Familiar Ground

Placing your feet back on familiar soil is always bittersweet after traveling for so long. That said stepping off a plane and being able to see, smell and feel things that seem correct is unexplainable. The unnerving feeling of the unknown is gone, you know how the system works here, no time is lost trying to figure things out and your surroundings finally feel normal. Well somewhat normal I guess.

Your views of the homeland will never be the same. The insight gathered over your time away in foreign territories will only enhance and broaden your appreciation of the things that you missed and the conveniences you take for granted. On the flip side it will also make you wonder why certain elements of life can't be different to reflect what you witnessed in some far off island state in the Pacific. But I guess that what travel does to a person. It forces you to grow, whether or not you are ready for it.

It forces you to face what ever the hell challenge stands in your way; good, bad or ugly. It pushes you beyond the confines of your normal world and acceptance of that is fundamental to success. I will say that we succeeded, we both grew individually and together. We completed our trip around the world and now we are back in Canada.

A land where looking to your left you can see a middle aged man wearing a Coors Light ball cap and to your right a car slows to stop as a pedestrian steps onto the street. A place where you can smell Tim Horton's coffee wafting on the air currents of the airport arrival hall. The sounds of Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman come streaming across the radio as you listen to a man from North Bay, Ontario tell you about a friend of his who has a pet Moose. And you believe this man because you grew up here, you know that however absurd it sounds it is probably true. It is a region of our planet that oozes Canadiana and I would have it no other way. All that said, most importantly it is a place where you can reach out and touch family and friends.

Being back in Canada is remarkable because your surroundings no longer feel strange, you can make a joke about Newfoundland and people are gonna laugh. Simply put it's home, and there is no place like it.