Free To Begin Anew

I spent much of my first few years of life with my aunt. I watched her go from being a student at the University of Toronto to working at a major Canadian bank to traveling back to Korea to get married, and finally to starting her own family in the Greater Toronto Area.

Auntie and uncle put in 12-hour days running multiple small businesses over 40 years, all while raising two healthy and happy children - their son has been serving as a Toronto Police officer since his early 20s, while their daughter is a teacher and ceramics artist on Vancouver Island.

My aunt and uncle are two of the best people I know. They never had interest in keeping up with their neighbours, being recognized for flashy accomplishments, or chasing after monetary wealth. Beyond what they needed to raise their children, they donated much of any extra income they made and their time to auntie's oldest brother's church as a way of honouring her mother's wishes.

Being as kind, humble, and generous as they are, regrettably, many people took advantage of them over the years. As Bob Marley once observed, the problem today is that people don't cherish good people, they use them. From my viewpoint, this was definitely true of auntie and uncle, and sadly, the worst offenders were among relatives and church members.

Last month, at 66 and 67 year of age, with their two beautiful dogs by their side, auntie and uncle sold their home in Barrie, Ontario and drove across the country to begin a new season of their lives on Vancouver Island in close proximity to their daughter and her wonderful husband. I marvel at the courage they showed in making such a big move in their mid-60s.

They chose to experience more freedom and happiness in all ways, and I couldn't be happier for them. Their recent move is a powerful reminder to me that the vast majority of us are free to begin anew when our intuition tells us we are in need of a major shift in our circumstances.

As a tribute to auntie and uncle and the example they've set for me over the past 40 years, I posted a few photos of them here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciffyjiu-pY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Sending love to all,

Ben