Two more days in paradise (aka Nova Scotia), and then on to new adventures in Kingston, On. Well, new and old adventures, Kingston being a familiar place from my college years and some other years where I thrashed my way through a career.

I’m excited. But this IS 2020, the year of random hellishness being sprayed hither and yon in a rather too excessive manner. So there’s a line of anxiety running along the excitement.

And it is sad saying goodbye to my lovely friends from my ten years here. They are warm and funny and smart and supportive and I’m going to miss them like crazy. In this insane world, I don’t know when I’ll see them again…

It’s at times like this that I am ridiculously thankful for the interwebs. I’m not a huge fan of zooming, but I’ve got to admit being able to see and talk to people in real time is pretty nice. Say what you will about the deadly virus that is spreading like wildfire, I’ve selfishly enjoyed the excuse to chat for endless hours face to face with my sister and my kids, the online games and messages from friends here and there. I’m so hoping that part will continue even after we wrestle this horrible thing to the ground.

Because I can remember when it wasn’t like this. When long distance calls had to be budgeted for, where even when you made them, you couldn’t see the speaker, and every minute was rationed.

See, with the internet, I feel I can step away from Nova Scotia and still have a chance to “see” my chums. There are also the wonderful Nova Scotia webcams, which I watched for hours before I moved here, that I can watch again. If I miss the froth from Peggy’s Cove, I can dial up that view and see those waves crash against the everlasting rocks, giggle at the tourists who insist on walking on the black rocks, gasp as they risk their lives…

It’s nowhere near perfect, but it does make it slightly easier to say “see you later” to my near and dears and spring into the future, devices in hand.

I can’t help but worry, though, as we grind into gear again, everyone will get busy, and we’ll become too fussed by everyday things to connect, even virtually. This horrible horrible year has encouraged us to become closer, to spend more time on relationships.

Of course that’s why I’m moving- I’ve been missing my family, and they are closer to Ontario than here. So it’s westwards ho…while trailing cords from various devices, And leaving a little bit of my heart behind.

Perhaps I need a special mask…