Re-Emergence

I used to embrace a life impacted by a ridiculous moustache, and I once received a keychain with a big black stache that purred, "Well, hello there." when a button was pushed. If I could somehow play that for you to hear, you'd understand the theme of this piece.

I'm back ... Or, maybe it's better to say I've re-emerged
I've missed this process of creation ...

The last post that I shared (CLICK) was about a great family friend's Celebration of Life, and somehow, someway, I lost my drive to create in the mired, murky waters of Life that played out in the spring of 2025. I wasn't unhappy ... or too busy ... or disinterested ... but rather chose to occupy my 86 K seconds in a different way, and writing took a backseat.

Well, I'd like it to ride shotgun for a while!

Looking back on 2025, a LOT of stuff happened that significantly impacted the path my Life was on, and while most were ultimately positive, they caused me pause, and redirected the direction of my prow.

My Mom chose to alter her own path by successfully selling her Florida condo after 30+ years

My mom and dad purchased a condo in Naples Florida in 1990, at a time when the foreign exchange rates were in Canada's favour, and it quickly became their Nirvana, their home away from home, their American paradise. They were able to enjoy all that it became for a number of years prior to my dad's early passing, and despite it being a daily reminder that he had left her on her own, mom continued to enjoy all that Pelican Bay offered to her. For a host of reasons, Joyce and I weren't (didn't?) take advantage of free Florida accommodations until I retired, but we still got to experience what my parents had embraced for a few years, making our own memories and some new friends. With the inevitable passage of time, mom arrive at the place in Life where maintaining two homes became a chore, and a decision was made to investigate selling. Considering where everyone in our family was in Life, it made perfect sense for Joyce and I to be the ones to play a major role in helping her both not only get the condo ready for sale, but to offer support throughout the turmoil of the process, a role we embraced despite the door that was closing.

My family spent some moments this past holiday reminiscing about the condo as the anniversary of the sale passed in mid December. With all that has played out thus far in the 47th presidency, the decision has been reaffirmed many times over, and while I am firm that I will not spend my well earned dollars in the US as long as things remain the way they are, we still harbour some regret about what was and what we have lost. 

I'm personally stoked that a large pressure was taken off my mom's shoulders, and while the culmination of the whole affair looms like a spectre thanks largely to the glacial, grinding nature of the IRS, I know that she can still get emotional when thinking about all those fond memories.

It's definitely the epitome of bittersweet.

My daughter and hubby had their first child, my first grandchild, Elowynn

Joyce and I love our kids to death, that much is not a shock to anyone that knows us, and we couldn't be prouder, happier, or more content with the adults they have become. They both found their soulmates, they're both in the housing game, they both have discovered a path they embrace, and they both seem very happy.

When our Maddi married her boo Chris, she was not shy about letting us know that the plan was to have a honeymoon baby. Well, with Life in the rearview mirror being 20-20, the powers that be thought, "Let's see how they deal with some bumps in the road." and the process became long, frustrating, and emotional, requiring soul-searching, patience, and some medical assistance. When the proverbial "cat was out of the bag", and the ever swelling baby bump prompted a host of emotions for our family, we too experienced some emotional upswings as they inevitable climax of the process loomed. A whirlwind of a labour resulted in our wee Elowynn announcing her presence with a resounding series of yelps, manifested in a level of love that we previously unaware was possible. In my purely biased opinion, she's practically perfect, in every way!

We're six months into the infant roller coaster, some loops anticipated, some unforeseen, but exhilarating none the less as her cherubic smiles melt our hearts multiple times a day. 

More on Wynnie in later posts.

My nephew married the love of his life, a former athlete of mine

My third brother Rob and his wife Jen have two strapping young boys, Marcus and Jackson, and while they both have settled on their mate for Life, 2025 was Jackson's turn to make it official when he married his literal high school sweetheart, Drew. While I was the prototypically proud uncle, the nuptials were enhanced by the fact that Drew was a former athlete of mine, a youngster whom I had developed a solid relationship with prior to them falling for each other, so the kiss that sealed the deal this past fall was an even bigger thrill that it could have been. 

To see how deeply the two are in love with each other is the coup d-grace. 

I discovered that condo life, while good, can't correctly be coined great

Joyce and I entered into Condo Life at Wasaga Beach with our eyes wide open, and while we are quite happy with that decision, we have discovered there are some, albeit minor, things about condos that we were in error about, and they have taken some of the shine off. Some of these were errors made in not fully understanding, but others were errors in assumptions, and we all know what happens when we assume! 

We had every intention to escape the Canadian winter doldrums with regularity, and were successful for 4 years, so a condo made perfect sense with it's turn-key lifestyle, but the situation south of the 45th parallel has thrown a proverbial monkey wrench in the gears. Yes, we could fly somewhere warm, with viable options like Mexico or Central America doable, and we could certainly opt for a Mediterranean destination like Spain or Portugal, but the added expense of flying means a shorter reprieve than driving offers. 

Don't get me wrong, we love our Condo Life once we cross the threshold! Living on one floor, a more than comfortable space, and some of the chores taken on via monthly fees makes for a nice relaxing retirement, but as the old real estate adage extols, it's all about location, location, location. Condos in our price range in Wasaga Beach do not come with a plethora of amenities yet still demand a sizeable monthly cost, so if we're choosing to endure Snow Squall City like we are this winter, the value doesn't match the outlay. 

Looking back on our time in Barrie, in our little home of 31 years, the faces around us changed, but the feelings remained fairly constant, and we really didn't understand that choosing a life that demanded sharing the costs of operation and upkeep would expose us to the frustrations of the mindful minority when it comes to following rules and regulations. My parents taught me that, "You're either part of the solution, or part of the problem." so I dealt with my frustration level by getting elected (acclaimed) as President of our Condo Board, figuring that I would actively participate in the necessary modifications with hopes of lowering my angst. That has proved moderately successful, and while pleased to have prompted some satisfying changes, there remain a host of issues that are proving annoying, mostly centered around the wide variety of opinions of what is right and wrong, compounded by the fact that condo regulations are simply words on a page and mostly unenforceable unless one chooses to spend $$ on legal action.

All of that is what it is, as the old saying goes. If Condo Life were a classroom and was given a realistic grade of 90-95%, most of use would be pretty happy with that level of achievement, but that 5% can be so irritating at times ... breathe Stephen, breathe.

I've fallen in love with Canada all over again

It doesn't take a great deal of time or effort to "Google" stats on the Quality of Life or Life Satisfaction around the planet, the numbers quickly pointing in Canada's favour. It's not a fluke that when we have travelled to parts other than the USA, the local's attitudes change immediately when they learn we're Canadian, smiles appears, tones change, and the whole interaction becomes amenable. That's why when the present US administration decided to pick a fight with our nation, threatening a significant change to a life we'd grown accustomed to, a side of Canada appeared that caused some raised eyebrows. What was a sense of concern has morphed into a sense of confidence as new trade relationships have been established to replace the damaged ones, augmented by the "Canada First" notion bolstering inter-nation trade thanks to some subtle and not-so-subtle changes to interprovincial tariffs.

My swelling patriotism causes a feeling of, "Yeah, we got this!", and all it really took was a conscious decision to spend dollars in a different stream. Sure, being a snow-covered nation for nearly half of the year, there are some US products that we cannot avoid like fresh produce and the like, but it didn't take long to develop the mindset of checking labels before tossing into the grocery cart. It's not like I wish a complete divorce from US manufacturers since many of them bare no responsibility for the way things developed, but if there's a way to direct my dollars internally, even if it costs a few more of them, then I'll choose that option first every single time.

The future of North American trade is certainly murky right now, but I suspect that it will emerge from the cocoon bearing no resemblance what so ever to what entered, and I have great confidence that Canada will become a stronger, more independent nation because of it. As with so many regimes, eventually the failures will tip the scales back to a more responsible, respectful leadership group and Canada will begin to build new bridges of trade with our longtime neighbours.  

It's great to be back writing again, and I hope you enjoy!