I Dare to Dream

With the pandemic still running its course, I’ve been re-binge watching Outlander, on Netflix and just reaching season 3, the feelings of wonder and romance that the first two seasons gave me have resurfaced. So much to the point, I had to re-watch the movie called Under the Tuscan Sun, for the millionth time. I’m not exactly sure how to label these feelings that these two pieces of media instill in me.

If you don’t know what Outlander or Under the Tuscan Sun is about, let me give you a basic run down, in my own words – while I’m sure you could wiki either title.

Outlander is about a woman named Claire, on vacation with her husband near Inverness Scotland. She goes to this place, called Craig na Dun. Claire is then sent back in time where she meets a young man named Jamie, and adventures ensue.

Under the Tuscan Sun, is about a female Author named Francis, who goes through a divorce at the age of 35, where her two lesbian friends, give her an upgraded ticket, from two coach tickets to a first-class ticket and have her go on a ‘Gay Tour of Romantic Tuscany’. She’s talked into going, where she buys this old villa. It’s an amazing movie and is likely why I like Outlander so much.

The very first time I watched Under the Tuscan Sun, I felt that I wanted to do that! I wanted to just pick up everything and move! I don’t know if I’d want to go to Tuscany, but those feelings of wonder, unsureness, and the unknown is rather appealing to me for some odd reason. The reason I’m tying Outlander into this, is the fact that while when I saw the movie first, since watching Outlander, I’ve come to realize, I want to go pick-up and just go to Scotland.

Now, I realize just picking up and leaving Canada and moving to Scotland really isn’t as easy as it was in Under the Tuscan Sun. Francis was bought out of her home and had enough money to buy the villa and make her life there. I’m flat-ass out broke. I have investigated what it would take to move to Scotland, and I’m afraid that I don’t meet those requirements.

To move to Scotland, beyond needing the proper paperwork, and actually figuring out how to get my stuff from Canada to Scotland, I don’t think I’d qualify for the type of people they are looking for. Scotland has a website called www.talentscotland.com, and they are looking for people in several areas of employment. Maybe two, I might be able to fit into, but I highly doubt (those two talents being in Gaming and Business Growth & Leadership). Scope out the website a little for yourself if you’re interested as well.

But can you imagine, what it would be like, to just pick everything up you had, selling what you don’t need and bought a house in a foreign land? I get the feeling of excitement, but a good dose of fear at the same time, just thinking about it. Trying to write about this, I almost feel anxious, like that’s exactly what I’m getting ready to do, but it’s likely because I’ve never shared this idea and… wish with anyone before.

I’m also a little realistic, with the pandemic going on I won’t be moving any time soon. I think I’d be a little to too afraid to move all the way to Scotland, so far away from my parents. The idea of moving to the USA, gets my heart pounding with fear.

Given that Francis is 35 in the movie (which I find interesting that it’s mentioned in the synopsis of the movie) I feel a slightly stronger connection with the movie and Francis than I did when I was 16 (the movie came out in 2003), mostly because I’m 34 this year (2021) and have adopted a similar passion to writing as she did. They never really specified what type of books Francis writes, but I imagine it’s a on the same level as Carrie Fisher from Sex in the City, given the narrative that pops up once in a while in the movie.

Sometimes I just feel like leaving. Going somewhere, where I can peruse my passion for writing. Just with the trouble I’m having with publishing my first book, I need to figure out a way to generate income, since getting a minimum wage job saps all my creativity and slowly kills me inside. I have thought about moving out to Nova Scotia, the cost of rent and housing is significantly lower than that of Ontario, maybe I’d be able to pursue writing out there, like Lucy Maud Montgomery – though she was born on Prince Edward Island and later moved to Ontario.

I’ve also thought about doing something similar to a travel blog. Reason I’ve thought about do this, has come from the fact that I’ve done a handful of events in my hometown, and gone to a few ‘famous’ markets within my Province and I’ve wondered what it would be like to just blog about it? Like how to get there, or what or where to eat at these places. I’ve got a tablet and a Bluetooth keyboard, so I could take pictures, start typing away during lunch on my tablet and have fun with it that way. The problem would be, being able to afford being able to take all those trips to places.

I do have two big bucket list locations that I’m desperate to go too. Casa Loma and the Ripley’s Aquarium, both in Toronto Canada.

I did go to a Halloween event once at Casa Loma, but that was in the dark, I want to see it in the day light and not dressed up like a Haunted House. I’ve never been to an Aquarium before though, and I don’t really know why, but hopefully once the Covid is over and dusted and things start opening up again. I’ll make my way to the aquarium and write about that, with lots and lots of pictures.