A few days ago marked the end of our long chapter in the French Alps for Johana and I. Honestly, I’m quite relieved to be moving on. As I wrote in Meditations, this experience proved to be quite different than I may have expected going in. There was all the opportunity in the world for us to go skiing, partying, drinking every night. This is the culture, after all, in European ski resorts. Johana and I really aren’t the kind of people keen for this sort of lifestyle.

Nevertheless, what came in the end from this experience wasn’t what I was expecting. Sitting here now, these past almost 5 months feel to me only as if a week or two had passed. Our days proved mostly to be routine cleaning shifts that quickly grew old, with the only excitement coming from the occasional gathering of the team for a campfire or a shared beer. Looking back now, I can’t help but feel that overall much of this time has been lost potential — potential for a much more meaningful and fulfilling experience if our specific circumstances on the resort had turned out differently. Johana and I were living on the far opposite side of the resort, far away from the people we were close with. As a result, the only time we had to organically connect was few and far between. What was left was 95% work. Work that at times made me sit down and question my life.

Nevertheless, this is all not to say that I regret this experience. Like all things in my life, I always look for the value in what is not immediately seen. All this time spent in routine has provided a certain stability that has given me much time to think — think on what I wanted from my future. Looking back, I can recall that it didn’t take long before my thoughts began to grow outwards. Maybe only after a few weeks did I start writing in my journal about my future in much more concrete ways. I asked myself what I really want Johana’s and my future to look like… and how exactly I can get there.

I have no idea what lies ahead for us. But after this season, I’m confident in my next step on the road.

Adieu les Alpes.