My Favorite Things

I'm in Canada, where I was born and raised. Along with spending time with family, I'm here to get my condo cleared out so the place can be rented. An impossible task for a one-week visit, so I'll be back next month.

I went through paperwork from the last 15 years of my professional life, and threw it all away. The flowcharts, the status reports, the assessments, recommendations, custom reports...all gone. Nothing to show for all the years of sacrifice - and for some reason, it felt good to let it all go. I'm past it, I no longer have the edge, the enthusiasm, the energy, the interest. I am done!

When I take a break from the back-breaking labor of hauling all the boxes and bags out of the closet, I am enjoying my favorite Canadian things. Simple things - food, tv, my car, the weather, my lazyboy, and of course, family.

Food - the highlight has to be corn-on-the-cob. Wow, it's sweet, tender, and juicy. The kernels pop when I bite into them, spraying little squirts of juice at the person across the table. Butter drips down my chin as I do my typewriter motion along the cob, leaving no kernel unpopped.

TV - my favorite shows are on HGTV, all the home-buying and renovation shows. I could watch from morning to night, even though I can't relate to the big bucks put down for many of the homes. I just love to look at homes - how they're built, the colors, the furniture, the gardens. Right now I'm watching another favorite show - So You Think You Can Dance. I haven't been following because we don't have this show in Mexico,or if we do I just don't know about it (because I rarely handle the remote control). I love my daughter's tv - it's huge, it's clear - I want one just like it!

My Car - has been completely repaired from the hit by the deer last June, and the inside got a good cleaning to get up all the glass from the shattered window. Other than tires that look a little worn, the car is in great shape. I wish I could take it down to Mexico with a load of stuff that will take multiple trips on an airplane, but it's not practical to have it there because nobody can drive it unless I'm in the car with them. Will have to ponder on what to do about the car.

The weather - has been hot and very pleasant except for Monday, when we went to my brother's for a BBQ. We drove in pouring rain, which backed up traffic more than usual, and forced us to eat indoors. Oh well...it was all delicious anyway. When I come back in September I think we will be having Indian Summer.

My lazyboy - another old 'friend' that will leave my life in the next couple of months. My daughter hates it, and it's pretty worn. A good cleaning would make it a good chair for someone who likes pink/wine colored furniture, so I will either leave it here for tenants or see if one of the charities will pick it up. I sort of miss having a chair like this in Mexico. Maybe one day.

Although I threw away 'stuff' that took the majority of my time during the last 15 years, the good memories came back to life, and I am forever grateful for the opportunities I had and the wonderful people I met. Even though I have no desire to return to that lifestyle, I am not sitting still and waiting to grow old. I've found other things to pique my interest - web design, writing, cooking, social media. I love our home in Mexico, our animals, the food, the climate, and the more relaxed way of life. And I'm about to become a grandmother, so I have all those mother and grandmother moments to look forward to. New favorite things.

So tomorrow I leave - goodbye butter tarts, croissants, corn on the cob, field tomatoes, tv, lazyboy, car - I'll be back in a month, wait for me!