Like a Rudderless Ship

So having had my final day at work, the farewell lunch, drinks with friends, and the final packing of the Jeep it was time to head away.  The winter has been particularly awful this winter and part of me wanted to head south to start my adventure but I wanted to spend some time in Woodstock first completing a bit of family history research that had been on my mind for many years.  My great-grandfather has emigrated from England in the 1890s and had purchased a failing business on the Main Street of Woodstock, turning it around and making it one of the most successful department stores in the town.  He ended up building his own massive store in the main part of the downtown until he retired in 1928.  There are many family rumours about the circumstances in which he retired and I was eager to prove or disprove them.  Three weeks later I had the information that I needed although I had almost gone blind from starting at microfiche in the library painstakingly searching old editions of the newspapers in the 1920s.

That project completed, it was time to make some final visits before heading to the warmth of the south.  Although I was enjoying my time away from work it still felt a little bit like I was on a vacation as opposed to completely rid of it.  When I had been with the RCMP in Nunavut we had taken two vacations a year, each of 28 days and so I was used to long periods of time away from work.  My plan was to visit a friend in Oakville for 2 days, then my aunt and uncle in Toronto for a day, a friend in Kingston for another day and the 3 days in Ottawa before returning to Bruce County for a final meeting before I would set off into the sunset, heading west to Vancouver Island via friends in Portage la Prairie, Regina and Medicine Hat.  

The days are somewhat strange still as I am in no rush while driving, standing in line doesn't bother me any more and life seems much less stressful. After all, why would I be worried about losing a few minutes in a day where I didn't have anywhere else to be !  I think my situation is different from most retirees and I am not in the house that I have occupied for years prior to retirement.  In that case, it would be simpler just to do the things that you are accustomed to and maybe tackle the projects that had built up over the years.  In my case I really am homeless.  In stores when I make conversation people ask where I'm from and I say, "nowhere".  I get raised eyebrows !

Today really brought home my situation.  My friend in Oakville is sick and so I'm not going to go and visit.  I heard this when I was in Kitchener and suddenly I realized that I didn't have anywhere to go.  I was due in Toronto on Sunday but this was Friday and so I had 2 days to kill.  The plan has always been to sleep in the Jeep but this was for when I was in places where the weather wasn't minus 15 at night.  I decided to head to Niagara, a favourite town of mine.  En route I went through Cambridge and saw a Travelodge next to a British store, next to a Service Ontario office (I needed to renew my vehicle registration) as well as a British pub.  I stopped and checked in.  It's a weird feeling to not be accountable to anyone in time or place.  It's a feeling that I'm not used to at all but one that I think I will like when I do.