One door closes, another opens | 3.3 minute read

As someone who’s always claimed to hate change, I’ve made some big ones in my life. I’m on, like, my fourth career. I’ve lived in five different cities/towns. In Toronto alone, I lived in four different neighbourhoods (The Beaches is still my #1).

Recently I moved from a town of 3,500 (or 3,900, depending on which way you drive into town) to a city of over 600,000. And less than five years ago I moved from a city of 3 million to that tiny town.

Like I said, big changes.

“How are you liking Hamilton,” people ask.

It’s similar to questions I got five years ago.

“How are you liking Bancroft?”

I think people expect to hear that I love it. That it’s the best move I’ve ever made and that I’ve finally found a place to settle down.

But, that’s too simplistic a view of it.

The truth is, every big life change has its positives and negatives. You have to close one door to open another. You have to give things up to gain others.

“I’m enjoying it,” I say.

And that’s true. But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss things from my past life. As I’ve written about before, I’m a nostalgic person, after all.

I miss going for swims in one of the many lakes.
I enjoy all the great places to eat and drink.

I miss having an affordable golf membership.
I enjoy all the great local running spots.

I miss my huge forested backyard.
I enjoy being able to see live music again.

I miss the twisty roads on my motorcycle.
I enjoy all the cafes I can ride to on my motorcycle.

There’s a give and take.

And, right now, this is where I want to be. If history is any indication, though, we’re never stuck. We can always make a change in pursuit of something new when we feel like there’s something missing. Life is long and full of possibilities. Who knows where it’ll take us in the next five years.

I don’t think there’s a big lesson in this. Maybe it’s just that, with any choice we make, we can focus on what we’re losing or we can focus on what we’re gaining.

I’ve gained a lot.

The pebble

Yes, I have.

The challenge

This is an ongoing one. One that you can focus on for the rest of your life, really. When it comes to change, focus on what you’re gaining instead of what you’re losing.

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