Up and Away

Pixar's new animated film Up is fantastic. It tells the tale of a widow who ties balloons to his house, so that he could fly it to the mythical Paradise Falls, to honour his late wife's life-long wish. I loved the metaphor of the house being a burden of one's life memories. At some point, one has to learn to let go and start anew.

The past year represented a big change for my family with Pa's death. While we were all affected, the biggest impact it had was on my mom, who was married to him for almost 35 years. The first few months were definitely a blur, but she's ready for change.

My mom is moving this summer. She's buying a condo and going to live with my aunt. I am so excited for many reasons, the two biggest being that a) my mom will have full-time companionship and b) a condo is more practical for her new life.

I thought a lot about my mom after I saw Up. I think the move will be very sad for her, but it will also be a new beginning.

I know I'll be emotional on the day of the move. My family has owned that house since 1993, when I was just 12. I still hear Pa when I visit. The sound of his slippers slowly stomping their way up and down the stairs, one careful step at a time. The click of the hallway light as Pa twists it to dim the lights before he went to bed; never fully going dark, because he needed to pee at night. The sound of my parent's door closing with a thud; never fully closing, because of the clothes hanger wedged across the top of the door.

While my mom's new place will be exciting, it will lack the familiar sounds. For that, I am sad. But I think everyone needs - and welcomes - the change.

When You Look Back At It All

A colleague had her retirement party today. I will miss her, because she was a great pillar of support, wisdom and someone who genuinely welcomed me when I started three years ago. She continued a wave of retirement I've participated in during the past year - the biggest of which was my mom's shortly before my dad passed away last September.

I thoroughly enjoyed the speeches each person made, as they remembered the faces, the first encounters that made lasting impressions, and the proud achievements.

When my dad passed away and my mom retired, it made me step back and think about how I would want to look back at my life when that big day comes. I still do think that the fun is in not knowing and discovering things along the way. But if I can sum it up, this is how I'd want to look back at it all:

I satisfied my curiousities. I tried my best and never gave up. I enjoyed the peaks and grew from the valleys. I played fiercely but fairly. My life was enriched by fantastic friendships. I enriched someone's life and made a difference. I had fun.