The Life of a Digital Nomad: Finding a Routine in the Pacific Northwest

Last month was about embracing stability. Something I did not get much of at all last year.

Early in the month, I updated a friend via one of my many voice memos (aka friend podcasts) and shared my contentment in being in one place for a whole 3 months. I shared how I was excited about the stability, falling into my routines, enjoying the mundane. She replied in agreement, saying it must be part of getting older, that she felt the same...

Magical moments on Bowen Island

Well then, I had to disagree. Hearing her words, I laughed to myself. She thought I was settling? People love to blame the passing of time and age for everything. They love to see others settle into anything that resembles their own life choices.

I've had people wait for me to settle for almost 20 years. By now, most have understood that it's not my plan. Not yet. But not never either. Yet, it always comes as a surprise when someone in my network assumes I'm done moving around.

The truth is, I haven't fallen in love with my long-term community yet. Part of my lifestyle is about discovering new places in the hope that I will fall in love. Sure, I hope I'll fall in love with a handsome man on some adventure somewhere beautiful. But I also hope to fall in love with a place, a town, a neighbourhood, a village. I want to invest myself in a community, just like I want to invest myself in a monogamous relationship. To me, both are very similar: they need commitment, time, patience and lots of love. And in both cases, I refuse to settle...

So all this to say, Bowen Island isn't my forever home. And although the house I am looking after could easily be a dream house, it is not my dream, not my destiny nor my soul calling.

A beautiful Galentine's day

Nevertheless, February was filled with gratitude.

• I finished a couple books, putting me ahead on my Goodreads challenge.

• I fixed some old pottery that had been sitting in my storage unit for months.

• I narrowed down my Ethical Business Analyst service offering to businesses and made it official on my website.

• I developed and tested a new offering to individuals called Personal Impact Assessment.

• I gathered with 5 of my most beautiful girlfriends for Galentines Day.

• I continued volunteering for an inspiring local magazine.

• I continued attending weekly writing workshops.

• I discussed a new contract for an inspiring Canadian business.

• I got involved in the local community on the island, met a few locals and offered my help and services.

• I also started volunteering for a great digital nomad organization, bridging the gap between my lifestyle and my professional skills.

• I rebranded to Ethical Digital Nomad. Have you noticed?

• And I confirmed my next step: a month-long housesit on the Sea to Sky (because I still want a bit of stability close to my Squamish base, just a little longer).

Looking at the list above, I realize something very important: I do need time to be still in order to see real progress on many of my dreams and projects.

Me owning my skills, projects and dreams!

Being a digital nomad, we're often in constant planning mode. Where is next, how do we get there, and why and with whom? I find it invigorating. But it's obviously very time consuming. And then there's the time it takes to actually travel to get to the next place, and the time spent exploring new corners of the world, or revisiting old places we previously fell in love with. I love it, but it's not sustainable. I need pauses in between those intensive movement phases.

After being still for a whole month (January), I could finally spend another month progressing on everything that's been at the back of my mind in the last year. It feels like I did as much in one month as in all of 2023!

My physical body might not have traveled very far (just a couple day trips to the mainland), but my mind explored unchartered territories and went further than it had in a very long time. My thoughts traveled through many written stories and marched on many unbeaten paths.

That kind of adventure actually feels refreshing. And I find myself excited for another stable month on my little island of the Pacific Northwest! Now, I can't say that I would take many more months here... but I'm definitely happy I get one more. 💜