Do something crazy, move to Toronto!

"Are you CRAZY???!"
This was the typical response from people when I announced last year that I was moving to Toronto. Maybe I was crazy. Growing up in - and never venturing far from - my home town of approximately 2,500 people in southern Manitoba, I didn't have a whole lot of experience living the 'city life'. It didn't matter though. I was in love, and I was going.
Ah... l'amour! My boyfriend and I had been in a committed long-distance relationship for a little over a year when he proposed to me in August, 2011. The excitement of starting a whole new life together fueled many a long night phone conversation. It would be great! We would find a cozy apartment we could afford, pick out all new furniture, go out on the town every weekend and see all the sights together.. everything would be perfect and happen exactly as we envisioned it; right? Well....
My bubble of euphoria began to fizzle when I actually started severing the ties that had kept me so close to my family, my friends, and my community. I had been the reporter of the town newspaper for three years and had gotten to know most of the townsfolk very well. Every, 'we're sure going to miss you around here' made me feel at once grateful for the good wishes, and a little sad because I knew I sure would miss being around there too.
I had no idea how much work would go into moving my entire life over one province! I mean, yes my dad had warned me that it would be a lot of work, but really... I had NO IDEA. From changing my mailing address, getting my car insurance and driver's license sorted out, and trying to ship my belongings via Grey Hound (which turns out to be a very economical way to go FYI), the tasks seemed never-ending. The queen of lists, I regularly threw out my to-do lists because looking at the amount of 'to-do's' just depressed me.
Moving was not fun anymore. I was exhausted, depressed and scared. My town, my family and my friends were all I had ever known of the world. I didn't know what would happen once I actually left the safety of this network. I loved my fiance with all my heart and knew that we would take care of each other through thick and thin, but I was still nervous. There were many times when I considered changing my mind and staying put. Packing my belongings or even looking out my window to the residential streets where neighbours worked in their yards would set off a complete melt down. I would phone my mom and she would listen in a way only a mother can while I talked myself out - and back into - moving to Toronto.
I had to let go of my sheltered life, I kept telling myself. Growing up, I was very small and suffered from medical disorders that left both my family and myself feeling I needed to be protected from the world. I wasn't inclined to take any risks. Miss Plain Jane, that was me.
I missed out on a lot of life experiences as a result. That's not to say that I had an unhappy childhood. I had a wonderful childhood and was supported by the most amazing parents. The older I got, however, the more I realized I had been selling myself short (no pun intended) by not being an active particpant in all that life had to offer.
The turning point came in May, 2010 when I underwent a liver transplant (which is a story for another time). It sounds corny, and it is, but after that I decided to start living my life. We all have things that we want to do but don't because, fill in the blank (we're too self-conscious, we're afraid, we don't have the time....). No more for this chickie. Life is short, and I wasn't going to miss any more of it!
That's why, no matter how petrified I was (and I really was petrified), I was bound and determined I was moving to Toronto. My fiance arrived at the beginning of May and together we drove my car and two cats - Yes I took my cats! - all the way to Toronto (The roadtrip of which is a great story I will share another time).
So, was moving to Canada's largest city the craziest thing I've ever done? It sure was! I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My fiance and I had never spent more than a few days at a time together and I was moving to a city where I knew absolutely no one. Oh, did I mention he has a son and I became an insta-parent? Needless to say, the resulting home dynamics have demanded a great deal of sacrifice, hard work and compromise. Through all of these challenges we are becoming a closer family and I know that I am becoming a better person. I'm learning to take more risks and to let go of my fears and insecurities. After all, I moved to Toronto and that's crazy!