As long as I can remember I have been suffering from a (potentially) fatal case of FOMO. If you haven’t heard, the number of diagnosed cases is growing with the rise of social media… our friends and acquaintances post their latest updates, and more people are left with a “fear of missing out”.

I guess I should introduce myself; I worked for many glorious summers with Peter, Scott and Hollye on the shores of Moira Lake at Camp Quin-Mo-Lac. Last winter, my good friend Hollye told me something wild. Our ol’ pals Peter and Scott wanted her to canoe across Canada with them. CANOE ACROSS CANADA! That sounds crazy, right? Obviously we both knew she had to say yes! It was only a few weeks of getting the details organized when I started to learn more about PACT – the crew, their stories, their motivation to achieve this goal, and passion to make a difference in the process. The first time I met Marc, within seconds of shaking my hand he said, “So, this is Office Jill?”, to which Hollye replied, “She doesn’t know about that yet”. The fact that Hollye, Scott and Peter knew me well enough to know I would say yes must have meant it was a good fit, and better yet, it was something I was completely excited about.

My role as “Office Jill” had no guidelines. After a few meetings, we still had some trouble defining my job. It wasn’t until the crew had actually set sail that I fell into a solid routine of editing blogs, posting pictures, updating with Roots, contacting media and connecting family members. I really can’t choose a favourite moment. I looked forward to and loved every minute of it. Receiving the blogs and watching the Dropbox fill up with new photos would keep me up late. I was constantly reviewing, organizing and sharing. My friends and family can attest to my excitement on a daily basis – I loved being the first one to see the pictures, read the news and get those calls. I couldn’t stop talking about PACT’s latest adventures and the stories were always captivating and contagious. Even from a distance, I always felt like part of the crew. I have to admit, it was the perfect cure for FOMO.

Over 120 days after being casually referred to as “Office Jill” this so-called favour I did for my friends became something huge for me. Since the final days of PACT’s voyage, I’ve been considering other ways to spend my now-free time, but I still haven’t found an experience to fill that void (I think Scott calls it Post-PACT depression).

To Hollye, Marissa, Scott, Marc, James and Peter: I will always be your OJ and you guys will always be my crew!

THANK YOU PACT!