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Blog 11
After reflecting on the past thirty years, I look forward to the journey of the next decade. I am excited to see how my life will change and become even richer. I invite you to join me in celebrating my 40 years in Canada in 2035. Let's see if the story will unfold they way I envision it today.
It is April 21, 2035.
I can hardly believe that it's now forty years since I came to Canada. I am 70 years old and have spent the majority of my years in Canada. I don't feel like 70, but my body often tells me otherwise.
I finally became a Canadian while keeping my German citizenship. Living in this beautiful country for the past forty years, I feel that half of me belongs to Canada. Sometimes, I am sad that my children and their families will hardly have any connection to my birth country. However, with people moving around in the world and not staying in their hometowns, it is a worldwide phenomenon. I will do my part to ensure younger generations remember and appreciate our roots.
When I arrived in Canada, I was very shy and not very open-minded. I enjoyed the company of many friends from different social and religious backgrounds. I loved learning about their heritage and traditions. However, I was close-minded in many areas of my life. I had never been an adventurer. I cherished my predictable routines. Moving to a new continent forced me to leave my comfort zone.
If I had stayed in Germany, I would probably have continued in an office job in the banking industry until we had kids. Daycare for children under three years was unavailable until the early 2000s. Therefore, I might have worked part-time in my father's architecture office in the mornings, picking our children up from kindergarten and school by lunchtime.
It would probably have nurtured my creative side through craft projects with our children, knitting and sewing bears in my evenings. Attending painting courses would not have happened until our kids were both in their teens.
Though I had a stable number of friends, living in a new continent forced me to establish new relationships. Today, I have friends in Canada and in Germany. I also have an extended circle of acquaintances whom I have never met in person. The development of virtual platforms has made staying in contact much easier. I am grateful for the many connections, support and inspiration.
While I had to fight a long time to find my place in the new environment, it also made me stronger and helped me grow. I learned more about myself. Whenever I struggle, I remember the obstacles I have overcome with persistence and determination.
Especially after my tragic accident in December 2021, I had to make myself and my needs a priority. All the weeks tied to a hospital bed, then a wheelchair and later a walker helped me fight for my recovery. During my approximately 18 months of rehabilitation, I realized that I didn't have time to waste.
Osteoarthritis in my hips, probably at least accelerated due to the pelvis fracture, causes occasional flare-ups so painful that I can hardly move. Luckily, with more sleep, mindful eating and physio exercises, these flare-ups don't occur too often. However, they always frighten me because I fear the limitations of what I can still achieve.
Expressing my creativity and nurturing relationships by meeting friends and family several times a week keeps my mood up. I no longer postpone trips. In recent years, I travelled to several Canadian provinces, Japan, Spain, and many German towns I wanted to visit. I still want to visit Northern Europe and India.
Luckily, I still paint with my Painting Buddies, even though some of them are already in their late eighties. When a friend and I visited my former art teacher, Inge Besken, then in her early nineties, she told us that her low energy prevented her from painting anymore. However, she still created art with markers every day. She gave us both a composition of colours and lines, which I have hanging on my door to remind me that I can still create art in old age.
There have been many changes in the past ten years. Being sandwiched between our parents and our kids had its challenges, but my strong relationships and my art have given me the strength to accept what I couldn't change and provide joy as the foundation of my happy life.
I am grateful for the many years spent sharing my art with others, inspiring them through my paintings and by teaching both children and adults. I still enjoy teaching, but don't want to commit for months ahead. Instead, I offer workshops to have a more flexible schedule. Trips and family activities have priorities. Luckily, both our children and their families live in the Ottawa region.
Thank you for being part of my creative journey. I appreciate your support, encouragement, and presence — whether in person, online, or quietly following along. I have no wish to quit my artistic journey. I still see the world through my art and capture what inspires me as often as I can.
In December, I will publish weekly posts with the 2025 Art Advent Calendar. To see the daily post, please check out my Facebook or Instagram pages.
