Here I am at the end of my Year of the the Right Brain. No, the year did not quite pan out the way I had planned. But then life is meant to be full of twists and turns. Albeit, my life in any given year tends to be less predictable than most.
I did not plan to work so hard for the last three months of this year. Nor did I expect to find myself missing work so much.
I did experience art in many ways. I enjoyed the classes in creative writing, improvisation, and mosaic art. I made good of my AGO membership, both in Toronto and in NYC. I discover the joy of sketching.
No, I did not end up getting my writing project off the ground. Instead, I have enjoyed writing this blog. Will I ever get back to the writing project that was the original impetus to take this year off? Maybe. Writing this daily blog has allowed me to keep words flowing. I find that now, my thoughts are crafted into sentences almost naturally. Instead of completing the writing project, I write a 100 page treatise on the cholera situation in Cameroon. This may sound like all work, but putting words onto paper, even with this drier topic, has been a pleasure.
I enjoyed experiencing Toronto--exploring new neighbourhoods, new restaurants, different art scenes. I did not, however, spend as much time in Toronto as I had hoped.
The year was not meant to include extensive travel. However, starting off the year with a train trip halfway across Canada was a great way to set the tone for the year: to take time for this one item on my life’s bucket list, to slow down and reflect, to view this great country I call home.
I did take my yearly “fight the February doldrums” vacation in Europe. It coincided with quite a bit of turmoil in my life due to my father’s illness. Despite this, it was still filled with lots of great new experiences. Attending to my father’s stroke and my mother’s anxiety regarding my father’s health continues.
I also finally realized my dream to fly off to New York for a weekend--a very long weekend. I get a good dose of art. I explore--Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the Frick Collection, the New Museum, Neue Galerie, MOMA. I pop by High Line repeatedly for a break from NYC’s bustle. I opt out of fine dining in famed restaurants and head instead for good honest yummy food: Lombardi’s, La Esquina, Blossom.
Ironically, the year off was also a year of less book reading and exercising in the gym. I take time to focus on my physical health. Unfortunately, treadmilling and walking worsened my physical woes. Luckily, cycling did not seem to aggravate so it became my main mode of transportation and exercise.
In some ways, the expanse of time during the year actually made me do less each day. Instead of feeling that I have limited time to get all the activities in, I end up spacing things throughout my year.
It may have appeared that I was going through a midlife crisis: completely overhauling my life and heading into a new direction, ridding myself of car and furniture, running off to Africa. Yet, this is not really the case. These things were planned for a long while. Only with the extended time off work was I finally able to attend to these things.
How has this year changed my outlook and plans for the future?
I have learned that I do enjoy working in northern Ontario. I find it the perfect balance between city and country life. Work and play. Bustle and quietude.
I plan to return to work in northern Ontario, maybe at a lesser scale than in the past. I garner much gratification from my humanitarian missions and will continue to seek postings overseas.
I will make up the half completed improv class. I will get that sailing course in someday. I will take classes even if working in the north means that many sessions will be missed. After all, taking the year off did not seem to improve my attendance record.
I abandoned my interior decorating project to head off to Cameroon. I will soon return to a home void of furniture. I will be obliged to spend part of the coming year completing this project.
Most of all, I will take time to deviate from daily routine--to stop at that garden that I pass by every day, to taste that new food, to see beauty in my surroundings.
I HOPE THAT YOU, DEAR READERS, HAVE ENJOYED EXPERIENCING THIS YEAR WITH ME.
THIS BLOG WILL HAVE A PROLOGUE
