I’m sorry that I haven’t been active this week on the blog. I wasn’t feeling very motivated and didn’t want to write anything less than inspired. I know I’m prone to spitting out useless jargon and I’d like my blog to be more than a collection of my recent ruminations.
I was able to re-focus my energy towards something positive towards the end of the week. Namely, my summer goals for 2013. I came across this article on Thought Catalog this evening, and it really contextualized a lot of what was going on in my head. I’ve spent the past week freaking about my lack of career. Sure, I’m interning at an awesome magazine and enjoying it immensely, but I still have this nagging feeling that I’m nowhere near where I should be professionally. I constantly feel like I gave up the opportunity at a very good career in favour of pursuing my passion to write (and live abroad). It’s obviously not as simple as that, but I do hope that I will eventually figure out what it is I should be doing professionally.
In other news: My younger sister is moving to a suburb just outside Toronto, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. She’s my best friend and it’s been way too long since we’ve lived in the same province, not to mention the same city. Case in point: many of my summer plans will involve my sister.
So, without further ado, I introduce you to my summer 2013 goals:
1. Train for another half marathon – Those who know me, know that I’ve been running on and off since I was eight. I completed my first half marathon after finishing high school, and it was all downhill (or uphill?) from there. My best time was 1 hour and 45 minutes at the Rotorua Half Marathon (in New Zealand). It was a trail run and I had been training on the craziest hills the North Shore of Auckland had to offer. That was in March 2011 and needless to say, I’m not nearly as fit right now. It’s time to get back into shape.
2. Attend as many summer concerts as humanly (financially) possible – I’m a huge concert goer because many of my favourite bands toured New Zealand while I was living there. I’m not surprised that it’s one of the most popular destinations for band tours because it’s literally paradise on earth; a place most people dream of visiting. Last year, I went to Osheaga in Montreal, which was the best music festival I’ve ever been to. The lineup this year is even better, so I’m hoping I can make it again. I’d also like to attend North by Northwest, which Toronto’s version of South by Southwest. My sister wants to see John Mayer and Taylor Swift, so those are two more possibilities.
3. Ruminate various career paths – I’m wrapping up my second internship in a couple weeks. I have learnt so much from both Ottawa Magazine and Weddingbells and I’m truly grateful for the opportunities I’ve had with both publications. It’s been wonderful getting my foot in the door, so to speak, and learning the ins and outs of the editorial industry. While I’d like to maintain involvement in the magazine industry, I’d also like to continue to build my freelance proofreading business and get my website up. I’m not entirely sure what will happen over the summer, but I’m excited to see where my editing will take me. I have also decided that I’d like to upgrade my university courses over the next year and complete all the prerequisites to begin a Masters or postgraduate program in something practical and rewarding. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to discover a fulfilling career by the time I’m thirty.
4. Attend dance class 2-3 times per week – I have recently discovered an amazing drop-in dance studio only five minutes from my apartment. It’s ideal for me because I don’t want to commit to the same class every week as my schedule is always changing and I easily bore from too strict a routine. I love ballet boot camp, which is perfect for whipping me into shape. A one-hour dance class has the ability to completely alter my mental state. The prospect of letting go at a ballet or contemporary class is an intoxicating feeling.
5. Explore and make Toronto my home – I am twenty four years young, but boy do I feel somewhat aged. I’ve spent the past six years being nomadic. I left Canada for North Dakota right after high school, then studied abroad at Massey University in Albany on the North Shore of Auckland for one semester. Then, it was back to Minot for a semester before moving home to Saskatchewan to work at the dealership and flower shop while applying to transfer to the University of Auckland. Auckland became my home for two and a half years before I returned home for the summer before starting my internship in Ottawa/visiting New Zealand/travelling to South Africa for a month/moving to Toronto to begin internship numero dos. Don’t worry if you’re no longer following because it makes my head hurt just to think about it all… For those who know me personally, I’m sorry if you read that all. It’s an absolute bore. Needless to say, I am ready to settle down for the next little while. It’s been INCREDIBLE having my Kiwi boy here with me, and I don’t know what will happen if he isn’t granted residency. I can’t imagine moving again in less than a year not because I don’t love the constant change of scenery and the excitement of exploring new horizons, but because it makes maintaining friendships difficult. It’s nice having a core group of friends that you can call if you’ve had a rough week and need to consume an entire litre of Pinot Noir.
That being said, I do enjoy Toronto. I like the urbanity of living downtown and having everything at my disposal. Your twenties are about being hedonistic. They are about maximizing on pleasure and not feeling guilty about it. I’m all for bountiful pastures and living skies, but cosmopolitanism is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
So, there you have it. My goals are broad, much like my life and my current scope. I could get down to the nitty gritty details, but I’d hate to bore you any longer.
Until next time,
V.
(Photo by 
prairie girl musings 