It’s strange, looking back on a life you had every intention of returning to. It almost feels like someone else’s now. A 9-5 job, full suit (most likely), long commutes, 10 year plans. Some people find comfort in those things, and so did a part of me. It’s kind of like a question stuck on a revolving carousel: Did home change while I was away, or was it me that changed? Maybe both?
Stepping back from the way society works, at least the section of it where I lived, has given me a lot of perspective. There are so many ways to live life. You can work 40 hours a week in an office, plant coconut trees on a farm, sell Pad Thai at a street stall, teach English online, or even become a freediving instructor. One is not better than the other.
As human beings we shrink from the unknown. It scares us. I used to hate not having set plans and dates and hotel rooms. Now it excites me, enthralls me, invites me through a door of possibilities.
That’s really what the unknown represents to me: possibilities. It shifted from representing lack of planning or success and has become a brewing pot of potential. The unknown is so beautiful because I can do absolutely anything I want with it. It is there for me to mold and shape into my own creation.
It is there for everyone else in the same way, just as long as you can shift your perspective. The unknown is just unlabeled potential. Change is liberation. My life might be different now than I ever imagined it would be, but we are all meant to live lives that are unique and individual to us. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ ‘better’ or ‘worse.’ It all comes down to how you chose to see life.
Such a well thought out and insightful view of the perspectives open to one if you’re willing to give it a try. Well done Sophie!! Love Grandma xxx