LOOKING BACK ON THE YEAR THAT WAS
I wrote my
last blog on October 8, 2020, about a trip Elva and I took to the Fundy Isles
in New Brunswick. As readers will know, although I do write about other topics
occasionally, most of my blogs have been about travel. A friend asked me
recently about our travel plans for 2022. My response: “With COVID, the term ‘travel
plans’ has become an oxymoron!” In truth, most of the things that happened to me in the past year or so have been positive and it’s time to write about the
more notable ones.
After a year
of limited travel and with COVID staring us in the face again as we began 2021,
I decided to hang out my shingle and look for some HR work. In the fall of
2020, I’d worked on a project for Holland College, a feasibility study for the
establishment of a Centre or Excellence in Watershed Management to be located
on the property of the Andrew family in East Royalty and a piece of work I’d
really enjoyed. But I missed working with the Acadian and francophone community
and saw an opportunity to get back to a project I’d worked on in 2005. La Société
acadienne et francophone de l’Île was looking for a person to help set up a
shared HR service for local NGOs.
I jumped at
it and, long story short, turned it into two contracts and a part-time job. The
service launched last October, and we’ve signed up 12 partner organizations so
far. I’ve found the work very stimulating, and the best part is that I get to
work with some very smart young people! I’m learning as much as or more than
they are.
In March, I received a surprise call from la Fédération
acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse. Their HR person had just left for another job, and they asked
me whether I’d be interested in part-time work. They’d heard about the work we
were doing here. I accepted, and now work with 10 partner organizations there.
While my employers and I both realize that I’m not the long-term solution they
need, I’ll ride the wave for the time being and see where it takes me.
The year
2021 hasn’t been all work of course. One cold and miserable day late last
December, as I walked along the downtown section of the boardwalk, I
looked at the new apartment building going up on the waterfront near the yacht
club. We’d lived at 297 Allen St. for going on three years and, while we liked
it there, we missed downtown. After selling our condo on Hillsborough St. in 2017,
we’d looked to rent downtown but there just wasn’t anything available. The idea
of moving stayed in the back of my mind; I discussed it with Elva and sent an
inquiry to the developer.
In February,
having heard nothing, I contacted them again to see where we were on the list. We
were sent a set of floor plans and asked to choose which one interested us. It
took us all of five minutes to choose one that was the same size and layout as
the one we had. I sent off an email with our choice, together with references, and waited patiently for a response. “Yes”, the developer answered, “we can
offer you space when the building is ready for occupancy in the summer. Which
unit would you like?” “Waterside, fourth floor”, I replied. “How much is the
rent?” His reply hit me like a ton of bricks and left us with a major
case of sticker shock. After mulling it over for a day or so, we decided to
stick with the unit we wanted. It’s simple. As we grow older, we don’t want to
have any regrets. The time for second chances has passed.
With the help of our family, we moved in on August 1, and are thankful every day for our decision. We have Charlottetown Harbour for a front yard and downtown for a back yard. It’s like having a cottage in the city. These photos illustrate the chaos of moving, the view from our balcony, and our building taken from the yacht club.
The various and unpredictable COVID lockdowns have made it very hard on families, ours included. Several times, we had to cancel planned trips to Saint John to visit with Sylvie and her family. Our grandchildren, Samuel and Natalie, have had to deal with distance learning off and on since the pandemic began. Lucie has been more fortunate as there haven’t been as many closures in Island schools. And, of course, we’ve been able to spend time with Lucie and her parents now that they live here. We’re thankful for that.
But things
were more difficult with Clément, Julia, Estelle, and André. Other than a very
brief visit to Edmonton shortly after Estelle was born and one here in the
summer of 2019 when André was a newborn, we’d had to make do with FaceTime,
better than nothing but a totally inadequate way to get to know someone. Finally,
soon after our province opened to visitors, Clément & Co. arrived in August
for a ten-day vacation. We got to spend quality time with them and even babysat
Estelle and André a couple of times.
On a very special Saturday afternoon in August, the thirteen members of our family got together for only the second time at the KOA in Cornwall. As these photos show, it was a very special day!
In September,
we flew to Edmonton and spent ten days with Clément’s family. While it’s never
long enough, time spent with family is a treasure. André had even progressed to
calling me “Pépé” by the time we left. He’d figured out by then that Elva and I
weren’t both called “Mémé”!
On a more
negative note, I was diagnosed with a heart condition in November, atrial
fibrillation. I’d known there was something wrong since May of 2019 but,
despite many tests, nothing had been found. Finally, I got the bad news when the
irregular heartbeat showed up on an echocardiogram and EKG. The condition
itself is not life-threatening but it carries with it the risk of stroke. So, I’ll
be on blood thinner medication for the rest of my life. As I write this, I am
in a-fib. It’s not painful but, when it lasts for more than a day, it can be
exhausting.
There are
treatments available but, until I get a more precise diagnosis from my
cardiologist, I can’t move to the next step. I find waiting for my turn very
frustrating, especially knowing that the system takes better care of those who
don’t look after themselves than people like me who do. It’s the one time in my
life I wish I could buy my way into a heart-specialized clinic and get the
service I need.
Yes, we do
have travel plans for 2022. We always have travel plans! Our place in Ft. Myers
is booked for March and April and we’re planning a trip to northern Europe in
the fall. We’ve seen 86 countries thus far and there is much of the world yet
to see.
In November, on our way to see Jacques perform in the opera, L’Orangeraie, in Québec City, we visited with friends Gilles and Fleurette Cloutier in Thetford Mines. They’re both well into their 80s and in good health. They were getting ready to leave for a six-month stay in +their condo in Fort Lauderdale. I asked Gilles what his secret was for a long life. He answered, “Have something to look forward to every day and don’t be afraid to take chances whatever your age.” Good advice to begin another year!
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