You are holding in your hands the very beginning of something.
Beginnings are a magical time, wrapped in so many emotions. Think of the last time you had a beginning in your life and I’ll bet you’re swept back into the excitement, hesitation, certainty, and uncertainty of it all. Beginnings can feel terrifying and magnificent, all at once.
This volume of the Oceanside Collective is our first chapter and tells the stories of first chapters throughout our communities. There is something so delicate about Chapter One. It wants to be held gently, invited in without judgment, and given space to plant a few roots to grow.
New beginnings and fresh starts aren’t always easy.
Sometimes they represent starting over, putting to bed a story that was ready to end in order to make room for something new. We can see this in the reconstruction of the Qualicum Beach Skatepark, creating a more user-friendly and inclusive space for riders of all ages, or in Becky’s story of how SOS programs changed her postpartum experience of motherhood.
Endings and beginnings are often inextricably linked. Contributing writer Kelly and her husband Dave left their life behind to start a new chapter in Lighthouse Country, falling in love with both the beauty and history of the land. So did poet James and his wife, finding peace and contentment on our shores.
Other times a first chapter can begin with a joyful leap into passion and adventure. This is quite literal in the case of Jill who decided to celebrate her 80th birthday by jumping out of a plane! Levi Friess packed his bags and moved across the world from Switzerland to Oceanside, bringing his trade as a cheesemaker to our little corner of the world.
New chapters can also begin seemingly out of thin air, asking us to change directions and embrace something new. These can lead to us finding deeper purpose and meaning in our lives, a topic discussed in one of our articles and highlighting just how special these “calls to begin” can feel.
Maybe you’ll discover a new hobby like scuba diving, hiking, or table tennis, or maybe you’ll be gifted a book on soapmaking that changes your life. Perhaps you’ll adopt an animal, marking the start of a new sense of purpose.
Origin stories are made for the curious. In this volume, you will find stories of how many things came to be, from professional musicians to local attractions, favourite restaurants to devoted community groups. Each story of their beginnings is precious and full of inspiration.
It must be noted that there is often risk involved with a new chapter: financial, emotional, physical. This is why we feel hesitant, unsure, or afraid when starting something new. And even if we are mostly excited, there are still risks to consider before we step into the unknown.
For the stories in this issue, the risk was worth it.
I hope this will also be the case for the Oceanside Collective.
Hold these stories gently in your hands, in your heart, for they represent risks taken by folks who were given a chance to embrace something new and they took it.
Every name, organization, business, and group has taken a risk to show up in these pages, sharing their words, art, time, attention, and resources. What you are holding, our very first chapter, simply wouldn’t exist without the courageous contribution of everyone involved.
And the best part about Chapter One? It’s only the beginning. There is so much more to come, you need only turn the page and intentionally choose to keep reading.
