Over the past few weeks I’ve been feeling kind of down about my current life. I’m not entirely happy at work (a bit bored), I’m getting old (quarter century now), and I’m starting to feel too settled here in Vancouver. When I was home in Winnipeg, I talked to a lot of people about what I’m doing now and it made me think of what I’ve accomplished and where I’m going in life. Am I living up to my full potential? Is Vancouver right for me? And with all these questions and dark thoughts, I was starting to seriously contemplate moving somewhere else – maybe Silicon Valley for a sweet Google job, maybe back to Winnipeg to be closer to family.

And the weather here didn’t help. But just when I can’t take any more of the grey skies and drizzle, we get the most amazing weather last weekend – with bright sun and warm temperatures. On Saturday we took full advantage, with a wine and cheese party on the beach – something that could only happen in Vancouver. We spent 5 hours sitting on the beach, drank at least 10 bottles of wine, tossed around the frisbee, ate lots of cheese, and enjoyed ourselves. The cops came by twice, but never bothered us. It was such a perfect Vancouver afternoon, and this city is awesome.

I realized it’s not just the conveniently located beaches and occasionally amazing weather that make Vancouver special. It’s the laid-back attitude, the easy access to recreation, and the ability to get by without owning a car. There are a lot of intangibles that would be tough to find in another city.