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Return to Paradise!

The word paradise gets thrown around a lot, and I am one that tends to use it quite often. I guess the truth is the world is a pretty freaking awesome and there are tons of places that one can label as “Paradise”.

One place on earth that holds a special place in my heart… is Muskoka Canada. Maybe its because this was the first place I traveled to as a kid, or maybe its just because, it is truly paradise. Muskoka (or better known as Cottage country) is a 2-hour drive north of Toronto. It’s pretty much a weekend get away spot for the rich people that live in Toronto. It’s hard to find a home in Muskoka for under a million dollars, so you have to be pretty loaded to afford a million dollar “weekend home”. Muskoka is filled with movie stars and pro athletes, Goldie Hahn lives down the street… and sometimes Kate Hudson can be spotted cruising around in her boat.

Unlike the rest of the rich and famous my family bought into the housing market way back some 70 years ago when houses where around $5000 bucks. So for the last 70 years my grandmother has owned a 2-story cottage right on the lake. A lot of people have all kinds of history in their family that dates back hundreds of years; my friend in Spain lives in a house that has been in his family for 300 years! Well as for my family the only real history we have “left” is this 100-year-old cottage. This is a place where my mother and all of her family grew up. I have old super 8 video of my mom when she was 5 years old playing in the lake.

I have come to learn over the last few years, that you can have tons of friends, but they all seem to come and go in your life… even the ones that you would think would never go away. But in the end the only real thing in your life that doesn’t seem to change with money or success or ups and downs… is your family. I guess I have spent most of my life looking soo far from home to find people that care about me, and what I forgot to realize is the people that care the most have always been right here with me.

So that said it has come time for me to spend a little time with my family. I feel like my family doesn’t really know much about me other then what they see and read online. So I will be spending the next 6 weeks in “paradise” with my mom and the rest of the gang. My grandmother’s health has been failing her, so it will be nice to spend some time with her, as it might be my last chance. And it’s been over 10 years since I have spent more then a week with my mom. I normally only see my family once a year for 1 week if that… so I’m sure this will turn out to be another major lesson in life! Canada here I come!

Posted by Jimmy under Thailand, Uncategorized |