There’s no place like home!

Well after 32 years living and working in Banff I have moved to Nelson and a fresh start.

my favorite ski near Banff – Stanley Glacier

I loved living in a National Park, hiking, skiing, running the day care, working on school board, co-founding the Banff Community Foundation and the Banff Ideas Bank.  I grew up during my time in Banff, finding myself by engaging intensely in life, friendships, adventure, challenging work. Banff became my home for 3 decades and each phase in my life in Banff I took on challenges, learned about myself and the field I was working in, make great connections with the other people involved and after a time, it was time to move on.

This winter I came to a major decision about how far to take this process.  So paying attention to this need for the next challenge, the one that came to me was the Executive Director position with the Kalein Centre in Nelson.  I found myself in a huge dilemma.  Great opportunity, building an organization from the ground up, re-connecting wtih life span development work, and how do you leave Banff, friendships and 32 years of work and connection.  I decided I had to take a leap, create a fresh start, and be an adventurer and rediscover myself and find new passions.

Here I am in Nelson.  My great buddy Colin Funk came to Banff and we loaded up a u-haul with my stuff along with some items for him to take home to Cortes and his son’s belongings going to Victoria so he could attend school.  My daughter Hana and I loaded her stuff in my car and headed to Nelson.  They helped me set-up house (just 1/2 km outside of town right on Kootenay Lake) and then I started work.  Hana hung out in Nelson for a few days hanging pictures and art and then we drove to Vancouver on the labour day weekend to get her set up for school at Emily Carr.

my early days in Nelson

The Kalein Centre is a great place for me to use my skills and knowledge in new ways.  Nelson is an interesting combination of laid back, community focused, counter culture place and while I have to work hard to make new social networks, it is a place of promise. I have been trying out new adventures in Nelson – stand up paddleboarding, and last Sunday I performed a new song I’ve written at the Monthly Poetry Slam during the open mic,  It was hosted by Zaynab a local poet who helped me in crafting some lyrics.  I met her at the Cottonwood Market in May and she wrote me this poem about moving to Nelson. (click on the photo to get a larger version that is easier to read)

My writing in my blog will shift more towards life span development and issues with death and dying and living fully at all stages of life.