Four years ago today I was invited to apply for permanent residency in Canada. I was super excited and spent three months selling things to build up my savings, and getting the financials in a row.
On 1 October 2017, I was refused because my full-time job didn’t write the letter and it could have been my financial health too “does she really work two jobs?” It could have been both. I was devastated at the time and then health issues cropped up.
I like to say things happen for a reason and I keep on discovering that maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t get Canada. I like to say, when something is meant to be and when something is a good match, it is effortless and it’s not filled with dread and anxiety. You feel like it’s meant to be and it just clicks (I hope that doesn’t sound cliche; and some things do take effort, and a lot of hard work and dedication, but usually when we know something is meant for us, it’s not filled with foreboding and anxiety).
While Canada is a beautiful country and health care is included in their taxes, I’m not sure if I would personally do any better up there. I still haven’t visited the country as a Celiac and I do want to visit again. I still keep in touch with Michelle, who is now Celiac too, and she keeps telling me it’s EXTREMELY hard to be Celiac in Toronto. Although I keep seeing posh restaurants open up in downtown Toronto, but they’re probably expensive hipster spots.
I’ve interacted with Jewish people from Toronto on Reddit and they have told me they’ve had to leave many congregations because they weren’t very welcoming of others. I was telling them about my experiences here and they said, “maybe we should move to where you live!” Huh. Maybe as I found something that fits me better, the more I’m realizing things: home is where you feel comfortable.
I’m grateful I was invited four years ago and I can reapply at any time. If I was ever offered something in Canada, I would take it. However, I’m not going to stress about things and if it’s not meant to be, I’m not going to force it. I also realized another thing: I am a people person and people tend to respond well to me. I very rarely have bad experiences with others and that is going to colour my experiences. I have to remember that too.
Sometimes some things don’t work out and that is life. However, when one door closes, another one opens and that makes our journey on Earth even more meaningful.
The Happiness Box Project 
Hi, Jessica Marie!
I like your mature reasoning, dear friend. The grass is always greener, so they say, and you should always look before you leap. That means taking every aspect of a move to Canada into careful consideration. A couple of years ago, Mrs. Shady and I were contemplating a move to Eastern Canada, but the more we learned about it, the less desirable it seemed for several reasons. Next she became fixated on Mexico as a retirement destination and still is to some extent. However I need to remind her that Mexico has its own COVID problem, plus expat Americans are flooding into the country and undermining the native culture. The very things that once made Mexico seem desirable are now evaporating before our eyes. I agree with you that home is where you feel comfortable and there should not be a lot of hassle, stress and anxiety involved in plotting a new course. It should feel right in your gut. It cannot be forced. It should flow like a stream. “Ride the horse in the direction it’s going,” we were taught in NLP seminars. Some things aren’t meant to be and for good reason. Sometimes, when a plan falls through, we are spared a major life changing decision that we would live to regret.
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM!
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