Where you end up is where you're meant to be

I love my life. Ten years ago, I could not have told you where I would be at this point in my life, I could not have envisioned the directions I would travel on life's path. I suppose I imagined that at almost-30, I would be a world traveler with a career as an environmental or social advocate (like in the Peace Corps or Amnesty International) or in some field of the arts (like a set or costume designer in the theater, or a painter or artist). Kids were a vague desire but they weren't important to my mindset at the time, they were like a blurred dream of the future.

Well, life has a way of teaching you what is truly important to you, whether you are ready to learn or not. The path my life took with my unplanned pregnancy at 17 (I found out a week before my 18th birthday) has been interesting to say the least, and it has taught me over the years that no matter what twists and turns your path takes, if you have an open mind and a loving heart you will find yourself exactly where you want to be.

And so here is my life... Where I once wanted to be a jet-setter and see the world, how badly I wanted to branch out from my small town roots and explore life's possibilities, now I see that my small town life is EXACTLY where I want to be. I thought that the bright lights of the city called to me, and I did that in some capacity, but what I learned is that excitement and contentment don't come from where you live, but how you live.

I was not meant for living in the fast lane, being part of the rat race, with a life of ambition and empty meaning. I am at heart still a small-town girl; I love nothing more than spending time with my family and enjoying life's little moments. Instead of exploring caves and ancient ruins, I explore fields and forests with my kids and hubby. Instead of backpacking across Europe, I go camping and quadding. Where once I longed to be surrounded by exciting world vistas, now I love nothing more than the natural beauty of my own surroundings -- the fields of amber wheat and bright yellow canola, the gentle hills of emerald green, pockets of forest with fallen trees and tadpole-filled ponds that cry out to be explored.

I thought that sunbathing on the world's beaches would be the ultimate, but now I know nothing can top my own small-town beach where I played as a child and now my own children play in the sand and frolic in the water. The contentment and peace that fills my soul as I sit back and enjoy watching my children's own joy is what reminds me that this is what my life was always meant to be. My path has travelled around full-circle, and I wouldn't change a single moment that has brought me here.