2007-04-15

Facts & Arguments, Globe and Mail

Do you find city life getting more hectic? Is the relentless pattern of commuting and traffic, insane construction and roadblocks and working all day just to pay the bills getting you down? Are you not spending enough time with the kids? And are your kids missing out on what childhood should be?

My husband, our 12-year-old son and I found ourselves answering yes to this list of pointed questions last summer, and wondered if there was an alternative. Not a two-week break in some sun-spot down south, but a real extended change of life that is not only soul-restoring but also affordable. We found there is a way to change your scenario and improve your life and I’m surprised more people aren’t trying it.

If you can telecommute your job, take a sabbatical or leave of absence, or transfer your skills to another place, you should consider relocating to a small community or summer tourist destination for a school year. Rent or sub-let your house or apartment. There is no shortage of renters looking for decent accommodation in the city.

Packing up your house is a wonderful way to reduce possessions, clear out the excess and take stock of what’s really important. The rent you will collect is more than enough to pay rent on a home in a small town or island community. Summer is busy and expensive in the tourist areas but space is plentiful and cheap from September to June. There is work available, especially if you have a trade or service to provide the community. There is high-speed internet available most places. It takes planning but it’s very possible.

My husband, twelve-year old son and I moved to Hornby Island, between Vancouver and Vancouver Island, this past September after thinking about it for a few months and spending the summer getting ready to leave Vancouver. We started our own search at the website for the Hornby Island Community School (HornbyIslandCommunitySchool.com). You’ll find most vacation communities have websites offering extensive off-season rental listings.

We plan to be here until the end of June. My husband is taking a leave of absence from his job at the City of Vancouver and is working part time here with a building contractor. I am commuting to Vancouver every three weeks and running my business from here as well as working part time as a cook.

We had expected resistance from our son having to leave friends and switch schools in Grade 7. We are getting none. He loves the new school, his class of 17 kids in Grades 5, 6 and 7 and the independence he gets from riding his bike everywhere. Friends love to visit and the city is not that far away. We have been warmly welcomed into a vibrant community and are happily involved with planning many social events and enjoying the wealth of cultural activities going on here. We also enjoy nights when nothing is going on and we play games around the wood stove.

Want to hear some more advantages? Waking up to eagle cries and the sound of ocean surf. Hearing the wind in the trees and realizing it’s not the sound of cars on the highway. Smelling clean air, forest trees, swimming in clear ocean. Finding out which muscles hurt and taking the time to heal them. Working less, spending less, driving less. Learning the names of native plants and animals and discovering about the life cycle of an oyster. Walking anywhere you need to go. Uncrowded classrooms with excellent teachers and under-utilized facilites. A playground full of trees. Knowing that by enrolling your children in a small community school, you are giving them invaluable life experience and helping to keep school enrollment numbers up. Living more environmentally aware. Meeting new people and making a difference by becoming involved in little things. Quiet nights and millions of stars.

Eight months into our journey, we are very happy we made this decision and look forward to everything the rest of the year will bring. We also know we will carry the memory of this year back to the city and it will help us to live differently and be more environmentally aware. We often thought we’d like to retire here as many others do but now realize it’s even better being here earlier. Give it some thought. What have you got to lose but stress? Hornby Island Community School and so many other out-of-the-way places will be happy to have you and yours among the other ‘free-range’ children.

Elizabeth Earle

Dean and Boris McKay

Hornby Island, BC