Take Me To The Promise Land

17
Feb
2010

There are so many people around the world with the dream of moving to North America to start a new life full of tremendous opportunity.  Coming from a poorer nation or one at political unrest allows them the chance to do so much more and to provide the things they desire for their families.

When I hear about people who have moved here with nothing and built up an empire, it gives me a huge sense of inspiration and my applause go out to them in spades.  Heck, I know of a couple brothers who had to literally escape from Laos and somehow made it to Canada.  They arrived here with absolutely nothing and now own a majorly successful restaurant as well and several investment properties.  They are living the life.  I love stories like these, but they bring with them an inner feeling of disappointment…that I was born with all these opportunities and didn’t use them to their full advantage.

I also have grown up feeling a desire as strong as those dreaming the American Dream…..however, mine is quite different.  Growing up in Canada, I’ve lived most of my life yearning to live in a different environment.  One with a much warmer climate.  One that allows me to do the things I love year round.  My dream isn’t about the opportunities of money and career.  Mine is about lifestyle and core values.

Now, this Canadian hasn’t had to spend his entire life in the arctic north.  I’ve spent three years living and working in St. Kitts, West Indies and another two years in Austin, Texas.  St. Kitts is actually where I developed my love for road biking so obviously it was one of the best moves I’ve ever made.  Austin, of course, is a major cycling city and it only further increased my love for the bike.  But one thing led to another, and here we are back in Canada.

There are many reasons for my continuous chase….my search for the endless summer.  But one of the top reasons is my desire and passion to live my life on my bike.  I love the bike (and everything about it) so incredibly much, that a huge part of me is empty during these winter months when I can’t be outside on the road.

When I close my eyes and see it, I am living in a beautiful small community where my family and I ride our bikes as our main source of transportation.  I’m out on my road bike whenever I want, venturing out on great routes with varying terrain.  I follow my beliefs and am true to my core values.

We seriously looked into moving to Dominica recently, because it fit with most of the ingredients we desired and also was home to a great business opportunity.  Our choice to not move there honestly came down to the fact that the roads in Dominica are terrible and not road bikeable.  Enough said.

We are currently looking at a move to Grenada or Belize.  We were just in Grenada last month and found that it  contains many of the items on my wish list, but definitely not a location where my family and I can rely on bikes for daily transportation.  I can probably live with that, but the search continues in the hopes of finding the location that has it all.  I’ll be off to Belize very soon to check out how it rates on the checklist.  My research so far has been positive…cycling is definitely huge over there.  They even have a variety of races. I’m really hoping my list checks out over there.

So am I wrong for wanting to move to a country where many of the residents would likely trade places with me given the chance?  I think it comes down to core values.  For me, my values rank high in the area of family, lifestyle, and…..cycling.  Oh yeah, and warmth is super huge as well.  So the hunt continues as I look to run away from highly desired North America, to what I believe is my promise land. I’ll keep you posted.

I’m interested in your thoughts….am I crazy, brave, inspiring, clueless….all of the above?

Enjoy Your Ride

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6 Responses to “ Take Me To The Promise Land ”

  1. Dee on June 6, 2010 at 12:55 am

    Well, Australia has been very good to us. We have better careers than in Canada, our son has had fantastic opportunities to start his career. Townsville, Queensland is lovely, but so are lots of other places in the tropical region. Australians are our first cousins, so it is very comfortable socially and culturally.

    I became a cyclist here. Something I couldn’t ever achieve in a short Canadian summer, so I am influenced by the passion of that awakening, but I do love it here very much.

  2. VitaminLee on February 20, 2010 at 11:00 pm

    The whole “Home is where the heart is” saying rings true when your heart isn’t where your home is…. It’s your world you live here go have a look – I think you’d be insane to go against the desires of your heart so three cheers for doing what you like and liking what you do. Hip Hip…..

  3. darrylislovingthebike on February 18, 2010 at 12:59 pm

    Thanks Dave. It’s more like I’m creating the opportunity than being given the opportunity. I hear about some people who are given the opportunity to move to the type of location I’m searching for quite often and it drives me nuts….I’m actively searching for the opportunity and haven’t had one present itself. So instead, I’m taking it into my own hand.
    Great to have you here and look forward to more interaction.

  4. Dave on February 18, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    It’s a big world out there and if you have the opportunity why not?

    That being said, I’ve taken three snowmobile trips to Ontario, Ca and I don’t know that I have ever met a nicer bunch of people.

    Looking forward to reading about your adventure!

  5. Brandi on February 17, 2010 at 12:33 pm

    I don’t think you’re crazy at all. I’m a believer in following your passion and if your new location will give you what you’re looking for, then go after it.
    I enjoyed your article and I am interested to see how it unfolds.
    By the way, I am also loving my bike.

  6. Bryan on February 17, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    I think that’s cool. If you’ve got the means and ability to do something like that I see nothing wrong with it. You say it’s for your values of family, lifestyle, and cycling and I think that’s just fine.

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