And then there was the blizzard.

The snow fell in sheets. The power went out at 5am. Friends from across the street shovelled our steps and brought us boiled water for tea. We played board games, and eventually boiled our own water using tea lights in a pan. It may have taken 40 minutes, but it was an excellent cup of tea.

My Friday flight was cancelled. Then my Saturday flight was cancelled. The next flight out wasn’t until Monday.

My last day in St. John’s turned into a weekend. After the second cancellation, I told my mother I was going to book another flight. She suggested I just get a job instead.

It didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Earlier in the week, was joking around with my nephew Wesley. I made animal noises and he imitated them, so I took some pieces of paper and made us tiger masks. My mother told me not to take offense if Wesley didn’t want to put his on, because he doesn’t like to wear masks. But he wore mine, and raised his arms and let out a little growl. It’s nice to feel like you’ve made a difference; that you enabled something, that you helped break down even the smallest barrier. He gave me a hug that night and I went to sleep thinking about how nice it was to feel like I was part of that again—part of my family again. A little quality time and a tiger mask go a long way.

The lights came back on and the snow started to melt. Monday came. My sister dropped me off at the airport and I was on my way. Baggage, security, gate. While I waited to board, I ran into a girlfriend from high school who I hadn’t seen in about a decade. She asked me where I lived, and without a breath, I said, “Toronto.” I smiled to myself and knew for sure it was time to go home. My other wonderful home.

But what a time.

Here’s to looking myself in the eye and admitting that I needed help. To taking the chance to find what I was missing. To dancing and screaming in a sea of smiling faces. To watching TV with my dad. To spending time with my favorite painting. To lying in bed with my best friend and just talking and talking. To seeing the Star on the Hill. To having a sweet kiss in the middle of a crazy snowstorm. To Mummering.

Maybe the overhead lights needed to go out in order for me to notice that my own had been turned back on.

It’s nice to be back. I have some dreams to chase, some stories to write, and a great Pho place down the street to eat at (the noodles are delicious, and they play some seriously sexy music).

Thanks for following my adventure.

Check out more stories and snaps at www.roxymoss.com.

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