OTHER VOICES; Leo Ouimet on coming to complete halt but still moving

NOTE: Leo Ouimet, a friend and former student from the New Media Communications graduate program at College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, BC, has agreed to help launch OTHER VOICES with his story about moving from British Columbia. I invite all visitors to contact me about contributing to OTHER VOICES, and Leo, thanks for once again being a 'pioneer' with me.... mj.morris@live.ca

By Leo Ouimet

Several years ago I headed East from Kimberley, B.C., with my truck and a U-Haul trailer containing the remnants of my life to that date. I stayed at my friends cottage in Bobcaygeon, ON., for a few months until luck and a job allowed me to find an apt., in Nov., in the town of Lindsay....just in the nick of time, after tip-toeing across the frost covered floors of the cottage.

No complaints, the cottage was a wonderful place to land and spend my first few months in my new province of choice. Actually a no-brainer, I was following my younger daughter Sarah who had moved near bye 16 months earlier.

The only reason that we pretend to perceive "Time", is so everything doesn't happen at once.

Discarding biology, everything does happen at "Once". Were was I ? Oh ya, Lindsay....a great little brain-dead town. Eight weeks ago I moved to Peterborough, where I always wanted to be in the first place. Now here's where synchronicity comes in; in '68 I was driving to Toronto and stopped in Peterborough, loved the town and years later thought of moving here after my first divorce. I chose Vancouver instead. My first real job there was on a cruise ship where I met and fell in love with a young woman from....you guessed it....Peterborough. We flew to Peterborough to be married, then back to B.C., for the next 18 years. After the divorce my ex., returned with my daughter to....Peterborough. A very wide circle with Peterborough right in the middle. Carl Jung was right....no time to explain, you'll have to look him up and connect the dots.

I am glad to report that I have entered a new stage of life; along with my move here, I have executed a life change; less vegging on the couch, less alcohol, riding my bike daily, no TV at all. Started reading again, (Now reading , Naomi Klein)

At times in our lives, we come to a complete halt yet believe that we are still moving. It takes a physical, geographical move to wake us up again. ( In my case anyway) No matter what age one is, complacency is an early death. Sing louder in the shower, dance in front of your bedroom mirror, give an extra loonie to that pan-handler, spend a few more bucks on a good shampoo.

If you have read this far, thank you and be well.

Leo