For the second year in a row, my extended family and I got the chance to drive about 2 hours north of Toronto to Norland, Ontario for a brief getaway. Cottage life is funny, because nowadays, it doesn’t matter how far you go into the middle of no where, wifi is still a necessity for us all.
Because wifi was so accessible, every day is a battle between shutting off and staying updated with our online lives. Despite reading a few articles here and there, checking my emails once or twice every day, and even posting a photo or two, I managed to shut off as well as I could to soak in the peacefulness of it all.
We were staying in beautiful home with our backyard facing Shadow Lake. I feel quite whimpy saying this, but the water was too cold for me so I barely went in once- but I enjoyed it my own personal way. Every day, we ate breakfast and went for a two hour walk. There wasn’t too much to see during the walk aside from cars and trees, but to walk along side my parents and relatives was much more valuable.
In the afternoon, some of us took naps, some of us went kayaking and in the water, some of us fished- but I simply laid on the hammock reading. I can’t recall the last time I spent time reading a physical book on a day to day basis. I was learning new things every day, exercising my brain, and soaking in large amounts of Vitamin D. Life couldn’t get any better than that.
The sunsets were magnificent. The colors in the sky painted a painting I would’ve hung as decor in my home. There were no sounds of cars, or hundreds of people hustling and bustling to their next event- it was purely me, God, and the sky.
Another special part of cottage living are the nightly bonfires. They have a special place in my heart. They remind me of the first time God lite a fire in my heart almost 10 years ago. Just like God, bonfires bring people together in a community, burning marsh mellows, admiring the starry sky, and for just a few minutes, nothing matters except for the people we’re with and the nature we’re surrounded by.
With a genuine smile, my mom repeated many many times as we sat by the fire…
“This is life. Life is simple.”
Joanne Lam 