Faffing my way through LIFE

I’m going to start this by saying that I have been incredibly fortunate in my life to have grown up privileged, to have had the choice of moving abroad (many times!), to have had a supportive and loving family, and to have met countless amounts of wonderful friends from all over the globe. I am writing this to pass no judgement, but more to challenge what I deem as a somewhat romanticised way of looking at life. I have spent the last 9.5 years away from where I grew up, moving from place to place, building new lives in each, experiencing, running. holding on. Trial and error.  I can assure you though, that none of this was “meant to happen”. My sporadic but exciting life thus far was not pre destined for me. I no longer believe that this journey I created for myself was part of some higher plan. There were no specific reasons for how it has all unfolded. “Everything happens for a reason” is a cop out. It’s an excuse. It’s a piece of advice given when there is little g...

Countless times I have been asked where home is. Where I consider home. Is it the country I was born in. Or where I grew up. Is it the city I feel most at ease in. The place where I have the strongest sense of belonging. Or is it where I am currently building a new life in.  None of these. Finally, I have well and truly realised this. Home too is constantly changing, evolving, growing, maturing, just as we are in ourselves. Much like our overall happiness. I believe that home does lie within, and has much to do with the extent in which we live in the present. Each place I have moved, my want and need to “feel” at home somewhere has added to the stress and anxiety of starting up life in a new place. These early and somewhat harsh judgements form in my mind, and dictate my belief in whether I belong, and therefore influence my perceived happiness. Quite often I have determined whether I see a future in my new life based on an impulsive judgement on how at home I feel. It h...