25 September 2021
Hey there,
I write letters home every now and then to ~20 of my family, close friends, and those I'm in close proximity to (aka close friends to be).
This is my way of inviting conversation, feeling heard, and staying connected. I'm writing this because you matter to me.
Though I would love for you to read and respond, this email comes expectation-free.
The rear view mirror
It's hard to say what it's like to look back. So I'll just give you a snapshot or two.
Around the time we left Nelson, David and I both read A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett.
Here's his favourite quote:
"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving."
Here's mine:
"‘It shouldn’t be like this.’
‘There isn’t a way things should be. There’s just what happens, and what we do.’”
I caught up with him on Tuesday. Our first real contact since we touched down in Brisbane.
We're both doing well.
We have a good chance of remaining good friends.
I can genuinely say that, despite the short run complications, I'm grateful it unfolded this way.
The road ahead
I started a new job.
I already know that it's the best place I've ever worked.
I think I'll be there for a long time, because I don't know that I could replicate the working situation that I currently get to enjoy.
As the weeks go on, I start to see what's not useful in my day-to-day behaviours.
With the help of others, I notice the proving, performing, the pushing for an outcome.
I let it go. It comes back. I let it go. I wonder how I should talk without those habits. I let it go.
I've endured plenty in the last few months.
I entertain wanting more than mere endurance.
I'm reminded that it takes courage to hope.
There's a lookout nearby. It takes around 80 minutes to walk there and back.
Lately, I've been taking a question up to the summit.
One question. Phone on airplane mode. Sometimes a run, sometimes a walk.
The sky, the mountains, and I have a moment. And the answer comes.
I descend a little different each time.
I start to solve for better things.
Healthier relationships with others and myself.
Stronger thinking.
Better health.
Day by day
Sometimes, all I can do is go through the motions, but I've set up the motions to ensure they're moving me forward.
Other times, I move with full intention and presence.
I eat enough. I sleep enough.
I dance, I hike, I walk.
I spend time around good people.
I sing, I journal, I read.
And every now and then, I send letters home.
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." --C.S. Lewis
I hope you're all well.
Talk soon
Rosie