Back to the North: Coming Home to Canada After 3 Months in the Caribbean

There’s something surreal about stepping off a plane from the Caribbean and into a Canadian spring. One minute you’re peeling off a damp bathing suit and brushing sand from your feet; the next, you’re tugging on a coat because the air still bites a little.

After three sun-drenched months of beach days, easy rhythms, and warm ocean air, returning home is both comforting and disorienting. While it's good to be away and enjoying life to the fullest, it feels like a warm hug coming home. There’s no place that grounds me quite like my own home. Walking through the door feels like slipping back into a part of myself I haven't seen in a while. It’s where my soul quietly exhales and says, “You’re back.”

Reality Hits and the Catch-ups Begin

Coming back in April means we've skipped most of winter’s worst. This year we dodged blizzards,  deep freezes, the endless shoveling.  There's still a chill in the mornings that serves to remind us that we still have a while to go before summer hits.

We've been home for two weeks now.  The first week was spent unpacking, reorganizing, catching up on emails and other business.  We had visits with friends and family members and a trip son #2 to pick up the cat, who had her own vacation for three months.

The second week was filled with appointments, and lots of spring cleaning. We have a huge list of to-do items that we must get to over the next several months.  The house, despite the amount of cleaning and organizing, looks like a war zone.

Our social calendar for the next several months has started to fill up.

The past three months were all about ease—quiet mornings, no real schedule, and time that felt like it stretched forever. Now, life has snapped back into full speed. Our days are suddenly packed, my to-do list never ends, and I’m moving so fast it’s hard to believe I was ever still. It’s a sharp contrast, going from island time to real time—and I’m definitely feeling the whiplash. 

Still - It's good to be home.