Moving Things

The rains have come, though they’re nothing like the torrents of downpour one associates with the coast. The grey sky puts a filter on the day, and the colours jump out at my eyes, no longer washed with the intensity of the sun.

Things have been busy. Some after school projects about the Fraser River kept me heavily focused on my laptop last week, which I was gladly forced to go without over the weekend as I visited friends living the rustic life. Too much technology, paired with some glitches, can really make a person insane!

Last week the students and I made our final trip to Lillooet for swimming lessons. Before heading home we stopped by Honeyman Bob’s bee field to meet his hives. Students and I were all suited up as we watched Bob subdue the hives by fanning them with his smoker. Smoke tells the bees that forest fire is coming, and they rapidly move into the hive and consume as much honey as they can in preparation to flee. This makes them lethargic and less concerned about the strange alien beings cracking into their hive to take a look.

There were a few students who did not want to go when we discussed the upcoming trip in class. We spoke a lot about fear and how empowering it can be to face it. I told them to see how they felt the day of, and that if they didn’t want to go then they could wait in the car. I had one student who was adamant about not going come up to me after swimming and say, “well, Miss L, I’ve been thinking about it, and I think I’m going to see the bees today. I’m going to face my fear.”

Comments like that are why I do this job, even when they are at times few and far between.

I spent a night out in the Yalakom on Friday. What wonderful people I meet each time I travel there. Looking forward to spending some more time getting to know the community better when I am freed up from such a demanding work schedule. I am planning on seeking out many alternative communities and education options during my hiatus, just to see what is happening out there and what my options are. It’s also a good way to spend a little time in different communities: to volunteer my time for room and board, to write, to explore, to connect and take stock of what the options are for an idealist like me.

After the Yalakom I then spent a couple of nights with a friend who lives in Seton, right on Anderson Lake. What a beautiful scene the lake was, whether whipped into a froth of whitecaps, or stilled like a mirror reflecting sky. What a landscape we have here.

On Saturday we went to visit a couple of homesteaders—real pioneers of the area—who have rehabilitated a piece of clear-cut land devastated by logging over forty years ago. They moved onto the land after putting up three walls of one room, and now live in an incredible house built with found wood and stone over the last four decades.

The stories they hold in their history are absolutely spellbinding and humbling. It was a real joy to be surrounded by such creative minds living so close to the heart of the earth. My mind was blown wide open, as if linear time ceased to exist and I was caught in a super reality filled quite literally with the “art of living”. I continue to be in awe.

Planning a trip down to the coast (what locals call Vancouver) this coming weekend. Moving the first batch of things into the small storage space at my parent’s house. Thank goodness I can get away without renting a locker. That option seems ridiculous, but would have had to suffice if not for the option to move some things back to my childhood home.

I'll miss this drive...

View looking back at highway 40 towards Gold Bridge as I drive over Mission Ridge.

Going through things feels great, and with my recent inklings I am able to let go of things with an efficiency I’ve not embraced before. I’ve spent much time lately considering the impermanence of “things”, and I’ve had enough experience to know how easy it is to collect what we need as we go rather than hording it all. And, to be honest, having so much stuff stresses me out. I just don’t need it all. And what a pain it is to move!

I have no idea where my next home will be, but there are many things that fill this house that I can find in secondhand shops if I should ever need them again. Only the treasures I keep—the rest goes into the give-away pile.

Heading back to the sorting, dinner, and then to bed. Thanks for reading!