This Immediate Future

I started this blog when Mark and I had been here in Puerto Vallarta for three weeks. Three weeks from tomorrow we will be leaving, going to Mexico City for five nights and then, on March 6 back to Toronto. It’s interesting to see how one’s mind settles down into really being in a place over time and then as that period draws to a close, one begins to turn again in a more focussed fashion to the things that lie ahead. We will be ever so busy when we arrive in TO: visiting our prospective new digs on Major St to get a better sense of the space; sorting, packing, and disposing of the unnecessary at 2B Croydon; arranging for movers; to say nothing of the experience of taking on once again the regular round of activities and work that we have in Toronto; and, seeing the kids and friends. As that time comes closer, it occupies my mind more: I mentally roam about our house, thinking about what needs to be done to organize all of our accumulated things. Moving every few years greatly facilitates this process as one is forced to continually re-evaluate what is essential.

Here in Vallarta we continue with our current daily routines: the walks on the malecon, swims in the pool on the roof, and lots of reading. The longer we stay here the more we gain a sense of the rhythm of the place, a feel for some of the language, and some connection with other ex-pats who live here for part or most of the winter. Recently we have met several people who are regular residents in the building or in the Zona Romantico, the area where we live. The conversations always begin with similar mutual inquisitions: Where are you from? How long are you staying? Have you been coming here for a long time? There are many Canadians who come here every winter, people from Vancouver, a few from the prairies, some from Quebec, and a fair number from Ontario. Like us many have become devotees of Vallarta over the years as they have succumbed to its beauty and charm. It’s always interesting chatting with these people and finding points of common interest that promise the possibilities of more lasting friendships.

Mark and I have had many conversations over recent weeks about the directions that we will take in the coming months and years. Now that the Croydon house has been sold and the condo in Orillia is rented, we have many options before us. One thing has become clear to me: I have more interest in being free to travel and explore more places in the world than I have in investing capital and commitment to a particular place to live in Toronto. At least for the immediate (and possibly longer term) future, renting a place seems a great way to have residency but to maintain flexibility. I am very fortunate to have a partner who, like me, is ever interested in visiting and learning about other places in this vast and wonderful world that we live in. We are currently planning a trip in the fall to Istanbul, using that city as a jumping off point for a cruise on the Black Sea. This body of water joins Turkey, Bugaria, Romania, the Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia. Millennia of history as their peoples have interacted along those coasts! Lots to learn and think about.

And so life goes on – one day at a  time but also one immediate future at a time, all things unfolding as they do.