My parents say I switch houses more frequently than they move the furniture around, but I don't know. They do move the furniture around quite a bit.
We just moved into the best house I could ever have imagined and we're planning on staying put as long as we can. It's a renovated 150 year-old farmhouse with a wood stove and a huge country backyard. The kind of place where you can crank the music and sing or ponder life quietly from the old claw bathtub.
So, what's this? The first thing in the mailbox is a rejection letter? Well, that's life for you, isn't it?
It's been about eight months since we moved to Quebec from British Columbia and life is shaping up to be pretty good. But I'm still suspicious. I did expect the first year to be transitional.
Of course. Things don't just fall into your lap the day you show up somewhere new.
But I always have faith that when I take a big step towards my dreams, the universe will meet me halfway. And it usually works. Just often enough to make the word 'faith' is still applicable.
Like four months ago when I decided that I would never, ever teach elementary school again. After three years of substitute teaching I knew it wasn't the right thing for me, despite the fact that I had studied it for five years at University. I was exhausted and frustrated after every day.
It was just like my career counselor had said -- I was better suited to teaching adults than children. I decided that I was putting my life on hold by continuing. I was wasting valuable life-energy where there was no future for me.
I announced my decision to the principal, trying hard to explain and wondering whether, despite his kindness and support, he could really understand.
"Okay universe," I said that night. "Do your thing!"
And it did.
Two weeks later I received a call and landed a job teaching English to adults at the local business college which is, along with the CEGEP, one of the best places to teach in Drummondville.
And about that time, I spoke to CBC's executive producer in Quebec City. Send me a resume, he said, and so I did. Time passed and I packed my CBC dreams away in the unused corner of my brain.
Then one day, the phone rang. They had something for me. I could be the new Drummondville correspondent. I was ecstatic.
Things have been similar for Ghislain. He left his first job after three months. It just wasn't the right thing for him. But, just as he was ready to start washing dishes (but do you really need a Master's degree for that?), the universe opened up.
Now he has two great jobs he loves and best of all, he works from home.
Sounds great, eh?
But now we owe a lot of people a lot of money. Notably the government. Funny thing -- even if you move to Quebec in November, you have to pay Quebec income tax for the entire year. And Quebec income tax is noticeably higher than it was in our previous place of residence.
There's an old story where a man is invited to take all his troubles, stuff them into a bag and hang them on a tree. Then he is free to choose a different bag, but once he has checked out the other possibilities, he decides to leave with his original sack.
I guess that's the lesson in life. To live with your sack. Even if that sack includes some debts and the occasional rejection letter.