By Lizz Bottrell, Citizen Staff

It’s seems like just yesterday I moved out to Saskatchewan to work my first newspaper job, yet the months have passed me by so quickly I think I failed to notice how long I’ve actually been out here. In the end, that’s the reaction I wanted to have. Writing keeps me both entertained and happy in such a way that a lot of times it doesn’t feel like a job to me at all.

Over the past few months while interviewing some incredibly interesting people then clicking away on my laptop for an endless amount of hours, I feel I’ve learned a lot about life and a lot about myself.

The world to me seems deadline oriented. People put deadlines on everything from when we’re supposed to cut our greenhouse gas emissions in half to when I need to hand my stories in. On the note of greenhouse gas emissions, during a recent meeting of the G8 countries, they decided 2050 would be a good deadline to cut emissions in half. However, they neglected to mention what level needs to be cut in half - our current emissions as of 2008 or an earlier year. Further that’s another 42 years away, so by then oil will be so expensive that nobody will be able to afford it to emit anyways. So really, it’s just a way to try and look good politically.

Back to deadlines, with everyone imposing a deadline on everything, I wonder if people could get by without the deadlines. I know I for one work much better under the intense pressure of a quick approaching deadline. It must have something to do with the adrenaline rush that pours through my body as I move my fingers as quickly as I can to meet my deadline.

I found some amazingly fantastic people out there with unique stories to tell. Whether it’s the guy who retired from farming to start up a u-pick or the young woman paving her way in a traditionally male career or even the developmentally disabled man who finds solace in wrapping string for a greenhouse, everyone has something about them that’s special. This also made me realize how lucky I was to be able to share my story and my views with everyone who’s read this column over the past few months. I know there are a few who strongly disagreed with some things I had to say, but at the same time, I also received a lot of wonderful comments from people out there, which I can’t thank those people enough for. Even those who shared their opposing opinions gave me another outlook on the situation, which as a writer, I love because I am always looking to hear other’s views.

I’ve also learned jealousy ensues in everyone, whether they admit it or not. I can see it in a child’s face when a parent takes the time to tend to another child and I can see it in almost every human being who constantly strives to one up the people around him or her. I’ve noticed over the past months that some people take this as far as competing within their own relationship with another couple’s relationship, which to me is just plain silly. Jealousy can show up in the most unexpected places - even the eyes of a golden retriever when her owner pays more attention to his child than to the dog. The trick is learning how to control this jealousy, something which I am surprisingly struggling with right now. Jealousy is a real evil that can eat away at a person unless they find a way to get over it.

Really, the thing I learned the most over the past few months is in life, we’re always learning. This is why as people, I think we’re always changing. This is also why I think so many relationships and friends fail. If we do not change at the same rate in or in a comparable way, then that’s when relationships tend to fall apart.

So as I move on and continue to learn and change with my future endeavors, I thank everyone for the enlightening conversations, life long lessons and acceptance into the community.