Well, another year is in the books in just a few days. A new year always seems like a rebirth to me… not sure why. Perhaps it is all of the “year in review” crap on all the news websites, or maybe it could be all of the threats of “resolutions” that always fail. I do tend to fall into that same routine to some extent – one of looking back and doing a little personal inventory on what has come and gone.
My caretaker gig here at the refuge ends March 31, 2014. Hard to believe it, but I will have been here a year and a half by that point. It has been an incredible last couple of years with a lot of changes. Many amazing things have happened and I have gotten to see, do, and learn so much since my journey started. It has been so rewarding and fulfilling and I am so fortunate to have been able to take this road.
Of course I have been thinking a little more about this gig coming to a close. It is sad to a degree, but I knew it would never be permanent when I applied for the gig. I will hate to leave my cabin and my position as the Caretaker. It will be strange to not see this beautiful place every day. It is strange to hear about your replacement and it makes you look at things differently, yet in a good way. It really is a closure. You look at the things you have done and accomplished, some changes you were able to make in your position, maybe see a few things you would have done differently, how the new experiences have affected you as a person.
As many of you probably know if you read my earliest blog entries, my original thought was to travel around and do various caretaker/campground jobs in a few different areas of the country, and maybe even Canada if it were possible. During those travels, I was going to take note of places I have visited and see if some of those could be considered as a place to stay when I got tired of the travel. After coming up here to this wonderful place to do my first-ever caretaker job, I have come to the realization that this area is someplace that could be difficult for me to leave. I really like what life has to offer here… the people, the weather, the crabbing, the friends I have made, the scenery, the mountains, the water… it really is a great place for me to call home. I believe I said before that I really did not realize the effect the water would have on me, and I think that it would be difficult to NOT be around it after having it. It is like the mountains when I lived in the hills in Colorado… I said I could never again live anyplace where there were not any mountains, and it kind of feels that way about the sea for me now.
I cannot say that “plans have changed” because there were really never any “plans”. Plans just get in the way of living. I set out last year to just live life, and I have been doing just that. Regardless of whether I stay around here or go someplace else, I do have to start looking around for my next opportunity. I have a couple of possibilities for now that I have to further look into, but I do have the next 9 months or so covered for now. I still have to consider options in case something happens and I do not get to become the island caretaker so I am keeping that in mind as I check around. One of the things I am beginning to look into is local, the other a few hours away. I do want, and plan, to stay in the northwest, however.
It makes it hard to move on when you find a special place. Colorado was, still is, and always will be for many reasons a special place to me. I never thought I would leave there… but I DID leave there. Up here it is a little more special to me, and those who know me and how I felt/feel about CO may be surprised to hear that come out of my fingertips.
It is all just part of this adventure I am on. It will all be fine.
A Happy New Year to everyone in the world.
