We arrived back from our trip to the east coast on Tuesday evening, exhausted from the long drive but happy to be home again.  

Welcome to the 164^th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a quote of the week. Along with thoughts on the joy of being home again, this week’s edition looks at the the UN’s stand on climate change responsibility, highway noise barrier solar panels, and a hub for repairing outdoor equipment.  

On my mind this week: The joy of being home again

We left PEI on Monday morning. It’s a long drive—1,800 kilometres (1,100 miles). After an overnight stay just outside Montreal, we drove the rest of the way home on Tuesday.

It was around 10 p.m. on Tuesday evening when we pulled into our driveway, exhausted but happy to be home again. I was especially grateful not to have to rush back to work on Wednesday morning. One of the nice things about this stage of my life is the luxury of time to recover after a long journey. On Wednesday, I slept in and took the day to catch up on laundry.

Settling back into life at home this week made me think about frenetic first days back at work after vacation when I was working full time. I sometimes wondered if that time off was really worth it. First, there was the stress and extra hours to get caught up before leaving. Then, it would take a few days of that precious time away to start to unwind. Finally, when I was finally fully in vacation mode, it was time for the dreaded return to the office and the hundreds of emails that awaited.

Sometimes absence does make the heart grow fonder

Even so, I remained steadfast about not checking work emails during my vacation time. Many of my colleagues said taking some time every day to stay on top of their work email reduced the stress of their return to the office. To me, if you’re calling the office or checking emails, it’s not a vacation! To fully recharge and reap the benefits of time off, you need a complete mental break.

I read a post on Substack this week on The Art of Being Unreachable. It discussed the allure and mystery of people who have “someplace else to be”, meaning they aren’t constantly at your beck and call. There’s a lot to be said for that. Your co-workers, and others who depend on you, will appreciate you more after you’re unreachable for a few days.

Savouring the joy of being home again

While I was sad to say goodbye to Colleen, it is good to be home again. The weather has warmed up so I’m looking forward to morning tea on the deck and lots of walks this summer. Because while travelling to new—or even familiar places—is terrific, having a life and a home base you want to return to is equally wonderful. 

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Three highlights of the week

It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:

• On our way home on Tuesday, we had time to kill to avoid driving through Toronto during rush hour. We stopped at the Thousand Islands National Park and did some hiking. It’s a beautiful spot.
• Spring weather has finally arrived. When we arrived home, the lilac tree we planted a couple of years ago was in bloom for the first time. And I was so excited to see a mamma duck and 11 little ducklings on the pond when I went for a walk on Thursday morning. Last year we had no ducklings on our local pond for the first time ever, so it was wonderful to see them.
• On Thursday evening, I attended a “reunion” of some former Mutual Life colleagues. It was so much fun to gather with old  friends. There were several people who I’ve kept in touch with in attendance, along with others who I haven’t seen since I left 26 years ago.

Things I learned this week

Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:

UN takes a stand on climate change responsibility

On May 20, the UN adopted a resolution backing a ruling that governments have a legal obligation to protect people from climate change. This means countries could now face greater international pressure, and potentially legal consequences, for not meeting their climate commitments. 

Canada, the UK, and Australia were among the 141 countries supporting the resolution. Eight countries voted against the resolution: Belarus, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, USA and Yemen.

(Source: The Carbon Almanac)

Solar noise barriers

New solar energy projects are land intensive and often face opposition from the communities they can benefit. I love seeing innovations that integrate them into existing infrastructure. Installing solar panels on highway noise barriers presents a terrific opportunity to generate green energy without the need for additional land. Solar panels can be integrated into existing barriers or added as new panels.

This isn’t a new idea. Solar panels on highway noise barriers have been in existence in Europe since the 1980s.

(Source: Happy Eco News on YouTube)

B.C. college launches outdoor equipment repair hub

British Columbia’s College of the Rockies, in partnership with the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise (KORE), wants to make it easier to get your ripped tent or broken ski boots fixed.

They have teamed up to open Canada’s first outdoor gear repair and advanced manufacturing centre.

(Source: CBC What on Earth)

Quote of the week

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours.

Terry Pratchett

I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.