Ah, the mountains.

Our flight left a bit late. No rush, not like we had hot dates with the coast or anything, but we were itching to get the hell out of Ontario. It just sucks the inspiration and life right out of me. It's great to go home and see family and friends, get fed and do some laundry, sort out all my gear and plan the next adventure. It's my base of operations. My dad comes home from work each evening and yells into the house, "Is that squatter still here?", but they really do love having me home. Other than home and family and friends, Ontario is a place of monotony, destruction, greed and disappointment. Everyone seems drained, stuck, enslaved by their mortgages, car loans, big screen tvs, drinking on weekends, and fancy phones that can do everything except wipe their asses for them (coming soon). They're just going through the motions, and I'm sure most of them (and I'm making a huge generalization here) DO NOT love their lives.


I, on the other hand, love my life, the people in it, the things I do, the places I explore and the experiences I have. I do not have a house, a car, a husband or kids, health or dental coverage or a pass to the gym. I also do not owe anyone ANYTHING. I am not in debt, student, consumer or otherwise. I am healthier than I have been for a long time. I used my health benefits more when I had awesome coverage but hated my job, than I have since. Stress is worse for you than not having a house, apparently.


So, as we flew across the country, slowly, the industrial landscapes, and rows upon rows of matchbox houses with little to no gardens, slowly turned to praries and lakes, and finally to mountains and the ocean as we circled round the edge of BC to line up for our landing. It was a beautiful welcome to a great place, where the air is clean, and the mountains and the ocean hang out together.

Somewhere over Southern BC, Canada. January, 2011.