I had the opportunity to do a very short trip to Los Angeles during the Hollidays. Short in time, but far-reaching in joy as I was traveling with my eldest son Gabriel, just for the fun of being together. Coming from snowy Québec, it was quite an exhilarating change of scene.
The weather, of course, a soothing 68F after our minus 4 F at home. The wide open sense of space, the architecture, the vegetation and the people. On such a short trip, there is not time to settle into any routine, not even a travel routine: I was alert to my surroundings, taking it all in with curiosity and openness.
How would I be different if I lived here? How would that change my work? What would remain the same? Those are questions that come up when I travel. It’s fascinating to imagine and from my experiences of living abroad, I know another part of me would emerge, enriching my life and those around me.
Going further in this reflection, I also wonder what would remain at the core. Beneath all the variants, what is truly my fundamental self and what is the essence of my work? This question is even more interesting to me, and not so easy to answer.
Because in whichever life I would choose, I would end up asking myself: What is the truest work I can do, here and now, with what I have?
And that is a whole new world, right there, waiting fo me.