Travels

I have all my stuff together for a week-long trip to Victoria, British Columbia. I'm making this trip for a number of reasons, all of which are related to how I see me living my life in the not too distant future. Here's the short hand version:

• very mild climate;
• fertile soil and year-long growing season;
• opportunity to tele-work to ease the transition;
• smaller community that has active groups focused on transition to a lower energy future and sustainability;
• schooling to help me develop my green thumb;
• I love B.C.

That last point may not factor into the rational side of decision making but I truly do feel drawn to that province. In some ways it's inexplicable but the beauty of it, and the energy that I feel when I'm out there draws me to it. How I see my future playing out requires that I be in a place that isn't so harsh for six months of year to make life just that little bit easier to deal with.

I contacted a like-minded person earlier in the week who currently lives in Victoria to ask about the city. She is convinced, as I am, that our future will be very different from the recent past. So, I've yet to move to a place where I can fully embrace my new identity and already I'm encountering people with whom I can have honest, frank discussions instead of the blank stares I get from my current social circle. I admit, there are people here who are proactively dealing with industrial society's end, and I have met and worked with them. They're good people, but it's heartening to know that such individuals also live in a place that I am so drawn to.

It's getting late now, and I have an early plane to catch. I'll post again tomorrow from the west coast!