beauty of this structure. While wowed by it’s beauty I was once again saddened and left wondering why so many homeless individuals sat, kneeled, or lay prostrate just outside the doors of such obvious wealth and opulence, begging for money or food. One of life’s many injustices.

I am excited to arrive in San Sebastián and get my feet into the Atlantic. By the ocean, or sea, continues to be my place of rumination, a great place to sit, breathe, and reflect on what I’ve experienced over the past 2 week since leaving home.

Stay tuned for more reflections as I probe and ponder experiences through life and travel.

Steps 3,4 etc in my publishing journey…Blog #120

What does it take to go the publishing process? Patience, tough skin, open mindedness, patience, tough skin, open mindedness…repeat, over and over!

Seriously though, I’ve learned that the writing of a book, deciding to publish, finding a publisher and submitting the manuscript is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to actually getting a book to the point of publication.

I last wrote about this adventure on January 26th, and since then the process has been wait, review, edit, submit, then wait again. The most challenging aspect has been receiving the feedback and recommendations from the deep edit. Ouch! I know I may not be the best English grammar student – ok, not even close. But to see the word pictures I so lovingly and painstakingly created and scripted, and reflections on happenings from days and years gone by that have etched their learnings into my psyche, placed under the editor’s critical microscope and dissected without consideration of my virgin writer’s feelings, is tough!

And necessary, and has taught me so much!

Thanks again to my writing mentor, Karen, I had to take a step back, to become more objective in reviewing the editors comments and recommendations. While the feedback was valuable, I was still responsible for deciding what elements of the feedback aligned with my message, my voice, and my goals. Don’t get me wrong, there was no question whether or not I would accept the many grammatical corrections, the awkward construct of sentences, and the amazing suggestions regarding the structure of the book. Still, what stories remained, the emotions I wanted to provoke, and the seemingly unimportant details were up to me.

I had three choices: accept the changes, consider what parts of the suggested changes I would accept, and what I would reject. The end result was a better manuscript, and a great deal of gratitude to my editor.

Right now the publisher is working on the book layout, including photographs from my journey, and I have approved the script for the back cover; the editor did an amazing job on that! The graphic designer is working on a few edits for the front cover, which I should be signing off on shortly.

The next big step for me is getting the ARC (advanced reader copy), and sending my book, ‘What if…’ out to a few trusted readers for their endorsements.

So, as far as I can see, we are on track for a late summer release, and I am excited! For now, I wait, again.

But that’s just fine – I leave today for Spain, where new adventures await. We will be walking a section of the Camino, sandwiched between a few days in Madrid, Bilbao, and San Sebastian. Stay tuned!

First photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

Second photo by Shane Kell on Pexels.com

Travel is wonderful…until…Blog #119

I love travel! It has been part of my life as long as I can remember.

Travel has been experienced with family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers. Together, we have travelled to many countries, visited amazing places, eaten delicious food, walked trails that would be strictly forbidden in Canada. We traveled for pleasure and for business.

Our chosen accommodations have covered the gambit from yurts, to tents, to cottages, to cave houses, all the way to reclaimed palaces and castles. We’ve experienced the aftermath of war zones, hurricanes, drought, and culture shock. We’ve witnessed celebrations, wins, architectural wonders, the resilience of humanity, the wonder of creation, and the quirkiness of traditions. We have always come home with new perspectives, refreshed and rejuvenated (albeit somewhat exhausted…but a good exhaustion).

We have always been richer because of such adventures. Until ‘it’ happened.

It happened on a solo trip to Europe. It was one of the most traumatic experiences of my six decade life. In a matter of minutes, one sick individual managed to crack my love of adventure, my confidence in self and belief in humankind, my love of travel, my sense of safety.

I was sexually assaulted. I was alone. I was scared, I was vulnerable, I felt deep anguish.

This isn’t the place to unveil the details, suffice to say, it set off a domino effect of emotions, self-doubt, self-evaluation, reaching out for help, questioning my faith, leaning on my amazing support network (personal and professional), and a renewed determination that one depraved, evil … (you can imagine what other descriptors would fit here), poor excuse for humanity, would not determine how I live my life.

But the journey to this determination was not easy, is not easy. It is still in process, but with the help of a wonderful trauma counsellor, and supportive family and friends, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am a firm believer in scenario planning. Going through the process of asking ‘What if…’ (the name of my memoir that is scheduled for release at the end of summer). It’s natural for me to think through the potential challenges we may face in any given situation or event. I use it in business, teaching, and in my personal life…travel included. This scenario planning helps prepare for the journey ahead, helps me know what I can and should do to mitigate any potential road blocks or obstacles. If something doesn’t go as planned, I find myself reflecting on what I missed, what I should have thought of. If I had only thought of that, I could have avoided whatever happened.

That’s exactly what I did after it happened. I questioned and doubted myself. What did I do wrong? What did I miss? What could I have done to prevent it happening? The answer? Not a damn thing!

This experience taught me that some outcomes and happenings can’t be prepared for, or even identified. Sure, I can, and should, prepare, be equipped, scenario plan, but doing so will not stop bad things from happening. Bad things happen to everyone. Evil and good exist in the world, and no-one is exempt from the impact of either.

What can I do? Continue to build into the strong, amazing, support network I have — believe me, it truly is a lifeline, continue to do due diligence in planning, AND, invest in some good self defence classes. I can’t stop such attacks from happening, and hope I never have a repeat performance, but I can prepare just incase.

As women, we should never have a fear of solo travel, but let’s be prepared, just in case. I will travel again, mostly with family and friends. But, if a solo trip is called for, I will go. It will call for certain courage, but I will go.

Let me wrap up by expressing deep compassion for those who have been victims of such attacks…and worse! Don’t stay silent, reach out for help, find your voice, and don’t let these predators win!

If you need a listening ear, I’m here roberta@samisremote.com

Steps 1 & 2 in my publishing journey…Blog #118

January 2020, a couple of weeks post knee surgery and I was really bored! There’s only so much Netflix you can watch in between knee physio, hooking up to my handy Aircast Knee Cryo/cuff to reduce the swelling, and waddling down the condo hallway with my rented walker. My brain already felt like it was turning to mush, and a good dose of lethargy was settling in like an Irish fog. I blame it partly on my anaesthetic brain (yup, it’s a thing), too much TV, and way too much inactivity due to a post surgical appendage that didn’t feel (or look) like it belonged to me!

Being a woman of action, I decided to engage my creative juices by signing up for an on-line memoir writing course. My friend, Karen Barnstable was the teacher, so I knew it would be both engaging and challenging; however I had no idea how much I would love it. Thus starting my writing journey.

It’s funny, in my mind I really didn’t connect writing with publishing…that’s for really interesting people who have lived extraordinary lives. Not me.

Writing is a private thing, so choosing what to put to paper (figuratively), can be a hard thing to determine. I remember the fear, the naked feeling I experienced when I hit ‘post’ on my first blog. What had I done! I still feel that exposure every time I post.

Yet here I go, head first into the most vulnerable undertaking of my adult life!

Following the advice of my writing mentor, Karen, I took the first step…researching publishers. There are quite a few to choose from, but all are not created equal. I soon learned about the many publishing options, but basically whittled it down to three options.

DIY (Nope, I didn’t want that much responsibility!)
Self-publishing (New concept for me)
The traditional approach of handing everything over to a publisher who drives the publishing bus, and the author is along for the ride. (Nope, didn’t want to give up that much control)

Option 2 was the clear choice for me. I now had to figure out which publisher would give options for either publishing packages or provide a la carte options–there were many to choose from. My second step was to reach out to several of them, see who got back to me, arrange to speak with a representative, and weigh out my options. After conversing with three different publishing companies, the decision was quite clear.

My desire was to work with a publisher who would listen to my wishes, my passion for writing, and what I wanted the reader to take away from what they read. I didn’t want the conversation to initially be based on the ‘business’ of publishing a book…that would come later. I needed to know that my choice would be a partner in publishing, be values based, and have a good reputation in the industry. Some conversations were doomed within the first three minutes, others got crossed off the list as soon as I received the initial overview or ‘sales pitch’.

My final decision was to go with FriesenPress. Why? I liked the answers to questions I asked, the questions they asked, learning about their history, and the fact that they were employee owned. I liked that they honoured their employees and adapted a remote work approach following the pandemic, and I liked that they were Canadian. To be honest, there really wasn’t a great difference in pricing among the publishers I narrowed my choice to, but a big difference in what they stated were their values, and what my research revealed to be their actual values. I already appreciate how I’m being guided through the process and kept informed both by email, and on their authors portal.

So, my manuscript has been uploaded, pictures submitted for inputting, and my official production start date is scheduled for February 5th.

Deep breath…this is happening! Stay tuned!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Dr. Seuss

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Publish? Me?…Blog #117

Have you ever had something nagging in the back of your mind that is not so strong as to be hushed, but also not so quiet as to be ignored? I think that niggling (or whatever you might call it) has been my constant companion for a few years. Just to be clear, when I use the word niggling, I don’t mean worrisome, more like persistent.

I found this quote in a blog called That Niggling Thought, it gives voice to what I’m endeavouring to say.

Sometimes a thought returns so incessantly it needs to be investigated. Learning to listen and to simply be open to trying is more challenging than we’d like.

My niggling thought? Should I write a book? Of course, along with the idea has always come an inner dialogue with the potential to fast track me onto a roller coaster of reasoning that only a strategic thinker could conceive.

But, what if I did? What would it be about? Would anyone want to read it? Would anyone pay to read it? What if no one did read it, would it have been a waste of time and money? But…what if I did and it ended up being an encouragement to others? Perhaps even insightful? What if it made them laugh, or cry? What if it provided an enjoyable read as they relaxed on some spectacular beach overlooking the ocean on a warm summer’s day? Ok, that’s maybe going too far. But…what if?

Sometimes you just need to open that unknown door, and do it! That’s exactly where my niggling has led me.

If you’ve been following my blogs for a while, you’ll know that my husband and I spent several months in Portugal and Spain while I was on an extended study leave from teaching HR and Management at Okanagan School of Business in Kelowna, BC, Canada. We expected it to be an adventure, and it was. We expected it to be a learning experience, and it was. We expected it to be amazing, and it was. We didn’t expect it to be filled with many challenges and shall we say, growth opportunities. But it was!

The years of niggling finally provided both the impetus and inspiration to write a memoir, which I did. Having finally submitted it to a publisher, a whole new learning journey begins.

I invite you to share in this journey with me. Hopefully it will be both informational and inspirational. Hopefully you’ll pay attention to whatever is niggling at you and step through that door to adventure and learning. And hopefully you’ll share your experiences of following the niggling.

The deepest satisfaction of writing is precisely that it opens up new spaces within us of which we were not aware before we started to write. To write is to embark on a journey whose final destination we do not know.

Henri Nouwen

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I’m back…Blog #116

*Photograph by Ken Hagen; Kelowna Sunset

Hello all! No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, haven’t gone to live on some deserted island, nor moved to a secluded cabin deep in the woods. I’ve been busy! More about that in a moment.

Christmas is now in the rear view mirror. It was truly lovely. So very different from last year in Portugal…equally lovely, but so different. This Christmas, my husband and I decided to make up for missing out on the many Christmas celebrations and traditions so common to our past experience. The month of December found us exploring our own city, Kelowna, BC, Canada, and the many events it offered. Our hearts were filled while enjoying an uplifting concert by Spectrum, one of our amazing local audition choirs, were touched by the words and music from The Messiah, did the proud grandparent thing as our baby grandson had his first stage appearance as baby Jesus in a church pageants, celebrated local artisans as they displayed their wares at the many Christmas markets all the while walking around with a mug of locally made mulled wine. It was wonderful.

Then the cold hit! We literally went from -1 C, blue sky with sun shining on Dec 14th to -25 C a week later! Just reminding us we were back home in Canada. You can imagine how many conversations we had that started with, “Remember this time last year when we were walking on the beach in Albufeira?” While it did warm up for a crisp Christmas Day walk, we certainly weren’t running into the ocean for a dip as we did the previous year!

It is amazing how much you don’t know about your hometown unless you intentionally go looking. We have lived in Kelowna since 1987, but have never spent time exploring the downtown area with its unique shops and cafés. So that’s exactly what we did the week before Christmas. We still had a couple of gifts to purchase, so we got in the car and drove the short 5km to explore new territory. It was so much fun.

We started with coffee (of course) at a café I had been to a couple of years previous, but it was new to my husband. Pulp Fiction is a coffee shop with personality…you must go visit their website and check it out. Honestly, I have no idea why I never returned there! We loved the vibe; the place was full, some folks visiting, others reading, several working on their laptops…the hum of people doing life was delicious.

From there we walked across the street to Olive and Elle, another delightful shop worth checking out for their unique and high quality home decor, adorable baby ‘stuff’, among other lovelies.

The third shop we visited was down right dangerous…in the very best way possible! Textile Apparel, I had no idea what it was, sells clothes you just want to live in! Natural fabrics, Canadian made, funky but classic…and right on our doorstep! I had no intention of purchasing anything that day, after all, we were suppose to be finishing up our Christmas shopping, but I couldn’t resist.

Have you ever had a garment in mind that you knew you’d love but couldn’t find it anywhere? That’s what happened. A long, wool coat, forest green, my size…how could I resist! I tried it on and it was love at first sight. It is now hanging in my closet, ready for me to adorn every opportunity possible. It was a good day.

We explored and discovered more places that day, but I’ll leave it there for now.

Back to the start of this post and my busyness. This wasn’t necessarily activity based, but more creative. You see, I knew back in 2019 that I wanted to go on an extended study leave for 2021/2022. I also anticipated that it would be an adventure of a lifetime that would both inspire and stretch me. That’s when I started writing a memoir that would capture the journey from inception to completion.

For the past few months I have been focused on completing the manuscript, having it beta read, and finally, submitted to a publisher just yesterday. I’m sure you see what I mean by being creatively busy! This was a huge step for me…scary, exciting, and just unbelievable! It will be published, and I hope and pray it will also sell and be read…but that’s totally out of my control.

It will be a few months before it’s ready to promote and sell, I’ll keep you posted.

For now, I plan on continuing to blog and share my learnings from life and travel.

Hope you’ll keep joining me.

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*Ken Hagen linkedin.com/in/kenhagen Freelance Photographer and Videographer based out of Kelowna, BC

New page, new chapter…Blog #115

Do you remember your high school years? It seemed (to me anyways) the hours of boring classes, homework, exams, and tedious studying, would never end? (says the professor). But they did, and as I look back I realize they were just a tiny bleep in time. I feel a bit of deja vu these days–I can’t believe how quickly this year has passed!

August 1 marked a year since I began my extended study leave (ESL); actually it marked the end of that ESL. Unbelievable! It was my main focus since beginning to prepare the proposal in Spring of 2019, and now it is becoming a distant memory. But what a memory!

My blog posts have also been focused on preparing for, and living the adventure experienced with my husband, and as I now return to blogging, I’m having a hard time getting back in the groove. I’m still committed to writing about learning from life and travels, but feel like a new page has been turned in life, and I’m not sure what the next chapter is called, nor how to get there.

Perhaps a bridge is needed. My last blog was posted mid-June, let’s start there.

June was basically spent getting back to being home, as in Kelowna, BC, Canada: wrapping up loose ends from my research, writing my Global Professional in Human Resources exam (which I passed…phew!), re-adjusting to life in Canada, catching up with friends, connecting with colleagues at work, and spending as much time as possible with our daughter and family. To be honest, June was a bit of a whirlwind (I did write a bit about it in my previous blog).

July hit, and with the research and resulting papers etc. complete, it was time to let my mind and body rest before digging into preparing for another year of teaching HR and Management courses, and working with clients. July truly was back to basics…the 3-Rs, ok 4-Rs: reading, writing (not sure how this was labelled as an ‘R’), riding, and relaxing. The reading was light, mostly mysteries and the like; the writing was focused on my travel memoir from this past year (more about that to come); bike riding was a mix of both slow and pushing hard; and relaxing was well, relaxing.

Enjoying wine and cream puffs at Arrowleaf Winery

The more we travel, the more I appreciate the beauty of the Okanagan Valley region in which we live. We are surrounded by mountains that house world class skiing, 30+ golf courses, approximately 182 wineries, and many lakes. The Okanagan Lake alone is 135 km long! So while we absolutely love to travel, we are fortunate to have a spectacular location to return to after each adventure.

But, my mind is already longing for more travel…yes, the more you travel, the more you realize how many more places you want to experience. Future travels will probably not be for such an extended time as this past adventure to Europe; however, there is still great value in a weekend away closer to home, taking a week or so to a drivable location, or a few weeks to more distant lands that call for a plane ride to jet you away to some new exploration.

I have many memories and learnings from past travels sewn into the fabric of my heart and soul, and I invite you to reflect on them with me over the next weeks and months until the next yet unknown adventure presents itself.

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