Friday, May 6, 2011

10 Things I wish I'd Known in my 20s

1) You look better than you think you do. Enjoy it.
2) Nothing about your outward appearance warrants 2 to 3 hours of preparation time.
3) It's not as bad as you think it is. Believe me, it will get way worse. And way better.
4) So you made an ass of yourself doing something silly? No-one cares as much as you do.
5) That high drama pal who's stories you find so amusing? She's not that much fun later. Be careful.
6) Your parents love you more than you can possibly comprehend. Be nice to them.
7) The real 'in crowd' is the one that makes you feel like you can just be yourself. It's not an in crowd if you feel left out.
8) There is nothing wrong with being single. It doesn't mean you're unattractive/fat/stupid.
9) Boys are not as complicated as you think they are. Most of them are still more interested in Buzz Lightyear than all your bullshit. When you're ready, you'll find one.
10) Yes, you do need more shoes. Always. That never changes.

One Year

A year ago today we left Dublin. It has not flown. This has been a defining year for us, filled with challenges, raw emotion and self-doubt. I feel a bit like we walked here barefoot from Dublin. However, if you were to ask me if I would I do it all again? Yes.

The thing about difficult paths is, the further along them you travel, the more likely it is that you're closer to your destination. What I hadn't realised on any level is that our destination is entirely different from the one we had intended. We did not go 'home' or 'back'. We went to a different place. You can never go back.

When we left Sydney in March 2007 we were two recently married, happy-go-lucky, successful people with the world at our feet. We returned slightly older, world-weary parents with 2 years of sleep deprivation and mounting uncertainty about our future. Sydney has not changed, but we all have - by 'all' I mean us, our friends, our social circle and the space that we occupy.

I love being here and I like carving a new niche, but I still have a strong desire to run. It's definitely easier to start again from the beginning than it is to start from half-way. When you start at the beginning there are no expectations, no disappointments and no relationships to resurrect or remedy. A new city gives you the opportunity to just 'be' - clean slate, no issues.

It's an incomplete blog post because it's an incomplete thought. One year in and we're still in a transitional stage. There will be more.