Where do I go from here?

I just spent a week in Calgary. My company flew the Nashville office up to the Critical Mass headquarters for the CMMY's, an annual celebration of the work that we do as a company and the people who created it. What this means is, I spent 4 nights sleeping one block from the condo I still own (but currently rent out) - I could actually see it from my hotel room. I went to work for 4 days in my old office, sat not far from where I used to sit, chatting with many familiar old faces. I caught up over drinks with great friends, went to my old Starbucks, complained about the cloudy, chilly weather on Tuesday, and left my jacket at home on Thursday when the sun came out and the forecast was in the double digits. It was comfortable, familiar, and very surreal. It was all so very surreal that I kept checking my phone and Facebook feed to make sure that I indeed had friends in Nashville, and it wasn't all just a dream.

Fortunately, it wasn't a dream, and it turns out that I really do have two parallel lives, in very different cities that I love for different reasons, and with so many people who love me in each. I spent a great deal of my week sharing stories and talking about the people who have become such a huge part of my life. And the question I get, over and over is "Are you coming home?"

I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this. My intent was always to move south for two years, which concludes in October, and then to return home to Calgary to continue my life and career and be closer to my family. And although I have fallen in love with Nashville and its people and grown in ways I could have never imagined, I am ready for my next challenge! I am limited in certain ways by my “Canadian-ness”, which keeps me a little confined as long as I live in the US. And anyone who knows me knows I don’t deal well with restrictions. I have a theory that it is my curiosity and my quest for adventure and novelty that have made me enjoy my time in Nashville so fully. From the Opry to road trips to being an extra to connecting with songwriters, you can flip through my archived blog posts to see that I have done everything in my power to make the most of my intended limited time in the South. Doesn’t it seem a shame, then, to cheat my sense of adventure and settle into a routine and become complacent, only forced to change when the US Department of Homeland Security decides to evict me? And so begins my next adventure…

I have decided to go home. But it is not to return to a comfortable, known life. I am going to Calgary, yes, but with a long list of goals to achieve, people to meet, experiences to create, and routines to shake up. Because I won’t be limited by work restrictions, I will have the freedom to create anything, and I have a few ideas up my sleeve. I won’t go into details yet, because that would ruin the element of surprise, but suffice to say it won’t be boring.

And to kick off this next adventure, I am going to travel the world! I am fortunate enough to be employed by a company that understands the concept of wanderlust, and have been approved to take a 4-month leave of absence from November 1 to March 1. November will be spent wrapping up loose ends in Nashville and taking a leisurely road trip home, stopping for pictures and memories along the way. December I will move back into my condo, catch up with friends and family, spend time in the mountains and enjoy the Christmas season in Canada (something I have really missed living in the South). And by New Years, I plan to be in Melbourne, Australia and begin my real travels, which will take me across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. I have a few friends who are planning to join me for various pieces of this journey, and the more I talk about it and get tips from friends who have been, the more excited I get! I have never taken a break from school and work and life to travel for any decent period of time, so I am taking full advantage of a natural transition to grow a little more, have a few more adventures, and unlock another piece of myself.

Nashville will forever be a second home to me, and hold a very special place in my heart. And you had better believe I will make the absolute most of the next 6 months. No one knows where the future may lead, as I try to find the balance between planning and being flexible. But all I do know is that I am ready to take a chance, dive right in, and open myself up to the possibilities of what happens next.

GERONIMO!