I’ve survived the seven-year itch. Only my itch came after six years, and had nothing to do with my marriage. My itch was about moving to BC.
It was triggered by a trip to Fairmont last July. Growing up, I spent my summers and holidays in that valley. During university, I earned my tuition by waitressing there during school breaks. I made good friends and relished the laidback lifestyle.
Upon returning home after our trip, I spent a lot of time on mls.ca. I looked for homes in the Windermere valley, and then extended my search west. Eventually, my search took me to Vancouver Island. The more I thought about it, the more I liked this idea. Raising the kids by the ocean, watching dolphins and whales, exploring rock pools and eating a lot of salmon? Mild winters, green plants year-round and blackberry-lined highways? Yes please!
But not everyone was as enthusiastic as I. One day, while trying to “sell” the island to my girls, my six-year-old turned to me exasperated and said, “Well, why didn’t you move to the island before we were born!” They like the idea of rock pools and salmon, but not enough to leave our little town permanently.
Over coffee one morning, my friend Jackie said, “You might get whales and dolphins, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get community.” Hmm.
That got me thinking. We have a cozy little house on a street full of great neighbours. Our house is really starting to shape up with all my husband’s hard work. We can sleep in until 7:30 every morning because we’re a five minute walk from the girls’ school. The school itself is fantastic with great teachers and caring staff. My husband can walk to a job he enjoys and his shift is at a time that allows him time to play his guitars, go for lunch with me or work on the house.
We live one block from the shops, the pool and the skating rink. My daughters have friends on our street and around the corner. I am welcome to contribute my two cents to the newspaper and to the arts council. I’m not sure how things could get better for my family. We are lucky and I’m grateful.
My neighbour once said something like, “There are a lot of us that don’t really know how we ended up in here, but it’s God’s plan.” My neighbour is always saying things like that, but there’s one thing I know. Southern Alberta is going to have to put up with the Hoskins for many more years to come.
