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      "body": "It all started when our generous friends, Meg and Ash invited us to look after their humble abode while they went away on their usual six month work shift to their respective fire-watch towers in Northern Alberta. We jumped at the chance. \n\nMat and I had just returned to Nelson, British Columbia from a life-altering, four month cycling trip across Canada, which had left my world flipped upside down. I was forever changed by the freedom I had experienced, the reflections I had had and the shift in values and priorities that it had brought about in my life.\n\n\n![AliBecker_housesitting_ad.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVufCdhC4SYiqQY1oHnjJ2uZwzPmx9CCYcr95Cg8rpyDR/AliBecker_housesitting_ad.jpg)\n\nAs incredible as this unforeseen turn of events was, I was also deeply confused. Who was I now? How did I want to spend my finite time on this Earth? What did it mean to prioritize my new values and perspectives? How did I move forward from here? I felt lost in a desert of uncertainty. \n\n\n![alibecker_housesitting_4.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmP4yN9q6CW4BA6E6bJ94tznAoYq1eVjCgtyQ9iByM1UGz/alibecker_housesitting_4.jpeg)\n\n\nMoving into a rent-free housing situation allowed both Mat and I the chance to reduce the amount of time we would have to spend working a job and freed up some time and space in order for us to attempt to answer some of the bigger questions that were appearing in our lives. \n\nWe took advantage of such an incredible opportunity by focusing more whole-heartedly on our health and well-being, taking a hiatus from alcohol and cannabis, spending more time practicing meditation and mindfulness and developing a consistent trail running practice in the mountains behind our new home. We knew that the better we felt, the better we would think and the more innovative and creative we would become. It wasn’t always easy, but it was always worth it.\n\n\n![housesitting-trail-running.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVBcukKbBMnzUMggrMTtfrdNFKTrWByajVJss9p2mmUCP/housesitting-trail-running.jpeg)\n\n\nWe had greatly reduced the amount of items we owned, realizing after four months on the road that all we really needed to be happy, healthy and free was the items we had carried with us on the bikes. Without the extra expense and upkeep of frivolous material goods, our money went even further, we lessened our negative impact on the environment and our minds were liberated to focus on deeper contemplation.\n\nWith the space for introspection, reflection and discussion, I was able to settle into a new rhythm of being, to begin rewriting my outdated victim story into one of a warrior spirit, rebuilding my sense of self and confidence and reclaiming my ability to create whatever life I could imagine for myself. As it goes, I am a work of art, but a work in progress.\n\nMeg and Ash offered us so much more than a place to live in return for mail collection duties and watering the house plants, they gave us the opportunity for growth, freedom and hope. Their abundant mindset and generous contribution to our lives has changed us forever and for the better and we are eternally grateful for their gift. \n\n\n![housesitting-megan-samms.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUWVXwNn7mkK9QCfbjMMLbtaneQWKdnVnyrJ7h4XeVT11/housesitting-megan-samms.jpeg)\n\n\nKnowing what we knew now, that house-sitting and pet-sitting were feasible options that would give us temporary lodging while helping people who needed to go away to work, or escape on holidays or visit family, we felt freed of the need to own a home, or home goods, or shell out our hard earned shackles on a monthly rental bill. \n\nFrom that day forward, we spent every single summer bike travelling around Canada, living on the trails and sleeping in our tent and every winter (except the time we bought a sweet Ford E-350 and converted it into our home on wheels) house-sitting, pet-sitting and farm-sitting for an array of amazing people in the Kootenays.\n\nIt was the perfect trade off. People got to get away from the repetition of their lives, the ‘hedonic adaptation’ of their everyday environment that had left them feeling lacklustre, stagnant and at times, even unable to appreciate their beauty in their surroundings. They could trust that their furry friends were being looked after and their cherished homes were in good hands. They could relax, regenerate and come home feeling refreshed. \n\n\n![housesitting-nelson-bc.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcztiiVaEw8ZQPccfdeTKqaF5U6bgP3ADYcjdpbNXP14q/housesitting-nelson-bc.jpeg)\n\n\nIn return, we got to cuddle their cats, trail run with their dogs and collect their chicken eggs for our breakfast omelettes. We built fires in their wood stoves, shovelled their walkways and watered their house plants. We loved ‘trying on people’s lives’ for weeks at a time, meeting their neighbours, reading their books, exploring their community and the local trails. \n\nThey returned home just in time for us to move on to the next, novel adventure.\n\nAll this, in exchange for the shelter we most certainly needed in the deep frost of the winter months. The money we saved allowed us to put more time, energy and resources into the things we loved best, the things we had discovered we wanted to spend our finite time on this Earth doing. Adventuring, exploring, connecting, observing and uncovering more about our potential for growth, love, contribution and happiness. \n\nThe winter of 2020 started out no different than the others. We had returned to the Koots after a victorious (albeit, frosty) bike trip and scoured the house-sitting websites and online forums for places to call home. While we usually worked off word out mouth, this year we tried a different approach. We put out an ad on local Facebook group that read:\n\n\n![AliBecker_housesitting_ad.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVufCdhC4SYiqQY1oHnjJ2uZwzPmx9CCYcr95Cg8rpyDR/AliBecker_housesitting_ad.jpg)\n\n\n‘Need a worry-free winter getaway? We’re offering our dependable, trust-worthy and experienced house, pet and plant sitting services to great people in the West Kootenay area.\n\nAs a young, Canadian couple that loves to travel, adventure and freelance work, Mat and I enjoy having the flexibility to schedule our days around the specific needs or your pets, plants and property. \n\nWe love spending time with animals, looking after house plants and gardens of all kinds and are happy to keep on top of general housekeeping and snow shovelling duties. We prefer longer stays of 3+ weeks but are flexible to different situations. PM for more info and details.’\n\nThe response was overwhelming. Within an hour, we had thirty messages in our inbox and we were sifting through all the dates, locations and responsibilities to see which ones best aligned. It showed us that there was a need for our services as much as we had a need for shelter.\n\nWe spent the first few months in tropical Robson, looking after three cuddly cats in a beautiful heritage home. It was warm enough for us to gather groceries by bicycle well into January, pedal to the local rec centre and run in the trails behind the house. \n\n\n![housesitting-robson-cats.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmd2RSYxNiGxHe14kYbwv9tRtQK7299sXr5hybL7djHjqn/housesitting-robson-cats.jpeg)\n\n\nAt the end of our stay, we had a one week overlap with our next sit (as often happens) so we decided to divide and conquer. Living car-free encourages us to get creative about our commuting, so a combination of cycling (when weather allows), public transit and hitchhiking are the norm.\n\nMat made his way to the historic Doukhbour settlement of sunny Krestova to look after Kinnix the cat in a lovely, long log cabin with lots of dry firewood and plenty of snow to shovel. I joined him a week later to run the roads, clear the unrelenting snow from the roof and read lots of literature about Siddha Yoga and meditation. \n\n\n![housesitting-krestova-snow.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXtc64Bv3Svg1mDoC5tBfucfdLnbSrMAA2xdjmjTDs1qk/housesitting-krestova-snow.jpeg)\n\n\nWe would walk a three hour round trip to Evergreen Natural Foods down the knee deep with snow ‘short-cut trail’ to Crescent Valley to collect groceries every few days.\n\n\n![housesitting-krestova-shortcut.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQma8kh4sXWehr96MeuJDa98bU2JCjaaFpXXhkZZ7cKe2QH/housesitting-krestova-shortcut.jpeg)\n\n\nIf we were feeling lazy, we’d hitch a ride home, meeting a new local each time and sometimes even making a friend. \n\nIn mid-February, we were off to Nelson’s North Shore to look after two delightful dogs, the lovely Luna and Lokey. Our house sitting hosts were kind enough to leave us with their little SUV so we could take their German Shepherd on lots of grand adventures. No matter how far we hiked or how fast we ran, she was always up for the challenge. We bonded deeply.\n\n\n![housesitting-lokey.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWY8WpGBtHK1p5YNcVbPhvMwAxDNTakF77KJSmkfzFpZS/housesitting-lokey.jpeg)\n \n\nThen, came the pandemic. In late March our house-sitting hosts were shaken from their relaxing vacation and forced north into the bitter end of winter. They generously offered for us to stay in their split-level home with our own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, but we want them to have their own space. It was such a strange time to return to as it was, they didn’t need us around too.\n\nUnsure of where we would go next, we pondered our options. It was a bit too early to take to the road on our bikes as nights in the tent would still be a bit too frosty for our liking. We could bite the bullet and look for a place to rent for a month or two until spring was in full swing. That didn’t feel quite right either.\n\nBy now, we were used to life in flux and had acquired the knowledge that the universe has a strange way of always working out. We packed up our bikes, hopped on the saddle and rode the shoulder back into town.",
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      "body": "Every twenty eight days for twenty four hours I was bed bound in the fetal position, gripping my abdomen with the same intensity that my menstrual cramps gripped me. The spasms would come in waves, starting slow and low and becoming more and more ferocious in time. The whole of my being, overwhelmed by the pain, would tense up until it trembled. \n\nIn the brief moments between the convulsions, I would drag myself to the bathroom, covered in tears and release my nausea into the porcelain toilet. Unable to get myself back to the bed, I would curl up on the cold tiled floor in a futile effort to distract myself from the impending doom. I suffered like this for twenty years. \n\nEvery doctor I saw, every health practitioner I visited, would tell me the same thing. That there was no cure for my dysmenorrhea aside from perhaps a hysterectomy or maybe, giving birth. I wasn’t ready for those options. Instead, I tried endless approaches to alleviate the agony, from prescription pills and holistic powders to acupuncture, massage, even minor surgical interventions, but to no avail. \n\nEventually, my dysmenorrhea would be diagnosed as **endometriosis**, a chronic inflammatory disease in which endometrial-like tissue are found growing outside of the uterus. Endometriosis often results in pelvic pain during menstruation, intercourse and bowel movements, excessive bleeding during or between menstruation, as well as a myriad of other symptoms and issues, such as possible infertility. Unfortunately, endometriosis has become an increasingly common problem among reproductive aged women all around the world, though it remains largely misdiagnosed. \n\nOne particularly painful day, I rummaged through my medicine cabinet in search of some ibuprofen, the only thing that provided me with an iota of relief. As I popped open the lid and poured the contents into my hand, out rolled a little nugget of cannabis, an IOU from my brother turned roommate. My body winced in pain. \n\nWith nothing to lose, I rolled a small joint, laid down on the couch and inhaled a few puffs. Within moments, the death grip of my cramps began to lessen, the tension slowly fading away. I sunk back into the softness of my sofa and for the first time in years, experienced a deep sense of relief and release that I had forgotten was possible. Then, the unthinkable happened, I faded off to sleep. \n\nFrom that day forward, I replaced the toxic pain pills in my medicine cabinet with full-spectrum cannabis infused oils, tinctures, capsules and pre-rolled flowers. Cannabis became the go-to treatment for my endometriosis, the most natural, efficient and effective medicine I had ever experienced. \n\nLike clockwork, the pain would come back month-after-month and while cannabis helped me mitigate the symptoms, the symptoms would still arrive. I began to realize that while cannabis was incredibly effective for treating the pain, it wasn’t solving my underlying issues.\n\nWith the introspective aid of a few challenging but important conversations with my partner, I began to reflect with more awareness on the state of my endometriosis and what it was trying to teach me. I came to understand that the pain was a signalling from within my body that some facets of my life were deeply off track. \n\nI had been living foul for a number of years. Eating copious amounts of fried, fast foods and sugar laden snacks since my youth, consuming unhealthy amounts of alcohol and cigarettes since my teenage years and living a fairly sedentary adult life. All of these decisions culminated together in the demise of my physical, mental and emotional well-being. \n\nWith the visceral knowledge that my menstrual experience could be so much better, I was spurred into action. This marked the beginning of a gradual, but profound wellness transformation in my life that with patience, persistence and perseverance would lead me to where I am today. Profoundly happier, healthier and totally period pain-free. \n\n![received_729942080968052.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWEzAspf83bpuLt9KxGM9m6nxfpT5Udmm39igqZuerTnd/received_729942080968052.jpg)\n\nIn lieu of my newfound freedom from pain, I compiled a list of the most important and effective strategies that helped me on my journey towards healing my endometriosis and in turn, enhancing every aspect of my life. \n\n**Attitude & Awareness.** I had become so used to the patterning of the monthly menstrual pain that I had begrudgingly accepted it as “the way it was” – that periods meant pain and that was that. Until one day, my partner helped me reflect by asking me, “Do you believe that you can heal from your endometriosis?” I was taken aback by what I felt was an accusatory question but came to realize that I only felt triggered because truthfully, the answer had become, “No, I didn’t believe that I could heal my endometriosis.” \n\nWith the awareness that I had lost hope for myself, I was able to reframe the fixed narrative that I created around my menses and start fresh. Believing that I could and would heal my menstrual pain was the building block towards a new reality. I put my newfound attitude and awareness to work and used it to visualize what it would feel like to be free of the pain and discomfort of my period. \n\n\n![20200904_091212~2.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaXkjdbnqUu4DTPsZn5psJc2vD2CYa1SjU8PnFdYSfW4u/20200904_091212~2.jpg)\n\n\n**Breathwork.** Being balled up in the fetal position makes it incredibly hard to breathe deeply into the belly, but I now know that it is one of the most powerful tools for calming myself down and helping to coax the spasms into a gentler rhythm. During the worst of the cramping, I found that focusing on ‘breathing into the pain’ allowed me to relax my body and ease the severity of the cramping while helping my brain fixate on something besides the pain. \n\n**Cannabis.** Cannabis was instrumental in helping me mitigate the painful symptoms that came along with my monthly menses. It also encouraged me to begin reframing the pain and understanding it as a guiding force to a better life.\n\nI found that smoking, vaping and dabbing provided the most immediate relief while tinctures, oils or edibles were slower to take effect, but would ultimately last longer and seemed to target my pelvic pain even more effectively. \n\nEventually, I was introduced to vaginal suppositories which I absolutely love, especially for days when it isn’t conducive to be high. They feel like a warm blanket coating my pelvis and the pain alleviation is second to none. \n\n![20180317_115831 (1).jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYzLDpKxma33fH4cnkw3CBwcCUysSTuruYxawAkMvKkCq/20180317_115831%20(1).jpg)\n\n\n**Diet.** This was one of the most important tools of all, not just for my menstrual pain but for the enhancement of my life in general. By diet, I mean my day-to-day nutritional intake, with the understanding that what I consume today affects the me of tomorrow, next week and next month. \n\nIt has been a gradual transition, but adopting a whole foods diet has been instrumental for my all around health and well-being and continues to surprise me with upgrades to my energy, mental health and clarity. \n\nI try to keep it simple and focus on eating quality plants and animals such as rainbow colored fruits and vegetables, locally sourced meat and eggs, fresh fish and seafood, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, raw chocolate and plenty of water. I choose to indulge once in a while, but I know that if I ‘treat myself’ too much, it won’t treat me very well come my next cycle. It’s a foolproof gauge of how I’ve been living. \n\nThe worst culprits for increasing my menstrual pain and decreasing my mental health are: refined carbohydrates and sugar laden foods, (ice cream, pastries, potato chips, beer, sodas and candy) caffeine, (coffee, energy drinks) especially right before or on the first day of menses, inflammatory foods, which for me are (sugar, wheat, dairy and refined carbohydrates). \n\nAt times it felt like I was ‘giving up’ some of the foods I had grown to love, but the truth was they were actually holding me back from feeling, thinking and living my best. \n\n![thisisalibecker-healing-endometriosis.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbyU1NuoBfA4qt4Kf2J5wBGfkjR88jXafSHykW4Vtek9V/thisisalibecker-healing-endometriosis.jpeg)\n\n**Exercise.** Our bodies are meant to move, so my previously sedentary lifestyle was in no way helping me to feel my best or be my best. Now that I know the profound impact that movement has on my mental health and overall well-being, it’s become a non-negotiable daily practice for me to get outside and get moving. Even just a short walk can turn my day around. \n\nSince I was initially exercise averse, I found that disguising ‘exercise’ in adventure was a great way to keep myself enthusiastic about getting out of the house. I can’t stress enough how getting more exercise made my body, mind and soul infinitely better. The more moved, the better I felt and eventually, I fell deeply in love with the process. \n\nDaily movement is extremely beneficial in alleviating menstrual pain. Motion is lotion. There was a time when I couldn’t even imagine moving off the couch during the first day of my period, but cannabis was a major factor in helping me mitigate the pain long enough to get up and get moving. \n\n![20181215_111917_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmSU1gvXAqu4Ktmin9itDkG9KWbR3DexK7wftbCcjTX9cp/20181215_111917_HDR.jpg)\n\n**Fasting.** Intermittent fasting was also instrumental in leading me to a pain-free period. Prior to introducing IF to my life, I was snacking at all hours of the day and night and often, consuming unhealthy foods and beverages. Containing my eating to an 8 – 10 hour window helped me dial in the nutrition and set some guidelines around consumption. \n\nNot snacking late at night naturally removed a lot of cramp-inducing foods like pop, potato chips and ice cream from my life and in return, I would wake up feeling well rested and revitalized. I could use that morning energy to go for a walk, bike ride or run, making my movement practice stronger and increasing the likelihood that I would make better food choices throughout the day. \n\n**Gratitude.** It can be challenging to be grateful for our suffering. The pain I was receiving during my menses was a signal from my body that I needed to change my life and listening to that signal was one of the greatest gifts I have given myself. It serves as a constant reminder for me to try my best to reframe things that seem negative in the moment. \n\nPracticing gratitude didn’t come naturally to me, so sitting down for five minutes every day to jot down a few sentences of things I am grateful for was a good starting point. The magical fact that I have been born into this world to experience the wild mysteries of life has certainly been something to celebrate.\n\n![received_1556940404515542.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRqvmXeHba5HS8BXC5Dd3NwaErgzCkrGZy4nv7am1tPKJ/received_1556940404515542.jpg)",
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      "body": "Lots of thoughtful reflection in your links, drutter. The world of 'legalization' does have a lot of problems, is rife with incongruence, blind spots, unfairness, continued criminalization and prohibition. We were hoping we could do more good from inside the system than outside, but we decided our efforts were better placed elsewhere. Thanks for the reflection.",
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      "body": "Here's some real rap about cannabis:  <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwKDWNYOTW0\">click</a>\n\nAnd some real knowledge about the evil of the \"legalized\" cannabis industry, which is destroying thousands of lives in Canada every month, killing innocent patients, and crushing a peaceful culture: <a href=\"https://hive.blog/cannabis/@drutter/legalization-is-a-lie\">here</a>\n\nJust in case anyone is interested! Maybe it's good you didn't get involved for a long time.",
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      "body": "“We should look for a temporary legal cannabis job, helping with a harvest,” Mat said in a manner so nonchalant I thought he was joking. I looked over at him, eyes rolled to the top of my sockets. “I’m serious,” he said, “type it in the Google search.” \n\n‘Legal cannabis harvest job in BC’ I wrote in the search bar and hit enter. Milliseconds later, it appeared from the deep ether of the world wide web and sat at the top of the list. I read it aloud ‘Seeking Temporary Outdoor Cannabis Harvest Workers for October/November in Lake Country, British Columbia’. Mat smirked, “That’s it, that’s our job!”\n\nI was endlessly impressed by Mat’s ability to remain hopeful for the future and continually manifest the outcomes he desired. A hundred “what ifs” rolled around in my head but he had a level of certainty I envied. “Easy there,” I said pragmatically, squashing a bit of his enthusiasm, “we’ll have to apply first.”    \n\nThree days later we were boarding a plane from the Moncton International Airport to our new contract job just north of Kelowna, BC. Never once did he say, ‘I told you so’. We waved goodbye to Mat’s parents and the amazing technicolor trees of the famed East Coast fall as we dragged our boxed up bikes towards the oversize luggage area. \n\n\n![20191010_102811_HDR(1).jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbqMB9wvjeWr9u72WxzHqsjzgScCRd8H7zjjUaRrbQqqB/20191010_102811_HDR(1).jpg)\n\nWe touched down in Kelowna at eight o’clock that evening and heaved what was left of our beat up bike boxes down the road to the bus stop. “We’re headed for Wood Lake.” I told the driver, “Can you let us know when we’re there?” \n\nAs luck would have it, my brother’s girlfriend owned a bright, white two bedroom condo at the south end of Wood Lake with a beautiful view of the mountains. She wasn’t living there at the time and was generous enough to rent it for ‘family rates’ to a couple of vagabonds for a few weeks while we worked in Winfield. \n\n\n![20191028_102806_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeyo8V7GhmeL68JTfW875Jds9KsCQzritvWJ5okmB58bc/20191028_102806_HDR.jpg)\n\nIt turned out that we were a stone’s throw from the gravel rail trail that would lead us south to our worksite, a mere 15 minute bike ride away, or north to circumnavigate the turquoise blue waters of Wood Lake, traversing the Pelmewash parkway to the Spion Kop hiking trails. It was too perfect. \n\nI’m not at liberty to say too much about the actual work we did during the cannabis harvest but I will say we had a blast. We were hired for the night shift which started at 3P and ended at 11P. Our schedule was a godsend since we stunk up every square inch of the condo building with the smell of fresh weed when we wafted through at the end of our shift. Luckily most everyone was in bed.\n\nWe had a super fun crew, listened to lots of gangster rap and from time to time, Mat and I got to be left alone in one of many giant greenhouses with over two thousand super healthy, sticky budded cannabis plants that smelt like fresh squeezed lemons. It was heavenly.  \n\nSome of the workers were cannabis enthusiasts, while others like Cindy asked us “What part of the plant do you smoke?” Some of the managers came from big pharma while others came from the underground. A few employees had come out of retirement to ‘see what it was like’ and for others this was their first ever job. The diversity kept it fun.\n\nPerhaps the biggest gift of all came from our foreman, Tony, who had lived in the area for quite some time. He knew we were keen for adventure and exploration, so he hooked us up with some famous Lake Country gravel climbs that we could squeeze in before work. \n\nHe told us about the Oyama Lake Lookout, a gritty gravel climb up a fun forest service road on the east side of Wood Lake with spectacular views from the top that looked down upon the Okanagan Valley, Kalamalka and Wood Lake and across to Terrance Mountain. \n\n\n![20191028_120753_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmduwvxZ377fRKkZpe3oETafEwwrjGFNBdCZqZP6eZhZFE/20191028_120753_HDR.jpg)\n\nAs soon as we hit the view spot, the skies blew over and the first snowfall of the season graced the ground. We maxed out at 56 km/hr as we railed back down the road, grateful for our neoprene winter bike gloves and the foresight to bring them.\n\nAnother favourite was the meaty climb up Beaver Lake Road to Swalwell Lake, gaining over one thousand metres in elevation as we navigated the giant potholes and washboard wrinkles left over by the weather gods and heavy summer traffic. We had the place all to ourselves until the maintenance man at the Beaver Lake Resort came to regal us with stories of the pristine fishing hole. \n\n\n![20191105_113634_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQLWLVYoNKYmRwx4FGRRHUmTEMNwWAACiGppb4CbRGe24/20191105_113634_HDR.jpg)\n\nWe questioned him about the Okanagan High Rim Trail (OHRT) sign we had seen on our way in and he told us about the 55km hiking trail, linking Philpott Road of Highway 33 near Kelowna to Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park in Vernon. It’s been on our to-do list ever since. Maybe we’ll bike it, maybe we’ll hike it, maybe we’ll want to do both? Perhaps 2021 will be the year.\n\nWe wrapped up twenty one straight days of work in the Gardens of Cannabis Eden with the heart-felt offering to stay on full-time for the company of which we were employed. Alas, we weren’t in the market for a long-term relationship, we were looking to keep the novelty of new possibilities palpable on our horizons, so we politely declined and packed our bags. \n\nWe had enjoyed our time in the Okanagan Valley, the views were beautiful, the people were kind and the hiking and biking were undoubtedly fun, but there was something about it that just wasn’t us. The Kootenays were calling and we answered back.\n\nHaving kept ourselves in peak physical condition since arriving in the Valley, we were ready for anything. 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      "body": "Some of the best advice for true happiness came from a man named Wayne Newman as we made acquaintance on the wooden benches in front of Parlour Gelato + Coffee on Military Road in St. John’s, Newfoundland.  \n\n\n![20190821_120136_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmR6LcbovMKKn1E2DaoqbFwz3JipaNVsnGZPzPncYbb9FP/20190821_120136_HDR.jpg)\n\n\nA large and boisterous man, he had rolled up just minutes earlier on his sparkling blue Harley Davidson motorcycle complete with black leather chaps, wrap-around sunglasses and a matching leather do-rag. As Mat and I sat in the August sunshine, sipping our espresso and staring out at the bustling Bannerman Park, I could hear his words reverberating through the cafe door.\n\n“How are you Wayne?” the barista asked. “Well,” he said, “if you looked up the word ‘awesome’ in the dictionary, there would be a picture of me beside it.” She laughed. More of a half laugh than a real laugh, a kind of ‘I’ve heard that one before’ laugh. But I smiled. \n\nHe let out a loud huff as he sat down on the bench beside us and began to dig into his triple scoop container of freshly made gelato. He looked satisfied before he’d even begun. Mat and I were deep in contemplation of our next move. We’d been bike travelling Newfoundland for the past two weeks and had already experienced so much adventure. \n\n\n![20190809_102518_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeUv22Cs4trDRX9H89frgALzHnbPrCYaykS14KLjDFHbQ/20190809_102518_HDR.jpg)\n\nWe’d survived the famous Wreckhouse winds, forgone the gravel gnarliness of the Newfoundland T’railway for the scenic rollercoaster of the Route 1 Highway, soaked in the amazing hospitality of our new friends the Samms in Codroy Valley and ran a 10 kilometre leg of the relay ‘Race to the Sea’.\n\nWe’d revelled in the beauty of the babbling brooks, the National Parks and the majestic coastline and inland scenery that could be found everywhere we looked. I loved those stunted ‘tuckamore’ trees. We had savored every morsel of traditional Newfoundland ‘Lassy Bun’, fresh Atlantic lobster and the ‘it’s delicious because you’re hungry’ bacon and eggs at all the Irving Big Stops on the Rock. \n\nWhen we arrived in St.John’s, we felt it customary to spend a few nights in a cheerfully coloured ‘Jelly Bean’ house but opted out of the late night ‘screech in’ ceremonies. We knew there was so much more to experience, but something about it felt complete, at least for now. \n\n\n![20190821_170147_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRzfpwdNakVBHrTaU5P98KcQFhaepWwqNDNxruXypdEu5/20190821_170147_HDR.jpg)\n\n\nAs we talked amongst ourselves, Wayne struck up conversation. “Nice pedal bikes,” he said, “Where ya coming from?” We told him about our arrival on the Marine Atlantic Ferry in Port-Aux-Basques and our journey across the island, our love for the people of Newfoundland and our hesitation to leave. We’d even considered moving there for a minute, until we remembered what East Coast winters can be like.\n\n“Every summer I leave on a bike trip,” he said, acknowledging that we had more in common than initially met the eye. “I bring two weeks worth of clean socks and two weeks worth of clean underwear. I wear the same t-shirt and the same pants. If something gets a hole, I get it fixed or if I have to, I replace it. It’s smart, it’s simple and it’s the most fun I have all year.” \n\nWe nodded in approval of our sameness. We too, had adopted a minimalist approach to our bike travel, partially out of necessity and increasingly out of our love for how free it made us feel. \n\n\n![20190822_064102_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcVVLHwz8msm8tZTHCHWsjSUY1jJGnJLFX6NDheJpvHxe/20190822_064102_HDR.jpg)\n\n\nWhile fourteen pairs of socks was far too many for us to carry, we understood that he was relaying the idea that less is more. That when you bring the things you only truly need you not only appreciate them more but you take better care of them, too. Every item is essential. \n\nAs he scraped the bottom of his gelato container for the last bits of frozen treasure, he leaned over to us and in the most sincere voice that a Newfoundlander who just spent ten minutes telling hilarious stories and bad jokes can, he said, “You want to know the path to true happiness?” \n\nWe leaned in. “What?” \n\nHe paused, licked his spoon clean and said with a grin, “Don’t buy shit you don’t need.”",
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      "body": "Inverness, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia / August 3, 2019\n\n\n![20190802_173904_HDR (1).jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdaffE4AXeLgC5XK3bK1LY4wJjeMPZmfrb9PwksqH5nw4/20190802_173904_HDR%20(1).jpg)\n\n“Bike traveller!” Mat yells, as we watch a tall, shadowy figure on a fully loaded bike roll by across the road. Any distraction is a worthy one as we wait for our dryer to buzz outside the Soap-and-Suds Laundromat in Inverness, Nova Scotia. \n\n“Allo!” he says with an energetic French accent, as he brings his bike to a stop in front of us. \n\n“Where are you coming from?” we ask.\n\n“The Cabot Trail,” he says with a smile so big it barely fits on his face, “it was amazing.” I admire his long, black curly hair, unencumbered by a helmet, resting against his black cotton t-shirt that matches his skinny, black jeans. He has four black pannier bags mounted to his thin black bike and he adjusts his round black glasses as he speaks. If he survived wearing that, I think to myself, the road can’t be that bad.  \n\nThe Cabot Trail, which, despite its name, is actually a highway, offers up three hundred stunning kilometres of scenic coastal roadways, continually plunging from high rocky outcroppings to the bright blue shores on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and back up again. Weaving down, around and through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the entire route is, for good reason, a sought after tourist destination. Busy, but also beautiful. \n\n\n![20190806_101809_HDR (1).jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPba5GrG51Pw7bdiSQfarsTwGpBbLVBPDGZaAK4QMhenK/20190806_101809_HDR%20(1).jpg)\n\n\nIt’s the ‘busy’ part that has left us in debate over a Cabot Trail detour for the past three weeks of our East Coast cycling trip. Adept at riding our bikes on dirt trails, gravel tracks and sneaky backroad routes, we are drawn to the challenge of the path less travelled. We prefer the safety, scenery and serenity, far from the reaches of distracted drivers, loud noises and gasoline fumes.\n\nDespite that it’s a world renowned cycling route, almost everyone we’d crossed paths with up until now, had advised against it. The roads are too narrow, the traffic too heavy and the mountainous efforts too hard, they said. We took their advice with a grain of East Coast sand, knowing from years of experience that drivers pay attention to different details than cyclists and that increasingly, people live in fear.\n\nWe were pulled to go, perhaps even more so in the face of said adversity. Which is why we had ended up here, at the northern tip of the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail near an eastern entry point to the Cabot Trail Loop, doing our laundry and pondering our options. We were undecided but open to persuasion when Felix appeared. He was our sign, our nudge, our trail angel. \n\nIt was Saturday of the August long weekend. He helped us convince ourselves that most people would be a) already where they needed to be on Sunday when we hit the road and b) driving the more popular, opposite direction of us, so our lane would be quieter. We thanked Felix for his enthusiasm and insights and went to stock up on supplies at the local grocer. We were buzzing.\n\nIt wouldn’t take us long the next day to realize that the spectacular scenery of the coastal landscape coupled with the savage, sweaty climbs and insanely monumental descents, the  renegade camp spots and the adventurous off-road routes that one can explore along the Cabot Trail made our turn off to the north every bit worthy of the effort.\n\n\n![20190804_192609_HDR (1).jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmeHeA232x1HW5MBctx9KVJLxHj7k74wEhL7yv43Gj8n8L/20190804_192609_HDR%20(1).jpg)\n\n\nIn fact, cycling the Cabot Trail would become one of the indisputable highlights of our entire East Coast trip and one of the most incredible places we have bike travelled in all of Canada. Reminding us yet again that the obstacle is the way; remain flexible, embrace the unknown, overcome the fear and always, always have faith. \n\n\n![20190804_183849_HDR (4).jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWyBp5b5iPRfAg3hKakYFm83bmMWmRbkcYUQ9zGAhLqNT/20190804_183849_HDR%20(4).jpg)",
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      "body": "Travel Day Five and Six / Montreal, Quebec / July 5 & 6, 2019\n\nWe spent the next day in Montreal, renting bikes, touring the city and catching a free Cirque du Soleil show in the park. With the bustling Trans Canada Highway hovering above the city and no great place to thumb, we decided to take public transit as far East as we could and hitch a ride from there.  \n\nThe day was getting on by the time we figured out the transit system and the ticket booth operator finally understood my poor pronunciation of the French town Saint-Hyacinthe. We got off the bus, strolled through town and picked up some food at the grocery store. \n\nBoth feeling a little lacklustre and exhausted by the hyper nature of our trip, we decided to spend the night in the Parc Les Salines, hoping to have our energy restored for the next day. It worked. Leaving the Tim Horton’s early the next morning, I stuck out my thumb as we neared a highway off-ramp and a young French man picked us up.\n\nHe wasn’t going far, he told us, a few hours down the road to the other side of Quebec City. We assured him that any little bit helps and we set off down the road. He knew a good highway rest spot on the outskirts of the city that would be full of weekend traffic. “You should be good there,” he said. \n\nWe stood at the rest stop for all of ten minutes when a little white sports car pulled over at our feet. A young man named Louis was on his way back from a Def Leppard concert in Quebec City. He was tired and hungover and thought the company would keep him awake. Smelling the stagnant beer in the air, I offered to drive.\n\nLouis told us he was going to Grand Falls, New Brunswick, which would get us 300 kilometres from our final destination. We were stoked. “Where are you guys going?” he asked. “Shediac.” Matt replied. Louis looked baffled, “Seriously?” Seriously. \n\nAs luck would have it, Louis was driving to Shediac Bay the very next day to meet at his family’s cottage for the weekend. “Well,” Matt joked, “if you see us on the highway tomorrow, feel free to pick us up.” We all laughed.\n\nWhen we arrived in Grands Falls, Louis had a change of heart. “What the hell,” he said, “I’m going to stop by my parents place, pack a bag and then we’re going to Shediac!” We could hardly believe his words. “Are you sure?” we asked. He was sure. \n\n\n![20190715_204256_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVbtwwPc1EQm7rPtHAUEu8CD3V13rgm9kF2z5ZVAX6Rcd/20190715_204256_HDR.jpg)\n\n\nSix travel days after standing on the shoulder in the B.C. mountains, we would arrive at our final destination on Matt’s parents back porch our “EASTCOAST” sign tattered and torn, but us, alive and well. We had spent less than $500 on food, gas and accomodations and doled out many a sticky bud to our grateful new friends in lieu of their role in our adventure. \n\nIt turns out that you can still successfully hitchhike across Canada in the year 2019.",
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      "body": "Travel Day Four / Sudbury, Ontario / July 3, 2019\n\nDonnie would drop us off in Sudbury where we’d get a good night's sleep. But as we stood amongst the mid-week, early morning work traffic, my faith wavered. Hundreds of vehicles had passed us by and my frustration at the vulnerability of our situation had boiled to the surface.\n\nWith bike travel, we were independent. We could load up our lives and ride away on our own accord, but this was new territory. I knew there was a lesson to be learned in having patience and asking for help, but I hadn’t yet internalized it.\n\n“It only takes one,” Mat reminded me, his sentiment making our odds seem better as a wave of rush hour traffic passed by. A little brown car with Massachusetts plates lagged in the distance and pulled in behind our bags.\n\n“HITCHHIKERS!” the driver exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air enthusiastically as he got out of his car. “I’ve been looking for you!” Kevin was from Boston, but decided to travel back from his high school reunion in North Dakota through Canada. He was hoping for some company to pass the time. We were as grateful for Kevin as he was for us. \n\nAs we travelled East, we had what he referred to as ‘level three conversations’ deep, stimulating and introspective contemplations, a far cry from surface chit chat. He was an open-minded, progressive thinking baby boomer, which he attributed to his newfound relationship with the mind expanding nature of cannabis, and his two millennial children. We loved him.\n\nAs we approached Mattawa, ON, we asked if he would make a brief detour. Our friend Denis had always told us to stop at his friend Danny’s chip truck there for ‘the best fries on this side of the Atlantic.’ He obliged and before we knew it, we were standing in front of the Turcotte’s Chip Stand, drooling over a menu that’s been filling bellies since 1944.\n\nWe met Danny and his wife Tamra and told them about Denis and the adventure we were on. To our utter amazement, they gifted us with three of the most deliciously fully loaded chicken burgers and heaping piles of fries our eyes had ever seen. This trip was getting better by the minute.\n\n\n![20190704_123405_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmU9QFv6Uw5yWdmV8FqaPGH7eCm5Ca6DaeboWi1tzfNnEv/20190704_123405_HDR.jpg)\n\n\nStomachs and hearts full, we waved goodbye to our new friends and got back on the road. We went all the way to downtown Montreal with Kevin that day, navigating the congestion of after work traffic and the confusing signage of the city. As we parted ways on a dead end street, we  hugged him wholeheartedly, wished him the best and watched him disappear in the distance.",
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      "body": "Travel Day Two  and Three - Calgary, Alberta - July 1 and 2, 2019\n\n![20190629_220931.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNutWyC1H1qB8Nj3BUEBCCuLrawPSf7LP9BJAMxQWQyhq/20190629_220931.jpg)\n\n\nDonnie pulled into the Wendy’s parking lot at six a.m, just like he said he would. He eyeballed us cautiously from behind his tinted windshield before popping his trunk and getting out of the car. “If you two looked sketchy, I was going to drive away,” he said frankly. \n\nWe’d found his post on a rideshare site the night before. ‘Calgary to Sudbury. Leaving 6AM Monday. Shared driving.’ We responded and he obliged. He shuffled his flip-flopped feet to the trunk of the car, making room for our bags. I couldn’t help but stare at his neck full of tattoos.\n\n“I’d like to keep rotating drivers so we can ride right through the night,” he said. Matt and I agreed. “How many times have you driven across Canada?” I asked. “None,” he replied. We smiled, knowing that Donnie might not know just how big Canada is. \n\nWe filled the day with interesting conversations about social media addiction, the future of CBD and why we all loved Drake. We alternated positions, each trying unsuccessfully to take a backseat nap in between piloting and co-piloting the ship. By two in the morning Donnie was hitting the centerline rumble strips, Matt was sleeping in the back and I was nodding off in shotgun. \n\n“Maybe we should pull over for a few hours,” Donnie relented. I agreed in relief. Parked in the back corner of a McDonald’s parking lot in Kenora, ON, we half slept for a few hours until the sun was too bright to pretend. Another full day of travel lay ahead.\n\nBy the time we reached Sudbury that evening, Donnie was hesitant to drop us off at the greenspace we’d located on Google Maps to call home for the night. We'd spent 36 intimate hours exploring each other's minds, learning about one another’s lives and celebrating our sameness. Alas, we were all ready for some reprieve. \n\nWe assured him we would find a nice, soft space to pitch our tent and catch up on some missing sleep. The night was so warm and the stars so bright that we opted for a flyless tent above our heads. As we climbed into bed, I noticed a flickering light wavering above and then another and another and another. “Fireflies!\" Mathieu said, \"It’s our gift for being brave.\"",
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      "body": "Congratulations @triplonger! You have completed the following achievement on the Steem blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :\n\n<table><tr><td><img src=\"https://steemitimages.com/60x70/http://steemitboard.com/@triplonger/posts.png?201912302318\"></td><td>You published more than 10 posts. Your next target is to reach 20 posts.</td></tr>\n</table>\n\n<sub>_You can view [your badges on your Steem Board](https://steemitboard.com/@triplonger) and compare to others on the [Steem Ranking](https://steemitboard.com/ranking/index.php?name=triplonger)_</sub>\n<sub>_If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word_ `STOP`</sub>\n\n\nTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!\n\n\n###### [Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness](https://v2.steemconnect.com/sign/account-witness-vote?witness=steemitboard&approve=1) to get one more award and increased upvotes!",
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      "body": "I am so damn proud to say that today marks four years since I quit drinking alcohol. That’s forty-eight months without a sip, drip, or drop of booze. As I reflect on this major milestone, I can say with great certainty, that as soon as I stopped drinking alcohol, I started getting my life back.\n\n![20181031_131459_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPMSJreLhTxNjC3P4KZS9ZzWf2CsMsapfwZfHPaLfFGyY/20181031_131459_HDR.jpg)\n\nThe day I quit drinking, I became time rich. I immediately gained back thirty hours a week that I had been giving to the bottle. Between thinking about drinking and talking about drinking, going to the liquor store and hanging in the pub, the time spent actually consuming alcohol and the massive black hole of a dreaded hangover, my habit had practically become a part-time job. Albeit, one that cost me more than it ever paid.\n\nGaining back all of this ‘extra time’ was overwhelming at first. I wasn’t even sure what to do with it all. I found myself drawn to spending more time outside, going for evening walks and long bike rides with Matt, hanging out in the mountains and wandering through the trails, giving myself much needed contemplative time, while simultaneously feeling less bogged down than ever before.\n\n![20180317_133320.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmYsPRE3zar9ZL6Agk9CSRDRu3Ys9LUsyDXR4jJEWcfWqQ/20180317_133320.jpg)\n\nChallenged by my change, once reliable drinking buddies vacated the scene and I found myself seeking a new tribe. I started tuning in to educational, motivational, stimulating podcasts ripe with inspirational ideas on how to uproot old habit patterns, untangle from my victim mindset and begin to rewrite my life.\n\nSince I was no longer consuming after work beers, my evening sugar intake became drastically reduced. This made it easier for my stimulant-sensitive self to get to bed earlier and fall asleep faster, giving my body a chance to get longer, deeper, more restorative rest. This lead to a significant reduction in waking-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed, frothing at the mouth for a frosted cinnamon bun and other such hanger pangs from the sugar monster. I found myself becoming a more pleasant and patient human being (and I hadn’t even had my coffee yet)!\n\nMy newfound ability to delay eating first thing in the morning led me to entertain the novel idea of intermittent fasting. I began consuming all my daily calories within an 8 or 10 hour window and then giving my digestive system a break for the remaining 14 to 16. This curbed my late-night overindulgences like family-sized bags of potato chips and solo pints of ice cream. The more conscious I became with my nutrition, the better I was beginning to feel.\n\nFrom here, I began slowly (and I mean, sloooowly) transitioning from a lifetime of fuelling off nutrient lacking, sugar laden, processed foods to a much healthier, nutrient dense, whole food eating regime. After a couple weeks of the dreaded low-carb flu, I bounced back to a better, brighter, more fat-adapted me.\n\n![20190522_152230.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmb9QM9p48yr8sk46B1ioGrz3Wo3Fcrn8Qihp2GDJ78LcQ/20190522_152230.jpg)\n\nDavid Asprey’s now famous Bulletproof Coffee became my new morning routine, a rich concoction of grass fed butter, MCT oil and my favourite №6 Coffee which produced a magical time release caffeination along with a great source of fat-based fuel to feed my body and brain for hours on end.\n\nHangovers were now a thing of the past, which meant that instead of starting a head throbbing, dry-mouthed, blurry-eyed day reaching for pain killers at eleven o’clock in the morning while throwing myself a pity party, I was now waking up with the birds, loaded with gusto and inspired to pour this new found energy into an exciting new direction. So, I did.\n\nAfter years of unknowingly working up to it, I now had the fitness, fuelling and resilient mindset to build into a brand new movement practice and so, I started trail running. I had never ran before (well, except away from the cops) and much to my surprise, I fell madly in love with it right away. I had always thought of runners as the A-type, spandex clad, do-gooders I had seen pounding the pavement while I pounded the beers. How much fun could they actually be having? Turns out, a lot (though I’ll take dirt over pave any day).\n\n![20181215_112200_HDR.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaJUzTreZaAKA9LbZ9KWnam9NJ8H2FFhZuZPeFTP6rKRz/20181215_112200_HDR.jpg)\n\nI didn’t put any pressure on the progress of my new running practice, I let it build up slowly and organically and because of this, I continued to look forward to it. I ran every single day, rain or shine, for the entire first year of my sobriety. It became my own personal practice, my therapy, my meditation. The more movement I got, the better I felt. I was losing weight, gaining confidence and cultivating a new passion, all thanks to walking away from alcohol.\n\nWith one less voluntary depressant weighing in on my mental health, I noticed my thoughts becoming more positive. I started a morning mindfulness practice, carving out some space for solitude and reflection, meditating for at least ten minutes (almost) every single day.\n\nTurning my awareness inwards and looking at the deeper, unresolved issues that had influenced my problem-drinking took courage and compassion, but I finally felt ready for the challenge of accepting responsibility for my life and equipped with the tools and support system to make the necessary changes.\n![20180718_104850.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVv7vL6sUnaQHvyC6k9sZvoHba44BAG3w8DLphxdu8KvX/20180718_104850.jpg)\n\nThis awareness would eventually empower me to reflect upon the patterns of unconscious consumption that had infiltrated all areas of my previous sleep-walking life; from self-medicating with substances, stimulants and snacks to mindlessly consuming social media and material goods.\n\nThe realization that I am the sum of all my small decisions gave me the strength and courage to selflessly prioritize my health and well-being. The discipline to continue ‘showing up’ everyday and practice self-care continues to lead me in pursuit of my own version of success.\n\n![20180519_105900.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmcjFRRQ5wWnxry1WbKtSev96LDW9g5BNka7U7vv49fctD/20180519_105900.jpg)\n\nThis ever-evolving journey of being my best self is one in which I strive to choose that which supports me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and in return, I can go out in the world and support others on their path to do the same.\n\nWhile I am in no rush to re-establish my relationship with alcohol, I feel empowered to envision a future for myself where deliciously crafted beer, wine and spirits can be mindfully integrated into my more consciously consuming life with a better and brighter balance. But that’s another story for another time . . .\nUntil then, Cheers to Four Years, No Beers and all the greatness that lies ahead!\n\nBig Love & Stay Rad.\nAli B",
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