How I Ended Up With a Place Called Utopia

Early Morning - Nottawasaga River

I didn’t set out to find a place called Utopia. I just had two simple criteria: it had to be within an hour and a half of Toronto, and it had to be by a body of water. Everyone told me it wasn’t possible. Well, I proved them wrong.

We found a little cabin by the Nottawasaga River, just over an hour north of the city. A COVID purchase. Built in the 70s. Quiet. A bit forgotten. Sitting in a hamlet actually named Utopia.

The place needed some work; that’s an understatement. My mother wouldn’t set foot inside until we had cleaned and fixed it up. And honestly, she wasn’t wrong. The whole place sloped so much that walking from the bedroom into the kitchen felt like I had a hangover every morning.

I was still undecided about purchasing, so I called a friend who could help me think it through. We stood on the deck by the river, talking through the pros and cons, when she suddenly spotted some geese across on the other shore.

She waved and called out, “Hey Mr. and Mrs. Geese!”

Then she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Should my friend purchase this property?”

We waited.

A beat. The river moving. Silence.

And then — HONK! HONK! HONK!!!!

A full‑throated, no‑hesitation answer echoing across the water.

That was it. Decision made. Signed off by two geese who had no idea they were participating in a real estate decision.

What followed was the slow, challenging, exhausting and fulfilling work of revealing the intrinsic beauty of the place. A place where I had a creative outlet. A place where family and friends could gather and share moments together. And eventually, a place where I can gather souls who are looking for the calm and spaciousness to find themselves.

Utopia didn’t just get fixed. It became what it was always meant to be.

This summer, I’m opening Utopia up for small intimate retreats; sound baths by the river, space to breathe, room to feel.