When one door closes…
Every year for the past three years, I take some time to reflect about the year that has gone by. It helps me to observe what I have gone through, and learn from the many people, places, and things I have experienced. You can read last years (2020) blog post here. This year I decided to name this journal ‘When One Door Closes’. You might ask why? What was the door that closed? I came across this theme many times this year, and it was one that translated to many life events that I found myself in. The most interesting part about this theme was that whenever one of these ‘doors’ closed, it also meant that another one was just around the corner ready to be opened…
January 2021
No big new years plans and no sparklers. It was just my immediate family and I celebrating another year around the sun and hoping that COVID-19 would begin to settle down. I had also found a new relationship and life was okay. I was in the process of completing the data analysis phase of my Masters thesis degree so school was still going strong online. Miraculously one Saturday evening while I was checking my Facebook feed, I saw a job posting on the Canadian Freelance Outdoor Educators page for a surf and paddle board instructor job in Tofino, British Columbia. I applied for the job and got an interview immediately a week later. I was so excited at the possibility of travelling and working in a location I have always dreamed of travelling to.
Having fun training for paddling in January of 2021!
February 2021
During the first week of February I found out I got the Tofino job! I started telling all of my friends and family, and researching every single thing I could find out about this new place I was going to move my life to. With my boss, we planned for me to come out that way in May of 2021 so that I would have more time at home to finish my thesis. I worked hard every day trying to finish my masters as fast as possible, all while still training for paddling twice a day.
Finding themes in the data for my masters thesis
March 2021 and April 2021
March 23rd 2021, I found out that my good friend Lucas Murnaghan had passed away. You can read more about who he was and my emotions during that time here. Besides Lucas’s passing, for the early spring months I kept my head down and worked really hard. I trained hard for paddling, and was laser focussed on my thesis project. During my times off, my partner and I would travel to provincial parks to enjoy nature and to take our minds off of the pandemic.
Lucas taking pictures at the On Board 2017 event… I’ll never forget paddling past him in the water :)
May 2021
It was finally time to move to the other side of the country. I cried thinking of leaving my family, my friends, and my boyfriend, since I didn’t have a specific end date to my contract. I had no idea when I would be coming home or if I was going to move back to Ontario at all. But the moment I hopped on the plane I knew that everything was going to be okay. My excitement only grew as I saw the Rocky Mountains from my window seat. When I landed in BC I spent a night in Nanaimo with my friend Laura. We ventured around the parks near the ocean and that was my first time seeing a starfish! I was thrilled! The next day I hopped on the bus that took me to Tofino. The ride wasn’t as dreamy as I thought it was going to be. The fog and rain blocked most of my view of the mountains and rivers. When the bus dropped me off, my friend Alyssa picked me up and brought me to the staff accommodation. Everyone welcomed me with open arms there and I felt a sense of relief knowing that Tofino was going to be amazing.
Heading out for a surf lesson on North Chesterman Beach! :)
June 2021
I had settled into Tofino quite nicely. I was fully trained for work, I had toured most of the local spots around the area, I had paddled on a couple inland lakes, and was enjoying every breath of Tofino’s fresh salty air. Of course I have to mention the surf - it was INCREDIBLE! Most of the tourists hadn’t flooded Tofino yet, so many of the spots my roommates and I went to had uncrowded line ups. The waves were so clean and they looked so different from the waves I was used to on the Great Lakes. I visited my family in Surrey B.C. and I even got to hike the chief in Squamish!
A truly life changing hike!
At the end of the month, my good friend Antonio Lennert’s documentary had come out on Crave TV. It was called Freshwater. Watching the film truly made me miss home for the first time since I had moved to Tofino. The documentary reminded me that I had a local surf community back home that I was missing more than I had ever realized. A week after the documentary came out, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and saw a job posting with the company called ‘Surf the Greats’. It was owned and operated by Antonio. I knew I had to apply. Just as fast as I had gotten the Tofino job - I applied and within the week, was interviewed and got the job!
July 2021
It was time to begin soaking up as much of Tofino as I possibly could, because now there was an official end date to my contract. Since I knew I was going to be moving back to Ontario (Toronto specifically) to start my new job, I did every touristy thing that I hadn’t done yet and surfed every spot I possibly could before leaving paradise. I paddled to big tree trail with my good friend Garrett, I went for a boat ride to Vargas with Sandy, and enjoyed every last minute working for Swell education.
I was so lucky to teach surfing and paddle boarding in Tofino
August 2021
I don’t remember much about August other than the fact that it fly by. A lot happened during this month. I moved back home to Niagara, started searching for places to live in Toronto, all while in the background my partner and I decided to go our separate ways. I surfed a few local summer swells, raced in the Ontario SUP Series, travelled with my family and officially defended my masters thesis on the very last day of August.
Hopping out of the water after a late summer swell. Photo: David Johnson Photography
September 2021
The very first day of September was also the very first day of my new job :) I was now officially living and working in Toronto and was no longer a student anymore. After my very first day of work, we were in a meeting and Larry Cavero walks into the store and says to us “guys there’s waves just down the street right now!”. We stopped the meeting, packed up everything, and headed straight for the beach. The surf was UNBELIEVABLE! Small sets, but super clean just like the ocean! I sat on my board, looked around at my friends surfing with me and felt super grateful to be exactly where I was in that moment.
Pure stoke surfing after my first day of work at surf the greats!
I finished off the month with two SUP races and won them both. The first was the annual 14km Mammoth race around the Toronto Islands, and the second was in Winnipeg on the Red River! It was 44kms and I finished in 5hrs and 20 minutes. The Red River Challenge win was definitely my proudest paddling moment of 2021! Special shout out goes to Brad for inviting me to this race!
Getting ready at the start line of the Red River Challenge Race in Winnipeg
October 2021
I was starting to get used to the operations at Surf the Greats. I was falling in love with my job every single day but struggling with getting used to the city life. Luckily - I was invited to the Waasaashkaa Surf Festival in Terrace Bay Ontario to bring some gear up to the local surf community there. It was the perfect way to get out of the city and into nature for the weekend. You can read more about my Waasaashkaa experience here.
Wave hunting in Pukaskwa National Park
November 2021
Toronto was now starting to feel more like a second home. I could drive around the city while not using my GPS so much, and was finding amazing places to surf with my friends. Whenever I found nature outside of the city it made me feel more at ease. It helped me to slow down in a city that forces you to pick up the pace. I also decided to switch coaches for paddling during this month. I was super excited to tweak my training to stay consistent with my big goals for racing next year.
Tobi and I super stoked to surf on a chilly November day! We had sun and snow during this 3hr session!
December 2021
This month was simply another month that flew by for me. I continued to stick to my training routine at the gym, went paddling, went surfing, while at the shop we were busy with the Christmas season.
Paddling on the Welland River. Photo: David Johnson Photography
This year I learned that I was fortunate enough to step through many doors of opportunity. When one door closed, another one truly always opened. When my masters thesis was transferred to online work, it allowed me to live and work in Tofino. When the Tofino chapter ended, it opened up the door to Surf the Greats, which has led me to the best Great Lake surfing I have ever had to date. When my relationship ended in the summer, it allowed me to understand that I was opening my heart up to the love that I truly need. Everything that happened this year happened for a reason and I am so thankful for every single moment.
I hope despite the ongoing pandemic (seriously when the heck is it going to end? LOL!) that you have had a year filled with kindness, love, faith, and joy. I only wish you and your loved ones an amazing year ahead. All the best, and see you soon in 2022!
All my love, Maddi xoxo
