Stopping to smell the bush fires.

Summer has been something of a compromise for me this year. Generally I like to be found outdoors as much as possible during the warmer months. I've heard Vancouver called 'Rain City' more than a couple times and making the most of summer is basically mandatory. This year has been tricky.
To start with, my Mum turned 60 this year. Happy Birthday Mum! And so a while ago I knew I would be taking a trip back to Australia in June to celebrate. Summer came and I managed to get to the beach a good half a dozen times and work in a camping trip before I had to leave. Perfect as I was going to Australian winter. I finished work on a Sunday and left the next day. I grew up in a coal mining town called Newcastle, a 2 hour drive north of Sydney, until I was 21 and I moved to Melbourne. I have always found it fascinating the places we grow up, some people never leave, others cannot wait to get out of there. I wanted nothing more than to get out of my hometown. But recently I had a wonderful experience going back and it was because I was looking through a different lens, with my adult glasses on. Realizing that actually, the place was beautiful, and the past is just that.
I had recently decided to shake things up for work and so on this trip I thought I would try to do some writing, meditation, a little soul searching, so that I could come back to Vancouver with a bit of a game plan. But somewhere along the way I realized that was the last thing I should be doing. I'd just come all this way, specifically to reconnect with family and friends. Secluding myself away to meditate and find some answers, was a bit of a dick move. So I scrapped it, be present in the moment. Plenty of time to pick up the pieces once you get back so enjoy the break. And I did, and it was magic.
Once back in Vancouver however, I found myself to be in this strange and uncomfortable state of wanting to make up for lost time. I'd just missed 5 weeks of summer. I wasn't about to let another beach day pass me by. But alas, that is exactly what would happen. Two days after being back a friend messaged me about some temporary work she had and needed some extra bodies. So I helped out, and it was nice to fall into some easy work right away. I was resolved to get some beach time in somewhere. My temp work came and went, finally my time had arrived. I packed a bag and went down to the bike lock up in my building only to discover my front tyre flat as a tack. A curse or two later I decided to walk.
My favorite beach in Van is by far Wreck Beach. Wreck is a special kinda place, for one it's a bit of a ways out. You definitely have to decide to go there. But once you make the trek, the beach is your reward. It's clothing optional, the kind of place you leave all your mental baggage at the top of the stairs and pick it up again when you leave. My walk took me along pebbled beaches and through Forest Trails. The usual view of North Vancouver and local Mountains obscured by the smoke from wild fires ripping through BC. The city itself has had a haze above it for over a week now. I'd never attempted walking to wreck before and I'm really glad I did because not only was it beautiful, it was a reset. A lesson in slowing down and appreciating the journey, not just the end result. Which is exactly what I needed to hear.