On the excitement scale, I would rate myself about a 10+.
But, I am going to miss a lot of things about this great place. Ottawa has been my home for the last three summers. I still don't consider it "home home," but I do love it none-the-less. It's sheltered me and allowed me the opportunity to carve out a career for myself. The city has supported my outrageous ambitions and led me to see them come to fruition.
Today, I parked down by our church - Notre Dame - because I just wanted to have a little bit of time to myself. I took an extra few minutes and just walked around the Hill. I smelled the flowers in Majors Hill Park and stood by the edge of the canal just gazing across the river to Quebec. It's days like this that make me realize how much I've come to love this city.
It's strange because the minute I decided what I wanted to do for the rest of my life - I felt a bit restricted. Give me a second to explain. While my job has international presence and offices, the main heart of the service is here in Ottawa. As a little girl, I knew I was going to work in the halls of Parliament. I just knew. There was no stopping me, this was where I was going to find myself and I truly have. I've become this hard-working, decisive, motivated woman who proclaims her life to the civil service. No hours are too crazy, no project is too much. This has become me. I think that's what was missing in Virginia. I just didn't have this as much as I needed it. My career had become the air I breathed and I knew this is where I belonged, but instead I was in Virginia Beach desperately trying to hold on to something that was slowly sliding away. The four hour commute to DC was just not enough and I felt like I was losing a part of my identity. I came back to Ottawa and suddenly everything had purpose again. I knew who I was and what I was meant to do.
I am eternally blessed to have found a career that exhilarates my every being. I know it doesn't happen often and I feel incredibly fortunate to have discovered it so early in life. Working in these halls, this is home. But, I've started to see that I may be an asset to other offices and that's okay too. Maybe, I just needed these three years here to train and develop my skill set so that I may move on to an international office. My time here will never be over. I'm sure I'll always be sent back for consultations and who knows where I'll be after these next four years. I could be right back here doing what I do best - representing the people on a national forum. I know this is where I belong and that's all that matters.
This is my time to explore my international options and I'm so excited to do so. The opportunities awaiting me in Dallas are so exhilarating. The work I'm going to be doing is amazing and I absolutely can't wait. I've been in contact with a great non-profit organization in the area as well, so I'm anxious to see where that leads. But, I wouldn't be where I am without this great city. I'm truly going to miss you Ottawa.
And as the halls remain quiet on this rainy Friday, my heart is filled with sheer content to know that I contribute to this great nation on a daily basis. I'm honored to be Canadian, no matter where I live in this world.
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