Pink Plates & the End of an Era
I’m surrounded by my belongings packed into boxes. I feel like I’ve been packing for a week straight and I still have plenty to pack tomorrow before everything gets shuffled into a U-Haul. Truthfully, I’m feeling very sentimental. Today, my eyes watered at the thought of it being my final time driving the commute I’ve had for the last two years. The past week has been filled with many similar mundane moments stirring deep emotions within me. I’m savoring this final ‘breath’ before the move becomes full throttle, and I can’t help but be reflective.
A little over four years ago, I took the leap and moved from a small town in Saskatchewan to Calgary. The move wasn’t exactly smooth, to say the least. I’ll spare the details, but it was hard—definitely the hardest thing I had willingly walked into at that point in my life. I truly was a complete mess the entire drive to Calgary and during the move into my little suite. I was a steady stream of tears, and I’m sure I wasn’t very helpful (thanks for your help, Mom and Dad).
The day after I moved, my parents and I went to Ikea, and I still could not stop crying.
The first glimmer of hope for me was in the kitchen section of Ikea when I laid eyes on some pink plates.
The pink plates became symbolic of a time of living with friends. Being in my early twenties, they embodied a playfulness that echoes the joy of being 21 (which I was). Pink plates aren’t the most practical, but they were one way I embraced the season I was in.
Those plates have been in use ever since that tear-filled day in Ikea. They’ve continually reminded me of that season, which, for the record, remained hard for quite some time. Yet, when I reflect on that season, I am filled with nothing but gratitude. I owe so much to that version of myself who bravely moved and chose to face multiple challenges. Of course, I wasn’t alone in those hardships, but I emerged into a new level of independence that was unlike anything I had experienced in my life.
I’m in a similar spot now. If you’ve spoken to me in the last three months, you’d know it’s been a transformative time (which is really just a nice way of saying it’s been so hard I’ve had no choice but to adapt). I feel as though I’ve been in the midst of a metamorphosis of sorts—a change that was thrust upon me, and while very challenging, I can now see it’s been altogether for the best.
This move is the end of a significant era for me.
I can’t fully articulate how significant an end this is, as it’s more of a feeling. I do recall feeling this same way four years ago…and was I ever right. Had I not embraced the refining of that season, I would have missed so much good in my life. What I can articulate is that my pink plate season is ending. I’ve emerged, I’ve matured, and I have evolved. I’m taking a leap, and I’m moving into my own place.
While many have speculated I’m leaving Calgary and/or my job, I’m glad to report neither is accurate. I’m leaving a cocoon that has been very good to me—yet I’ve outgrown it only in the last three months.
Moving into my own place is so much more than living without a roommate. It's settling into the season of life I’m in, and it’s also embracing the ways that life has unfolded.
I’m so excited for this next chapter, this new era, and the fun that will surely follow. I’m also excited for my new plates (which I bought while I was deathly ill, so they’re sure to serve as another great reminder of the season I’m leaving).
Life spans so big before me still, with so many changes and moves yet ahead. I’d like to think if I can embrace the seasons as they come, and find the ‘pink plates’ in the midst of those challenging adjustments, I’ll be okay—in fact, more than okay, I’ll be good.
Here’s to new seasons!
With love,
From Rachel
