Life has carried on in the most wonderful way. It naturally progressed into something beautiful.
I just signed a 6 month contract as Marketing Manager for a non profit arts organization and soaking up as much Aussie sun as I can. I’m loving where I live and consuming all the seductive wine, heavenly food and good times as I can.
Since I was preoccupied for several months beaching, boating, eating, road tripping, birthdaying, wining, pooling etc I haven’t got around to posting any photos. So, here’s some!!
Jean and I’s Birthday Boat Party!
Margaret River Road Trip!
Road Trip to the Pinnacles!
We actually make it to the Pinnacles, just not on Flickr yet. So many more photos to come…
~Josie
I’ve found that even with the evolution of what makes us happy, people are still choosing to be miserable. They almost seek it out. And, once found, a suffocating mental grip slowly develops. Amnesia takes over. Any memory of what life was like without this white knuckled clasp, vanishes.
Letting go, moving past, waking up or simply stopping whatever miserable vice is being clasped to, is no longer a viable option. But, holding on, so resistant to change, is.
This, fortunately enough, has never really been a problem for me. I have always been quite an independent person, sometimes to a fault and I seem to accept and create change with unusual ease. I realized this trait in myself at a very early age.
I moved several times as a child and then in adolescence; a new school every elementary school year and the predictable transfer from middle school to high school. This naturally equaled new ‘friends’, teachers, bus rides to and from home. My surroundings were constantly changing and I never seemed too bothered by it. I actually grew to like it.
When I made the big move out of my Mother’s house, to a place of my own, it wasn’t to an apartment a nice comfortable distance in the neighboring suburb. I moved to another city in another province, 1,161 km away. I thought, if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it with a bang. I wanted an adventure. Something new! Apparently, this was not common for many Edmontonians.
I applied this sort of thinking to most everything in my life. I’d thirst for the dynamic and if I was unsatisfied with an aspect in my life I would, simply, change it; job, house, relationship, friends. I would make an assessment, judge if the situation was worth my time and energy to fix, if not, I’d move on.
These actions, like I mentioned, were not entirely without fault. I’ve made some uncharacteristically harsh decisions, sometimes without notice or reasoning to myself or those around me. I’ve left my boyfriend stunned on Christmas morning when I moved out because he didn’t keep his promise to stop acting like a crazy person and I’ve handed in my office key card and fancy work mobile, simply saying ‘I’m done’ mid-week because I couldn’t fathom working all the way to Friday with my abrasive, disrespectful, harassing boss.
I just don’t see the point in sticking around on a sinking ship.
The thing that confuses me, is that most people do. Most people hang on for dear life, so engrossed by the situation around them that they don’t stop to wonder if the boat that’s ‘sinking’ might only be in 2 feet of water or maybe there’s another boat, a luxury yacht with free booze and snacks, ready to pick up new passengers right behind them. Instead, they just grip tighter and close their eyes waiting for someone to save them.
I’m not saying that I got everything figured out. Just the opposite.
But, I think what I’m saying is…I’m happy. I’m happy with the decisions I’ve made; good, bad, ugly. Because, when I reflect on my life so far, I take solace in knowing that at least I tried. I gave it a good honest go. And, when things didn’t exactly go my way, I was there trying to fix the leak, attempting to build a new boat or flagging for a new one.
I didn’t stick around to take shit from some boss or live somewhere I hated or stay friends with someone that always disappointed me. I made tough decisions at difficult times and to be honest, it would have been much easier to just cave, take the easy road, close my eyes and pretend.
But, I didn’t.
And, now I’m in Australia, surrounded by loving people [near and far], living in the most incredible house with the most inspiring job prospects in front of me. A movie is cued on the projector, my housemates are cooking dinner in the kitchen and my skin still salty from the beach. I couldn’t imagine what it would all look like if I settled for comfortable and content. I really couldn’t.
Life is pretty fantastic right now. And I’m thankful for the journey that got me to this beautiful place.
~Josie
