Reentry

The journey home was fraught with lots of emotion.  We were excited about being back in our own home, seeing friends and family and having our own "stuff" around us.  But there was also lots of emotions around the trip ending, sadness that we were done with our grand adventure, and trepidation about returning to our "regular" lives.

And of course, to further complicate the transition and the travel, there was the new puppy, Keji.

Thinking through the logistics of getting the puppy back to Canada provided an at times welcome distraction from the intense feelings of sadness and anticipatory anxiety.  We could focus our feelings on worry and attention to the puppy rather than really sit with the discomfort of the trip ending.  The newest variable of travel was "what to do if the puppy needs to pee?" and the worry was about what to do if he barks or whines.

Turns out he was a champ traveler and fit right in with the family.  He slept the entire way and did his business during our stopover in Vancouver, where we had time to walk outside to the dog area.  If you had asked me when we left Canada 10 months prior if I would be returning with a dog, I would have said no way, but there we were seeking out the patch of grass so our puppy could pee on our 12 hour cross country travel day.

The anticipation as we came down the elevator in the Halifax airport was high.  

We were all so excited to see Yia Yia and Papou who were waiting for us.

Walking into our house was a wonderful feeling.  After many months of living in different spaces it was so affirming to walk into our own home and feel deeply appreciative of its space, and light and look.  It felt good to be back in our own home, and to really love it. 

Robin the cat may have been less than enthused with our return.

She had quite the sabbatical living with Catherine, the cat loving cellist, and then Yia and Papou as their pampered pet.  Not only did we return with the noise and the action that accompanies the five of us, but we brought a puppy with us!  Robin had every right to be annoyed.

We squeezed every bit of summer goodness in the few weeks before school and work started.  The appreciation for the beauty of Nova Scotia was present but it was mixed with a general sense of discombobulation.  After moving and being unsettled for so many months, with a constant stream of new experiences, sights and smells coming at us, it was both reassuring and grounding to be back in the familiar, but also a bit unsettling.  The questions  "what does life look like now?" and "how am I different?" and "will things still be the same" swirled for all five of us. 

Retreating to the tranquility of  "the farm" was therapeutic and soothing.

The novelty of being back home where we could do chores was fun. 

Using tools for projects and crafting with cousins.

The experience driving on mopeds translated to a comfort behind the wheel 

of the newest (old) addition to the farm for the teen.

Another major pleasure was making food in familiar kitchens.  

These two did not become fast friends.  Keji constantly tried to get Robin to play with him.  She would have none of it, consistently swatting and swiping at him.

Soccer happened. Both as participants and spectators.  It was fun to discover that a professional soccer team launched down the road from us in our absence.  It was good to see change in the city!

Connecting with friends was a highlight of our return.  Getting out on the ocean reminded us of how lucky we are to live here.  And if there was still any doubt we just had to watch the sun rise at the farm, or set at Kejimukujik.

Just like it did while traveling, getting into nature together as a family was grounding and bonding.  It was good to escape to the waters of Keji to bring down the intensity of the return and simply "be" back in Nova Scotia.

With our return we got to do things we'd missed out on for a year, like celebrate birthdays with family.

...And school!

The new school was open and ready to go. 

First day of school had lots of excitement and a fair dose of worry, mostly by the parents.

As it turned out, the older two had hardly missed a beat, but for the youngest he missed 50% of his education.  Reentering the class structure, with so many people and noise and all in French was a lot to ask a 7 year old to take on, but he did and, with lots of hard work, made the most of his grade 2 year before life changed for everyone in the world with the arrival of Covid-19.

And like that, with the ring of the school bell on a September morning we were back into "regular" life. It wasn't like we'd never left; we were all different in subtle and obvious ways, and our outlook on the world was broader and richer than a year prior, but we quickly slipped back into the rhythm of family life with school, dance, sports, and friends.  And for a few brief months life was predictable and, although busy, calm.  And then it was upended in ways no one would have predicted with the onset of a global pandemic.  The terror of repeat homeschooling aside, we were incredibly fortunate to be back in our home province by the time the world locked down. We feel immense good fortune that we were able to travel when we did.  For that and many other things we are so lucky, and we know it!