The Whys to Montreal

The last few months, the word "unhinged" has frequently been used (by herself) when describing her life. Her life has been anything but cookie-cutter, and the pieces to this puzzle have not been fitting together. It's like someone dumped 2 or 3 puzzles into a box and the creator of this puzzle (seemingly a 3 year old) is determined to make the pieces fit even though one piece is part of a red ball of wool being played with by a cute fluffy kitten, and the other a piece of an hot air balloon. She is hoping that none of the pieces have been lost, broken, drooled and chewed on-as is the fate of most puzzles pieces at the hand of an ambitious toddler.

One of her challenges with living in Montreal is remembering the whys. There are so many strong arguments opposing this move, the loudest sometimes being her pride-dampening 10-hour-long graveyard shifts waitressing at a near-by diner; as well as, the responsibilities of a life just upped and left almost a year ago, with email after email brimming with another unexpected expense-the latest being the carport of her once loved home falling down and in bad need of an expensive and most-likely ugly quick fix.

The logic of the move to Montreal may not be sound to those looking in, (especially to her doting mom). She herself admits she too has struggled most strongly, and has been enticed many times to simply return to the life well known to her in beautiful (and warm) British Columbia. Many times she has convinced herself that the mistakes she made in the past, be-it with relationships or business, would not be remade, and she'd return a stronger and smarter and more business-savvy girl. But then her WHY'S are recalled-sometimes they come simply and easily like a well-worn and loved memory or other times more poignant by a husband with a slightly stronger grasp and remembrance of how things really were. No matter how they are recalled, but that they are recalled, is what's important. And so here are the current WHYS of why she stays in Montreal as well as a few future goals she is hoping to have achieved from this city:

1. TO GO FROM CANADA TO ARGENTINA ON A MOTOR-BIKE NEXT AUGUST.
note: living in Montreal really is not helping with this goal, it actually brings more hurdles than if she were to stay in BC, the biggest one being the Quebec motorcycle license laws. BUT that goal puts a time limit on their life for the next 10 months making it unreasonable to do many of the other things she would deem more productive with her time, like a business venture or school, or relocating to another more exotic place-say being neighbors to much missed friends in the Cayman Islands.

2. LEARN FRENCH
hopefully self-explanatory

3. PAY DOWN DEBT LOAD
note: entry level job positions may not be the most efficient for this, but, it is more efficient than say, living in the South of France with no job. You'd also be rather surprised at how generous the inebriated McGill student can be with their student loan money and tipping.

4. PURCHASE A CONDO IN THEIR BUILDING
note: they've never owned a condo before, and it may not be the best investment when it comes to real estate, but there are no lawns to be maintained, carports to be backed into and damaged, hot-water tanks or furnaces to be replaced, sidewalks to shovel...and the location of the building is superb, the condo's brand new and beautiful, and they would of course be paying less than rent and it is still an asset.

5. PURSUE SECONDARY EDUCATION
note: one of Canada's best schools is in Montreal and the Quebec reward fellow Quebecers by giving them lower tuition at their universities, how to be an official Quebecer? One must have a lease agreement, or medicare at least 1 year before beginning courses.

So there, the small list which helps her remember that there is some wisdom and responsible reasoning for staying in this great city. Now as to the HOW she got to be in Montreal in the first place, well that is a much longer and a much more confusing list.