Slowly letting my roots permeate into the homeland…
With over one month since an incredible life change, it is still hard to believe I am back on Canadian soil. There is no doubt in my mind that I miss the Netherlands deeply… all of my beautiful and genuine friends and, of course, the Dressuurstal Rutten horses that stole my heart. It has been such a transforming experience to decompress and uncoil my mind after such a quick and chaotic departure. Having ample time to reconnect with my family has been truly heart-warming and so important to me. Fortunately the weather has been quite outstanding as well, so I have been able to spend extended hours in the outdoors.
It is safe to assume that nearly everyone around the world has felt as though this is a huge transitional period with many unknowns. We are all connected in this uneasy time and I hope that we are empathetic towards one another’s trials and tribulations. It has been a slight sense of identity loss without my professional equestrian life, but this temporary pause is by no means negative. It has enabled me to reconnect with passions of mine that I have had no access to or no time for prior to this and I am so thankful for this period of growth.
Beautiful British Columbia never ceases to impress, and as I discover more of this province I have grown up in, I am absolutely astounded. The combination of snow capped mountains, lush forests and stunning city beaches create this highly exclusive landscape that consistently delivers moments of serenity. Fortunately for me, I have easy access to many hiking trails in my backyard, as well as beautiful scenery for road cycling. Without a doubt, all of these activities have been paired with a fair amount of baking too… balance, right?
As social distancing guidelines are still in place, I have managed to distantly see a number of special people, but truly cannot wait to hug and embrace everyone once this is all over. Through the use of social media and so many FaceTime/WhatsApp video calls have occurred throughout this time – a blessing to have access to such incredible technology. We are now heading into Phase Two of reopening the province and I am hopeful that we are able to slowly and steadily continue moving towards a state of “normal”, however that may look for our future.
