[komadwanders]

Robbi and I went for an overnight adventure to 3 glacier-fed lakes. We woke up at 4:45 and forced ourselves out of the warm tent so that we could have the place to ourselves. The drive home required a lot of coffee and the bug’s breaks were definitely smoking, but we were back in the city before noon. It always feels like you’re coming back from a different world when you go from backcountry to city, but it’s a strange feeling I embrace whole-heartedly.

July 21, 2019

[komadwanders]

3 weeks of resting have meant two solid adventures under my belt. The first one was with my good friend @thermaloverloadtrip that took us through the mountains and down some dirty roads. We got to slow down and camp near lakes and rivers, and I finally felt like I was being myself rather than going through the motions of a teacher.

July 8-14, 2019

[komadwanders]

“It doesn’t do us any good to have our preferences out of line with reality.”

—My beautifully wise counsellor who has given me so much to think about as I work through letting go of my outdoor ed position. I get a whole summer to fall in love again with the outdoors for MYSELF. Most importantly, I get the whole summer to finally say “fuck it”.

[komadwanders]

Spent four days kayaking secluded Nootka Sound. The days were spent paddling as much as possible before the wind picked up, setting up camp on a different island every night, and napping lazily on the rocks, throughout the day.

It was exactly what I needed to end off this crazy year. The kids and I got to laugh a lot, and just chill the hell out.

May 26-June 1, 2019

[komadwanders]

BC backcountry

May 12, 2019

[komadwanders]

This little place was my classroom as I spent the weekend being a student and learning about how to better teach kids outside. For the first time in a long time, I was getting my cup filled. There were a lot of beautiful moments, and the group I was with was a sweet and kind mix of teachers, camp organizers, a pastor trying to start a wild church, and an addictions counsellor figuring out ways to use the outdoors to help people heal. It reminded me why what I’m doing is so important and how worthwhile it is, even though the job itself has been painful.

There was a lot of wisdom being shared, some good laughs, and a lot of fresh air 🌱🌱🌱

[komadwanders]

Sometimes a good little regional campsite is what you need. So that you can ensure there are vault toilets, picnic tables, and a group of middle aged white people partying til 3 am to prove to themselves they still got it.

My long weekend was as chill as possible. I was able to sleep in my hammock, we enjoyed a big delicious meal, and got to sit around and unwind.

April 21, 2019

[komadwanders]

Outdoor education begins with a shared understanding that rain is part of the deal when it comes to enjoying the wild. The youngest of the group understood that very well, the rest nearly killed me with their whining. But we all survived in the end, and I had a whole long weekend to recover from Thursday’s soggy hike.

April 18, 2019

[komadwanders]

I’m feeling mentally exhausted, and for the first time, it doesn’t feel like I’m coping well.

Something about the crossroad that is ahead has me dreading the decision I need to make: commit to another year at my stressful as fuck job in the hopes that it gets better, but experience the familiarity of the same students, the same room, and the same courses, OR apply for another position that is unknown and so therefore slightly nerve-racking. Maybe better, but maybe worse.

I’m not sure. All I know is that lately, it’s been getting far harder to repress the idea that I would be happier and healthier if I wasn’t a teacher.

[komadwanders]

My skin is burnt and bitten up, but spending two days out on the water, sleeping in a hammock, and seeing the milky way reflected in the water was so so worth it. The Everglades were pure goodness, and I’m lucky I got to spend it with my good friend.

We saw some crocs and even a dolphin. Mainly, we saw mangroves as we paddled through a maze of them to get out to a chickee platform. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed thinking of all the places I need to get to before they disappear. This was one of those places for me. I hope I get to see it again in the future.

March 27, 2019

[komadwanders]

Things I’m looking forward to:

-spring break in Florida, celebrating my sister’s 30th birthday at Hogwarts, swimming in the ocean, and kayaking the Everglades

-a kayaking trip around the Sunshine Coast for Easter

-a snowshoe hike up to my favourite little backcountry hut 

[komadwanders]

I went through a breakup this week that was heart-wrenching the way most breakups are. But I woke up to a sunrise everyday this week and my best friend took me for a beautiful, soul-filling italian dinner. The kind that leaves you feeling warm and believing life is so so good. In every direction I looked, people were going about doing seemingly simple life things like enjoying an awkward first date, or enjoying their family dinner. But it left me hopeful and feeling like there was still some magic left in the world.

We went and watched a spoken word show after and I found myself swaying back and forth with tears in my eyes because of all the good feelings I had been holding in all week as I focused on my sadness. And I realize how floofy this all sounds, but damn did it make me feel lucky. That I get to experience love and heartbreak; that wild ebb and flow of life itself.

“I know the world is far from perfect.

I am not the type to mistake a streetlight for the moon.

I know our wounds are deep as the Atlantic.

But every ocean has a shoreline

And every shoreline has a tide

That is constantly returning”

-Andrea Gibson

[komadwanders]

Got to take 50 students up to Whistler for the first time. Riding all day to good tunes felt goooood and I couldn’t help but smile and throw my hands up as the -16 wind whipped around us.

I hope the kids recognize how there is so much room in life to be happy and silly. That there doesn’t have to be any other lesson that the mountains offer us but that.

[komadwanders]

Things at work have been stressful in a million different ways, so I’m going to try and focus on the small things that bring me joy.

This past weekend was a lovely holiday. I spent it dancing with friends at our local bar where we could be totally and outrageously ourselves. My sis and I did that thing where we laugh uncontrollably at things that aren’t funny to anyone else. Plus, I got to sleep over at my best friend’s house because her husband was out of town, and no matter how old I get, sleepovers are still the best. On Sunday it was absolutely sunny out even though there was snow on the ground so my dad, his buddy, and I spent the afternoon working on my beetle and listening to some oldies. Yesterday, Kev and I went out for some dinner and came across the best Indian restaurant ever.

Things are good. Life is good.

[thecityofdreaming]

It’s good to appreciate the little things in life. Coffee dates, new books, the sunlight streaming through your window in the early hours of morning, your favorite song playing on the radio, ordering waffles at the diner at 4 in the morning. You don’t have to sit around and wait for the next big life-changing event to happen. The little things are important and they might be the key to living your life happier.

[komadwanders]

Snowshoeing on a sunny day can’t be beat.

January 23, 2019

[komadwanders]

I’ve had a lot of great moments this week professionally, which hasn’t been the case throughout most of this year. At times, it has felt like an uphill battle trying to pick up the pieces of a broken-down outdoor ed program. My two co-workers and I have put in a lot of work which has gone mostly unacknowledged by admin, parents, and kids.

But tonight we had a parent meeting, and we got to share where we see this going and just how invested we are in these kids. And the support was there. My principal referred back to my presentation and our core pillars of the program. She called my ideas brilliant, and even though I didn’t put in that work to get a pat on the back, the nod to my efforts felt good.

I’m excited.