A dream comes true

This is the story of how my 2021 was saved by serendipity. Remember 2021? Much like 2020, 2021 was a dumpster fire of a year for the most part. The pandemic kept dragging its butt and making life miserable for all. 2021 threw us many challenges: the highly contagious Omicron reared its ugly head and vaccines did not protect us from getting it, we also experienced a steep increase in the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, the government imposed another curfew, and more lockdowns… seriously? 

Not all was doom and gloom, however. On the upside, vaccines started to turn things around and by summer things were starting to look up. Summer was fun and many of us were hopeful that we were turning a corner. 

In the middle of these various stressful events, one big, wonderful thing happened. Summer 2021 was when one of my long-term dreams became a reality. My husband and I bought our dream property on our favourite lake.

Cottage dreaming

For years, I’d dreamed of owning a cottage on a lake. We already had a cottage, which we loved. The only downside was that it was not on a lake. We had lake access, but I seldom used it because who has the energy to pack up a bag with provisions and head down to the lake? 

If anyone had told me that I would one day become a cottage owner, I would have laughed. To me, owning a cottage was the quintessentially Canadian experience. A cabin in the woods, or ideally by a lake, where you could go and enjoy a simpler life. Growing up, I’d never had a cottage as my parents (who were fairly new immigrants) did not have the means or desire to purchase a cottage. One summer, they did rent a cottage for a week and I absolutely loved spending a week by the lake. Yes, the mosquitos were bad, but that didn’t matter. We had a fun-filled week with our cousins.I was bitten by the cottage bug, literally and figuratively.

Cottage life

My cottage life started when I married a great guy, who happened to own a house in the Laurentians. When we set up our home in Montreal, his home became our cottage. I happily and quickly adapted to cottage life. Over the years, we spent many cozy winter afternoons by the fire after skiing. We took countless long walks and hikes in the woods. I learned to ski and for the first time since I arrived in Canada, I started to like winter. In summer, we’d pick wild blueberries, and mushrooms in fall. Our place was tiny but cozy and adorable. Our cottage became a haven from the daily grind. 

In 1992 we bought our home in the ‘burbs and the cottage became an extra responsibility. I still loved going there, but now it felt like an extra burden. We had a lovely home, in an amazing neighbourhood. Some weekends, it was hard to leave on Friday nights to head “up north”.

When our kids were young, and money was sometimes tight, the cottage afforded us an opportunity to get away from our regular routine without breaking the bank. My husband built the kids a treehouse where the kids spent countless hours playing. In winter, we’d go sledding and skiing. It was a place where the kids could just be kids without schedules, play dates, and too much structure. In other words, an ideal kids’ playground. 

The kids grew up and our weekends became ours. Going to the cottage was once again a relaxing way to spend a weekend. 

Escaping the pandemic 

When the pandemic hit, going to the cottage became a sanity saver. At one point, we were not allowed to travel at all, but once that changed, we made sure to drive up every weekend. It gave us a much-needed break from the monotony of staying home. We couldn’t travel, but we could drive for an hour and be in nature.

In March 2021, our oldest son Alex, who is a realtor, called us to say that there was a property for sale on our favourite lake. We visited. It wasn’t a particularly impressive place. It was not winterized. It did not have an artesian well. The upstairs was so short that I could not stand up straight. The property faced north and there wasn’t much sunlight. Despite these shortcomings, we put in an offer. So did 15 other people. We did not have the winning bid. The cottage sold for $130,000 over asking. We were stunned. Property values had skyrocketed in cottage country. During the pandemic, people were looking to leave the city and this led to a huge demand for country houses.

A dream property

I told Alex that my favourite property was one across the lake. For over 30 years, I’d walked past this place and thought “this is my dream property”. He suggested that I should find out who the owners were. This is public information, so it was easy to find the owners. Then, came the tough part: contacting them in a timely manner. Using snail mail was not an option.

I found one of the owners on social media and reached out. I asked whether she was looking to sell the property. She said that she was. We met at the cottage and hit it off. Meeta is such a sweet lady. I told her how much I loved the property and how this would be a dream come true for me. After some negotiations, inspections and the usual real estate transactions, we reached a deal. Three months later we got the keys and our dream came true!

Lots of work

There was a LOT of work to do on the house before we could start enjoying it. It took close to a year, but it was so worth it. We love sharing our little slice of paradise with our family and friends. We’ve had BBQs, parties, and even Alex and Pam’s wedding rehearsal dinner. It fills my heart with joy to share this sweet place with our loved ones.

My good friend Liz introduced me to the joys of paddling when we used to hang out at her family cottage. I knew that buying a kayak would be the first order of business. As soon as spring arrived, I bought my sweet kayak. Every weekend, weather permitting, I’ve paddled. This is my favourite way to decompress. Then recently, some good friends and colleagues gifted me a paddleboard for my birthday. One more toy to enjoy on my sweet lake.

The past 2.5 years have not been easy. Despite the pandemic and life’s challenges, I am grateful for our blessings. Dreams can come true, even in challenging times.