girl is a wee bit jealous

My nephew, right now, this very second, is living in my hometown of Vancouver. He is self-isolating in a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment with a view of downtown Vancouver, all by himself. Because of some sort of mix-up regarding self-isolation and another place with roommates, the landlord offered my nephew this amazing apartment for the same price as the original dorm-type of arrangement with 2 roommates in separate bedrooms sharing a bathroom and kitchen. I have no idea what he is paying, but I know a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom modern apartment on the third floor with a view of Vancouver costs a fortune. 

When his isolation is up, he will work in a shipyard for six months and then he's off to Japan. It's part of a work-holiday visa available to young people 30 years old and under. I'm so happy that he is taking advantage of this type of visa. He can travel to different countries, work in these countries, play in these countries -- in Asia until he is 30, and then in Europe until he is 35. What a wonderful, vagabond life while he's young. It is up to the person, though, to find places to live and work. The visa doesn't cover that aspect of living. But, hey, when you're young, you can do wild and crazy stuff because you haven't yet become comfortable with a certain way of life that makes it more difficult to let it go.

I sometimes (okay, more than sometimes) miss my youth. It was fun being young, even though I really didn't understand it at the time. But I was also ruled by fear and let several great opportunities fade into the wind, opportunities I could--will--never get back. So part of me is living vicariously through my nephew. Lucky him . . . .

I'm hoping there are many new opportunities coming my way in my not-so-young life now, opportunities to expand my creativity, my environment, my way of living. Hope is good thing, as long as you open your door to embrace it. With all the rain we're getting here lately in Tampa, I wouldn't mind living in the Vancouver area with its sunny days (right now), the mountains, the trees, the craggy wild beaches. We'll see.