Montreal

So, I’ve really trimmed down...  

After losing 30 lbs (after my switch to a balanced vegetarian diet, sans sodium, caffeine, and refined sugar, and jogging 15-20 kms per week) none of my clothes fit anymore.  I dug deep into my drawers and purged nearly everything, as nothing fit any longer.

 

It was, yet again, another chance to start over.  Filling bag after bag with clothing for charity was far more therapeutic than I could have ever imagined.  It scared me to realize that I had so many clothes in my possession, I had actually lost track of what I owned.

 

After the great purge, I can now name every item of clothing I own, probably right down to my socks and underwear.  That’s an empowering feeling in an age where people are always looking for more closet space.  I can fit everything I own nicely in a suitcase and move across the world without having to pick and choose.  It all fits!  Though I must admit, I took two suitcases with me (just because I could). 

 

I spent a few days in Montreal on my way to London, England: my new home.  

In my suitcase, you will find:

8 T-shirts

5 dress shirts

3 pairs of jeans

1 pair of pants

1 pair of shorts

1 cardigan

This is still a lot, I suppose.  It’s definitely excess, but it’s an improvement.  It feels great to have such a manageable collection of possessions.  I wonder how it would feel to have only 2 changes of clothes.  I really do believe that the fewer the material possessions, the lighter the soul.  My soul needs to be lighter.  And lets be honest, so does my body.  I’ve got a long, long way to go. 

I have a dream that I will lose another 30 lbs and be emo skinny, and then will go on a trip with nothing but a change of underwear, a camera, and a toothbrush.  I have a lot of dreams though, you see. A lot.

Montreal is a city that I have long dreamed about.  I always thought it would feel just like home to me.  I expected to be blown away by it.  I expected magic and fireworks on every corner.  I didn't find it.

I think you have to be in love to really enjoy Montreal in all its glory.  In love, and fluent in French.  At the moment, neither are realities for me.  But they are both dreams.

Blurg...