I was born in Dartmouth, NS and lived there until my early twenties when I eventually moved “across the sea,” as my friends would say, across the bridge to downtown Halifax – about 15 minutes from the house I grew up in.
Today I live about 10 minutes from that apartment in the city center. I have traveled widely, but have always lived in the same small radius my entire life.
Part of me wonders and will always wonder if it was fear, finances or family that kept me here. Probably a combination of all three.-JoelKelly
I always knew that any move would be temporary. Something would inevitably pull me back, and maybe that thought was an anchor.
My dreams rarely take place in the house I live in now – the one I bought with my wife, where we live with our dog and spend most of our time. Usually my dreams take place in my parents’ house, although my memory of it is fading and the image is becoming increasingly distorted.
Perhaps in my memory this little duplex in Dartmouth, where we lived on one side and my aunt, uncle and cousins on the other, will always be my one true home.
Where I learned to ice skate on the nearby lake, where I delivered newspapers in my first job, where I met my friends and walked to school. Where everything good and bad happened to me.
The East Coast is where I am, even when I am somewhere else.
When I travel, I don’t just tell people I’m from Canada – I always include “from the East Coast.”-JoelKelly
Because I have built a life, a business and a future here.
I know the house I grew up in had its problems. There was a reason we eventually moved to a new house without the leaks, the mold, and the noise. And I’m glad we moved out.
But when I dream, I go back there. And sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live there again.
Climbing up those slippery hardwood stairs and surfing down in socks. Going into the unfinished, often flooded and always dark basement and finally taking a look behind the stairs, all the way to the back where I knew monsters lived.
Sitting in my old bedroom and remembering how I wished I was somewhere else.
I know – I have always known – that my greatest regret – if I am lucky enough to live long enough to regret anything – will be that I have never lived anywhere but here.
So I know that one day I will have to leave. But I know just as surely that I will come back.
Every time I dream.
Meet Joel
Who or what inspires you and why?
My wife Leah and my dog Marshall. They both inspire me to live in the moment and constantly remind me that joy is always an option.
What is your motto?
“If this, then that. But if that, then what?” I try to remind myself that it’s not just about the immediate impact of our actions, but also the long-term consequences of those impacts.
What is your favorite summer activity on the East Coast?
Prepare an elaborate meal over a campfire.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Overspending on vintage media: old books, old video games and VHS tapes from the 90s.
What advice would you give to your future self?
Stay patient – everything good has taken time.
Where can people contact you?
My blog: joelkelly.ca
Contributors’ recommendations
Land and Sea: Antique Alley
Going to Great Village Antiques each year during the Christmas season has become a tradition that I cherish. This is a slow but inspiring and heartwarming post about the community’s tradition of supporting and sharing.
Follow the crowds, avoid the clouds: I chase darkness to experience the breathtaking splendor of nature
We traveled from Halifax to Miramichi to be in the path of the total solar eclipse for this year. I finally understand why people travel all over the world to see it.
