How could a place that occupied so much of my mindspace from my mid-20s to my early 30s – Cape Breton – suddenly become part of a distant past? Was the break from this part of my life precipitated by some sort of premature mid-life crisis? True, 2002 was a bit of a turmultuous time for me. A sudden departure from a nearly all-consuming job allowed me to move to a new city, re-establish myself as a full-time student and reinvent myself of sorts. Prior to 2002, my identity revolved around two obsessions: my job and Cape Breton music. When I wasn’t fully immersed in the day-to-day of breadwinning, I spent every remaining waking moment playing fiddle and doing all things fiddley.
It’s not like I’ve been idle since I completed school and returned to a “normal” life in 2004. A new passion – travel – took over, supplemented and financed by a return to workaholism. While most people get the travel bug in their early 20s, it took until I was 35 before I got the urge to strap on a backpack and see the world – at least in small segments as my limited vacation permitted.
So, I was a bit surprised at how vividly my past caught up with me last week when I got the opportunity to travel to spend three days in Halifax for work and take a quick sidetrip to Cape Breton on the weekend. In that short weekend excursion, I rediscovered all the reasons why this island was such a spiritual centre for me. A much needed reconnection with far away relatives (some young ones I never met before), chance encounters with people from my past, a relaxing drive through some of the most beautiful landscape Canada has to offer and an invigorating romp through one of Cape Breton’s legendary fiddle-powered square dances. I’m still figuring out whether the experience was a fleeting dose of reminiscence or a reawakening of sorts. In the meantime, here are some photos of the trip. Enjoy.
sedativegunk 