2009

Another year has come and gone or, very nearly at any rate. Before I ring in the new year, I just wanted to stop to consider the things that have changed over the last year.


The biggest change in my life has been the fact that I am now a married man. I still can’t really believe it sometimes...it feels so, so....adult I guess. I know that may sound strange, but it sometimes feel like I am still an awkward kid, struggling to catch up to this supposed adult life I am living. Being married hasn’t really changed things with my relationship to Elisha, but it does change the way people look at you. When I was just dating Elisha (or going steady, or whatever) I can say that there were less expectations on us...no requirements to act like a married couple, such as giving up going out, or spending our time doing bathroom reno’s on the weekend. Perhaps those are just the things I thought married couples did. Anyway, I find that the same pre-conceived notions I had about married couples are now being used as weapons in judgment against me. When I tell people I’m married, their first impression usually involves me being too old to certain things. Either that or being asked if I have children or when Elisha and I will have them. Sigh. Guess a taste of my own medicine was due and I of all people should’ve expected this. It changes nothing for me...I still feel the same when I wasn’t married and love Elisha all the more. That’s what being married means to me.

Other big changes in the year have meant 2 major moves; first, deciding to move from the West coast giving up yet another apartment, sparse furniture, jobs and saying goodbye to friends. Not that we had a big life out there, but it still gets more difficult to say see ya later every time we decide to move on. When we do decide to move on, it’s usually a combination of something not working and something missing. In the case of Nanaimo, it had a lot to do with money. I was stuck in a job that was supposed to be temporary, living a life I had left behind 4 years previously, only to find myself back in it with a different backdrop. Location had little to with it...the island itself is a beautiful place and given time, I think I could’ve adjusted to all the naturalness but the life itself wasn’t what we were hoping for. I guess I just hoped that the West would be full of promise for us. If and when I do settle back in Canada, I think B.C. would be top of the list.

But things change and I would be remiss to say that I don’t thrive on change. The other big upheaval in my life over the last year was to return to Taiwan. It also hasn’t turned out exactly as planned, but you know what they say about best laid plans going to waste. I can safely say that Taiwan has held true in one regard and that it being a place to expect the unexpected. While life hasn’t worked out as hoped, it has still worked out over the last few months and I’m very happy to be back. In just a few short months, finances have improved, we’ve met some new people and are just generally enjoying life that much more. All in all, the decision to return was a sound choice and I’m looking forward to handling all the curveballs this place can throw at me in 2010.

So here’s to yet another year and looking forward to what lies ahead.