Posted some thinky thoughts on Insta that I think deserve space here:

There are perhaps few better places to consider the diversity of lives than a town square.

It may look relatively empty put within each person is a whole world.

What’s the man on the bench thinking about, or waiting for? Does the lady with the dog do this same walk every day? Is it her dog, or a friend she’s helping out? Is the man on the right late for something?

It can be, is, so easy to judge a situation from the outside. The British “stiff upper lip” has stopped people from talking about their experiences for generations and as such, we rarely get to learn of the depth of others and the variety of their lives. Instant judgements are still based on superficial concepts such as career, income, relationship or family status, or where you live.

My generation, at least, was still spoonfed the 2.4 children, white picket fence idea, not only of success, but of life itself. It’s still an image that I’m trying to reconcile with as my “life” doesn’t and probably won’t look anything like that. Seeing those people, friends, who are not living to that standard or expectation inspire me.

Not too deep down, about midway, I still want those things, or something similar. I still want a partner, a dog, a big garden, a regular job that I can fit my hobbies and activities around. Settled. A career that I feel passionate about with plenty of time off for travel and exploring. I’ve always thought about adoption but the more I see how troublesome and demanding kids are, the less appealing it is! I enjoy my freedom too much. Perhaps a troubled teenager when I’m a lot older, so I can help someone, and won’t die alone 😂

On the other hand, I still have a year’s visa left with NO FARMWORK REQUIREMENT for Australia. I worked and suffered so damn hard for that “privilege” so I don’t want to give it up.

I didn’t intend for this to be a post about myself but apparently some soul-searching needed to be expressed!

More to come…
❤️

I arrived in Ferrol today and the juxtaposition between old and new can be very stark in places. It got me thinking (more).

The second picture really got me. They’re literally supporting one another.

The fourth picture shows that the image of “Spain” in your head, is probably inaccurate ☁️🌦️ It is much more diverse than you might give it credit for (like people).

The last photo really struck me. It reminded me of the view from the place that was my accommodation for three months in Adelaide. A great view, perhaps. Posh boats, the sea and Aussie sunshine. But the image never captures the internal world of the person behind the camera.

I have so much to express about Adelaide. The insane woman who owned the dive shop. The FINAL beginning of the end.
—
I like how they have left the old in place to hold up the new. I like how, in some places, buildings have gone to “ruin”, been left, and are now lush with grasses, trees, flowers and other life (building I’m thinking of not pictured).

Maybe our human lives are the same. Maybe the old supports the new. Maybe those who we didn’t clear away are now left to quietly blossom and thrive in a new form.

We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone in a year or nine months. Maybe by choosing a new life, to build elsewhere, someone creates a whole new life, a new person, and the past becomes the past. It’s just a cool story to tell the kids and grandkids.

We dwell on things that quickly become ancient history. But the history is needed for there to be a present, otherwise we would be floating around aimlessly, unsure of our origins and of the things that made us.

There’s two quote I’ve been thinking about today:
“He tried to be angry for what she had done, but he couldn’t find it within himself to feel it. It was like losing something vital that he could not do without, while also realising that it had never been his in the first place.”
– The Music Shop, Rachel Joyce

“We ask kids what they want to be when they’re grown up, as if “grown up” is a finite destination. We are always growing up. There is no destination.”
– Paraphrased and perhaps added to by me. Becoming, Michelle Obama

Salud 🍺