One would think that retirement would lead to routine,
relaxation, reflection and reading. Well,
this summer I am out to it to prove that all wrong. Since retiring in April I have been to
Mexico, England, Portugal, PEI, Nova Scotia, the Okanagan, Portland, Fernie and
Calgary. Right on track to having my ultimate goal of maintaining my “elite”
status with Air Canada accomplished in no time at all. I know that the day will arrive when upgrading
to first class and those amazing hub seats will be a thing of the past and
waiting in the waiting rooms will replace the ever alluring lounges. In short, I suppose that I am just trying to
hold on to every little last bit of glamour and luxury before my life as a
student starts in September. Yes, you read that right. I have decided to fully
embrace the title “mature student” and I have enrolled myself into classes at
the University of Calgary for this fall.
It has been quite an amazing journey over the last couple of
months trying to figure out which way my life was going to take me. I almost feel as if I am at the mercy of the
ever cliché, “fate”. I travelled to
London, England to not only experience Wimbledon and all its greatness but to
also look into schools and work. It has always been a powerful ambition of mine
to live in London at some point in my life so I figured that there is no better
time than the present. Unfortunately, in
the real world there are things called deadlines of which I missed by a mere 9
months. So although I fell in love with London, it will have to go on the back
burner until I figure out if school and a job can be more than a dream one day.
There I was in lovely
London, having a great time when all of a sudden that antsy, been a place for
more than 2 weeks kicked in. Next thing
I knew, I was on a plane heading to Portugal to meet up with a friend who was
traveling Europe. Apparently I needed a
vacation from my vacation. The Algarve
coast was spectacular but I must admit that it didn’t quite live up to my beach
exceptions following Mexico!! I risked my life in order to experience a day of “scootering”
along the coast in gale force winds and a helmet that was so large so it acted
like a parachute off the back of my head instead of protecting my head. Nothing like embracing the elements and
honestly it was nice to feel the wind on my face!! I visited a local organic winery where they
truly just let the earth and nature grow their vines which was inspiring to see
and even more amazing was how good the wine actually tasted. Although the trip was only 3 days long it
was the perfect vacation from a vacation and exactly what I needed knowing what
was to come upon my return to Canada.
The day after landing back in Calgary, I boarded a plane for
Charlottetown, PEI where I was to take part in two amazing golf tournaments, a
music festival and the fund raising for two important organizations; the Boys
and Girls Club and Nova Scotian Sport. I
kick started the tour with two rounds of golf in Charlotte town, which was followed
by the Cavendish music Festival and concluded with two rounds of golf in Digby,
Nova Scotia. These tournaments are legendary
in themselves and it is a true honour to be invited to take part in them each
and every year. They bring together
people and celebrities from all walks of life and it is truly an event filled with
a lot of passion, inspiration and good times.
There were some amazing musical performances which alone were awe
inspiring.
After one sleep in my own bed I headed off to the Okanagan
for a couple days of mother-daughter bonding and an event at the Mission Hill
winery. I enjoyed a couple rounds of
golf in Osoyoos, some phenomenal wine tasting at the ever more popular wineries
stretching along the Okanagan corridor (I think that there are actually more
wineries than fast food joints and gas stations combined!) and the trip was
concluded with a beautiful event at the Mission Hill winery in benefit of the
Kelowna Symphony Orchestra.
Although I am doing very well in my mission to see a
different side of the world and Canada, away from the mountains and snow, it is
truly all about balance. After living a
life that was dictated by schedules, programs and self discipline it is a freeing
experience to be only at the mercy of my own schedule and my own desires. Rejuvenation is all about restoring your mind,
body and soul to its original state; to find that base from which anything is
possible. This is my time to do that.
I hope that everyone is having a great summer.
Emily
Subscribe