Work. Work?

When I started this blog well over a year ago, it was just for the purpose of keeping everyone updated while I walked the Camino. I knew there wouldn't be much opportunity to write emails to individual people so I thought is was a good solution. Plus, I wasn't carrying a travel diary per se and wanted to keep track for myself. Through this process, I realize I have come to enjoy writing very much. Because I walk so much, often through beautiful forests, paths, and parks, I have a lot of time to think about things and then I feel compelled to write about them. My memory is also getting very bad so this way, I can remember things I've done. I really don't know who is reading this blog - nobody ever comments - but the statistics show there are a lot of hits. I know some people have had a hard time leaving comments - I think it is some glitch with blogspot and signing in or something - but I would love to hear from anyone who is interested in contacting me. You can reach me at cowanjena@gmail.com.

Kokanee Glacier Hike 2012

I am one of those very fortunate people who has had great opportunity in my life and can now call myself "retired". Well, what I actually say is that I'm temporarily retired. Only because I feel I am too young not to work. All my friends are working and I miss the comaraderie and social-ness of the working environment. I also want to feel productive and needed. Other than an unquenchable desire to travel, I don't really have a purpose anymore. Is that okay? Some people would say it's fine but for me I feel I miss the passion of working at something you love. Something you are building and creating. Yes, there are days when all you can dream about is stopping work, but I think we want to stop because we're tired and stressed and need a break. After a long break, I realize I do want to work but I do NOT want the crazy stress-filled life I once had. So there is a balance that needs to be attained. I have had many months to consider this and ask myself, how do I want to spend my working life? I know it needs to be creative, flexible and feed my soul. I have thought about doing what I think I'm good at - human resources, project management, or some other kind of corporate endeavor. All this equals STRESS. So, I need to go back to what I am passionate about. What keeps surfacing is Design. Specifically graphic design - it's what I should have done when I graduated from high school. I have taken several courses through KSA and feel quite comfortable with the Adobe suite. I have done some freelance work along with quite a bit of pro-bono work and think it could be something that would feed my soul and produce an income that I can do from anywhere. I know I want to live in more than one place therefore need the flexibility to be elsewhere when I want to be. I love Nelson, it's been my home for many years. I have strong roots here - my Mom, my friends, the mountains and the lake lure me back to this place again and again. But I know it is time for a change and after traveling to so many other places in the world, I realize there are many beautiful places that I could call home, at least temporarily. I've been wrestling with this decision for more than a year and feel it's time to make a choice. Whatever I choose, I know that if I am passionate about it, believe in it, embrace it, I will be successful. So off to college I go. I think.