Leaving Paradise

Sometimes, I let the absence of JOY rob me of joy. JOY is the big, exciting moments of life. On this trip, JOY was Prince Edward Island. It was easy to find joy in the things we did on the way there. Those activities led me on the path to the prize! But after we left was harder, and there is inevitably some letdown. On our last trip here, I spent most of a day crying/grieving as we left PEI. It had been the culmination of ten years of dreaming and planning, and I didn’t want to let go of the reality of it. It was kind of embarrassing, because I am not really a crier, and yet I couldn’t stop the tears. This time, I wanted things to go differently. I didn’t want to waste time on our trip mourning the loss of something I was blessed to have had, something that was only meant to be brief. I didn’t want to blame New Brunswick for not being Prince Edward Island. (New Brunswick can’t help it!) I was determined to find joy in this day, even while leaving a place I really love.

We packed up the car, moving out of the little slice of paradise that we called “home” for a week. I had put food in cupboards and clothes in drawers, so every nook and cranny had to be checked for belongings that we didn’t want to leave behind. R.J. is thorough and methodical in packing things up. Each room’s door was closed as all our belongings were removed from that room. It was like saying goodbye in slow motion – which actually comes quite naturally to Minnesotans, so that worked to our advantage. We followed PEI’s extensive recycling protocol with all our trash, and then I took one final picture and we were on our way.

Goodbye, Moonlight Cottage by-the-Sea!

As we drove past sights that had become familiar over the past week, I internally said goodbye to them as well. It wasn’t as hard this time. Even though I longed for more days in Prince Edward Island, I also have a good idea that we will be back. We have determined that this is a great way to spend three weeks every five years. Knowing we are hoping to return takes some of the sting out of leaving.

We found a lot of JOY while we were on Prince Edward Island, traveling around 750 miles, seeing the sights. We saw right around a dozen lighthouses, some up close and some from a distance. We walked on red sand, white sand, and squeaky sand beaches. We sampled ice cream three times and chocolate mousse once. We saw the complete Points East Coastal Drive. We returned to the Anne of Green Gables Heritage Place. We saw Anne Woolner in her PEI home, and got to visit Dr. Woolner’s grave as well. R.J. and I celebrated thirty-five years of marriage here. I saw seals and herons almost every day, and other wild life as well. I photographed everything, and wrote as I went. This will be a trip to remember, and I will soon be working on a Shutterfly book to keep the memories in place.

Now we head home, with no tears but a big lump in my throat that comes from time well-spent in a place well-loved. JOY fills my heart, and New Brunswick really is a beautiful place. Until next time, Prince Edward Island!