Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Sherbrooke: One Year Later

A year ago yesterday I left Ottawa (Ontario), bound for Sherbrooke (Québec), my three cats in tow. Love led me to Sherbrooke, and love still holds me here.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this small city, with its 150,000 citizens, mostly French-speaking, or how I would make out. But I quickly discovered that Sherbrooke is a city that thinks big, filled with kind-hearted people who give generously of themselves without expecting anything in return. When I returned from my trip to Halifax at Christmas, I came home to a gift from my neighbours – an elderly couple whose names I don’t know – but whenever we see each other we take the time to say, “Bonjour, comment ça va ?” My neighbour, I discovered, makes the best banana nut bread!

While the last few months have been difficult, dealing with my depression and insomnia, I am at least confident that my decision to move to Sherbrooke was the right one. I have made leaps and bounds in terms of my artistic pursuits. I’m taking the time to enjoy life and to do the things that I love to do: running, writing, painting, playing the piano, cooking, visiting museums, spending time with loved ones and friends. As the saying goes, I’ve managed to “slow down and smell the roses.”

Maya Angelou said, “I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” I may still be settling in, getting to know the city and its people, but I feel as though I am at home. And that’s a good feeling.

1 comment:

  1. Je suis tres contente que tu sois chez toi a Sherbrooke. Merci de m'avoir acceuilli cette annee!

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