A love list.

It's interesting to note all the things that I love in my day-to-day life here in Montreal. For me, at least. So often when we were living abroad, we would note things that we loved about where we were living and working. So why not do the same while living here?

Here's my love list about days I go to the office.

1. The commuter train. It's punctual, safe, clean, and warm. The seats are comfy and I'm able to get a half hour of work done on the way in, and then again on the way home. This makes for a much shorter day at the office. I love that I get to break up my workday and be paid for my commuting time.
   
2. The rush of the metro when it comes out of the tunnel to pick up passengers. The wind, the sound, the blurry streak. It stops, and we all step forward. It kind of gives you a rush.
   
3. Picking up a skinny Chai tea Lattes from the Second cup on the walk to the office.
4. Walking up the steps of the building. I know the appreciation of this one will probably fade quicker than the others, but I still get a little rush out of "I'm going to work. I'm getting paid. As a professional. In a clinic that helps at risk pregnant women in Montreal."
5. The francophone work place. Yes this has it's challenges, but it's amazing how much the language acquisition and survival skills I learned to use while in Spanish settings have translated into this French setting.
   
6. Being productive during the day in a readily recognized, tangible way. Sometimes the hardest part about mission work was going to bed at the end of the day and not being able to place your finger on what exactly you did that day. Worked? Most definitely! But in a much different way than when you are working for an employer. During my days at the office (or working from home) it's nice to be able to point to something and say 'That. I did that today." I do miss many of the aspects of mission work, but this post is to focus on what I'm loving about what I'm doing right now.
7. Chatting with Tom online. We're connected to each other pretty much all day via gmail chat... and I love it. It's so nice to get home at the end of the day and already have a good idea of how his day went.
8. Heading home. No matter how well my day went, it's always nice to be homeward bound. I leave at 3:30 to catch the train, which gets me home in good time to get a homemade healthy supper on the go and tidy up before Tom gets home.
   
9. Tom getting home. My heart still skips a beat when I hear his key in the door. No matter where in the world we are.
   
10. Not having to always work in the evenings as well. This is the first time in, well, ever that I haven't had to study during the evening or run a dozen programs from our home throughout the week. We do participate in programs, and will be hosting a weekly one soon, but the higher-than-ever-before down time is so appreciated right now. But I'm sure that will come to an end before we know it!