Introspection and Finding Our Lane: Cabin Lifestyle, Living In the City, With a Dog

“I can think, I can wait, I can fast.” – from Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
(I recently read this quote in Tools of Titans, by Tim Ferriss, and think it’s very applicable to where I’m at in life at the moment).

Hi everyone,

It’s been a while since our last post, and we apologize for that. We’ve been trying to figure out what direction we want to take Life In The Dog Lane in. Changing lanes, if you will.

However, we expect to be posting more regularly now, because….

I (Adam) have resigned from my job. Yup, just a few weeks ago.

I don’t have a new position locked in yet, and am taking some time to write, volunteer, and grow this website. Not always being a “traditional” route these days, this decision came as an interesting surprise to colleagues, friends, and family.

They were all the more surprised because I had a stable, well-paying job with benefits and holidays. So why leave?

“I can think, I can wait, I can fast.”

Perhaps my decision reflects Harvard Psychologist Susan David’s concept of “emotional agility: [which] leaves room for the considered decision to quit something that is no longer helping you.”

Perhaps my decision reflects the similar concept I read about several years ago in Seth Godin’s The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (And When To Stick).

I simply realized that I needed to move in another direction. To evolve. To adapt in response to my gut feeling that the time had arrived for me to do something different with my life.

I’ve enjoyed a few weeks relaxing and collecting my thoughts. I’ve been making lots of notes, reading, and actually taking up pen-and-paper again. I’ve been walking Juno more, which is good for her and for me, and cleaning, cooking, and taking care of administrative things around the house, which makes Danielle happy 🙂

I’m focused on getting myself back into reasonable shape again. Sitting in an office for years, without maintaining proper exercise, takes a toll; at least it was starting to for me. I just didn’t feel well, mentally or physically. I’d like to think I’m taking action before things get out of hand.

So what’s going to be next?

To start, we’re going to broaden and expand what Life In the Dog Lane is and does. We initially started off as a blog, then website based on our experiences and life changes with our active Labrador Retriever puppy, Juno, and we wrote about what we were focused on at the time: dog-specific content. Juno is now 9 and has settled down a bit. We’ve gotten used to our life with a dog, sometimes forgetting what it was like before she joined our family.

We’re certainly not going to stray (pun intended) from dog-related content, but we want to expand our content to focus on other lifestyle topics that interest us and are a part of our everyday lives.

To get ourselves started, we’ve been asking each other basic questions. Who are we as people? What’s our “elevator answer” for what we do, what we’re interested in, and who we want to help?

Here’s what we came up with.

We like the outdoors: the recreation, relaxation, skills, and life lessons that nature, cottaging, camping, and spending time outdoors provide. And rocks, trees, water, sunshine, rain, snow, thunder, and loons too.

We also enjoy the amenities of a city: the energy, the option to stay anonymous or be known, the entertainment, the exposure to art, history, and culture, and the vibe of social and societal trends.

We like learning in both environments, forming relationships wherever we go, relishing conversations about big ideas over good food and drink.

We live in a large city that’s also a small town to those who’ve been here a while. We have lots of options for being outdoors and tons to keep us occupied indoors. Also the perfect combo for an aging, but still energetic, Juno.

As I’ve been writing some new material for this site, an idea suddenly took shape.

In fact, it had been there the whole time, really. Surrounding us in our life and in our house.

This is us: cabin lifestyle, living in the city, with a dog.

We have wood furniture, some of it very old and rustic, from bygone eras. We have paddles, wool blankets, stacks of books, pillows, a wood-burning fireplace (our “urban campfire”), a deck, natural rock gardens, and views of park sunrises and sunsets with bunnies, birds, and deer that run against the backdrop. (And mosquitoes, but every rose has its thorn). We’re also proud Canadians.

So, of course, there are closets of four-season, all-weather gear. Boots, leashes, several jackets, mitts, hats, and many types of footwear and flashlights for those dark daylight savings days and nights when we take Juno out. And lots of towels for muddy paws.

All this in the fourth-largest city in Canada.

Cabin lifestyle, living in the city, with a dog.

So that’s what we’ll be up to here going forward – sharing that vibe with you.

Want to live life with us and our dog? Tell us what topics you’d like to see here as we move forward.

Let us know in the comments. And if you enjoyed this post, please like it and share it.

We’re glad to have you with us. Thanks for reading, and here’s to finding your lane.

Twitter: @LifeInDogLane  @adamgemackenzie