One Week Out

Well, its officially less than 168 hours until the plane leaves. There’s still a few more physical things to do, namely cancel a bunch of monthly plans, but emotionally there is a lot to do. It’s hard saying goodbye. We left Edmonton for the last time in the near future on Wednesday, and had a very bittersweet drive to Calgary. Change is hard.

Lots of good memories are being left behind. The lives of friends and family don’t stop because we are leaving. We are missing the weddings of loved ones. We won’t be there for any engagements. If god forbid anything bad happens to anyone, we are not there to support them. Or if something bad happens to us, our support is an ocean away.

There’s a real fear of missing out (FOMO) right now as well. Hotel Mira is playing in Edmonton two days after we leave. Jimmy Carr, one of my favorite British comedians, will literally be perfoming in Edmonton while we are flying to London. How’s that for timing. The Beaches, NF, Dermot Kennedy are all playing this fall as well. But on October 20th as Dermot takes the stage, we will be halfway up a volcano, or bombing around a moonscape of salt flats in a 4×4. That’s whats important to remember right now.

Goodbyes are hard. Every second day is another goodbye to a friend or family member that I know I will not see for a long time. And when I do see them again, I won’t be the same person. I will have just gone through a whole worldwide adventure, with it coming (hopefully) tons of positive personal growth. Relationships will have to be redefined in ways that are impossible to know now.

So that’s where I sit right now. Lots of excitement, but lots of reflection. Its hard saying goodbye. I’ll miss you all.

-Graham