Have you ever met someone and within seconds you know that they’re going to change your life? Well that is how this all began.
Over my little Christmas holiday I went to visit some of my family in Joussard. No matter where I end up around the world, Joussard will always be my home. Sure it’s overrun by douchebag tourists in the summer, and it’s beyond freezing cold because of the lake in the winter, but it’s my home.
This last holiday was a bit of an odd one for myself. It was my last Christmas at home (for one year lol.), so I tried to get in as much Christmas as I possibly could — while also limiting the angry conversations with relatives about why I feel the need to see the world. It was nice.
It was also this Christmas that I met one of these so-called “kindred spirits”. As you can see by the quotation marks, it’s not a term I use excessively — or ever for that matter — but after meeting this lovely lady, I think I might have found one. Her name is Diana and she’s my cousin Michael’s girlfriend.
She lives in Saskatchewan and works as a sustitute teacher as well as a Yoga instructor. She wears diamond stickers on her forehead and neck (she claims she started wearing them after a trip to India where she found her “centre”). She has blonde / blue hair and braids. She’s awesome.
Why are we kindred spirits you ask? I don’t really know how to explain it to be perfectly honest – beyond saying that I’ve never felt such a connection with someone right off the bat. She was interested in what I had to say, asking questions about me, my family, my heritage, my goals and plans for the future — and of course, my travel dreams. Once we delved deeper into what my plans for my around the world adventure were, she started telling me stories about her own adventures — soaking in the Ganghees (downstream from Varanasi I might add), being robbed by gypsies on a moto with a 15 year old Italian boy, teaching English in Japan and Taiwan (for a combined 8 years!) and so much more.
We spent the majority of our evening talking to each other, occaisionally involving my other family members but it was clear that they were not the least bit interested in the world we were in.
That’s always been a bit of an issue of mine, the lack of people who have the same views as I do about traveling and the lifestyle associated with it. Sure I know those people are out there, I just haven’t found a lot of them yet, and I found that in her. In addition to our shared passion for roaming, we both love to work with children, eat interesting foods (she is a vegetarian though… I’ll let it slide…) and meeting new people and hearing their stories.
As the evening unfolded, it brought me back to a place I was a few weeks ago — a place I can’t wait to get back to — my second home — my Vancouver.
On my last trip to the city of dreams I spent a few days with a certain special someone, and felt things I hadn’t felt in a long time. We laughed together. We told stories together. We cooked together. We went out to a dinner party together. It was amazing — but short lived. (We also both love Lego and collecting toys, just putting it out there.) While the first few days seemed like magic, the last few left me in a heart wrenching kind of pain I haven’t felt in a long time.
Having not been in a relationship for almost 2 years now, I sometimes forget how you’re supposed to act in them –especially in that wacky begining phase. I tend to get overemotional, too attached and sometimes a little (a lot) crazy. It’s like I can’t believe I’ve found someone I want to spend time with and that I have to spend every last ounce of time with them. (For those girls who don’t know — men don’t like that) (and those men who do, are men I do not like. Of course.)
What we had intended as a weekend of animal passion turned into a holding hands til we fell asleep listening to each other talk kind of deal. I never thought I could fall for someone so quickly — and simultaneously have it taken away from me. Through awkward moments and even more awkward conversation, we realized we liked each other but just couldn’t be together and that is what killed me. We agreed that maybe things would work at a different place and time — but how do you know?
After returning home, I thought my feelings of anguish would go away — you know, out of sight, out of mind — but no, that was not the case. I spent even more of my time wondering if there was ever a possibility for us. If me moving back to Van would change things — even if it meant me giving up on all of my travel dreams. If we could do the long distance thing — even though I know I can’t. If we will have one of those crazy love stories that last through the ages — and maybe they’d make movies about us! But the ifs are not getting me anywhere, they are just making it worse. (For the record, I still think about him — and his laugh – every night before I go to sleep.)
In April 2006, I made it to the Eiffel tower for the first time and cried (bawled) upon seeing it. It was at that moment that I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life traveling — I just didn’t know where or how I was going to do that yet. Here I am, 5 (almost 6 now) years later and I am finally starting to figure it out.
In October 2008, I had my heart shattered for the first time and cried for weeks on end. After the drama wore off and my apetite came back, I knew that I would never let a man make me feel that way ever again — but here I am, 3 years later and I am no closer to figuring that out. I guess that’s life. Some things end up making sense, some things don’t, but you take the good with the bad, and you make it through.
Before leaving the hall on Christmas, I made sure to give Diana a big hug and said that if ever she was in the city again that we should go out. She turned and said to me “We’re kindred spirits, we’ll find our way to each other again someday.” I can only hope the same will be true for Mr. Perfect and me. I guess we’ll see.
Peace&Love.
P.♥
Ps. Just because I’m feeling like this is totally relevant — even though it’s terribly lame — I’m sharing it.
Well I hope the sun shines, and it’s a beautiful day, and something reminds you, you wish you had stayed. You can plan for a change in the weather and time, but I never planned on you changing your mind…
