Living In The Moment

I'm sure we're all guilty of it, perhaps those of us who travel more so than others, but so often I find myself caught up in longing for the past or dreaming of the future. I forget to enjoy the place I'm in and, instead, wish I was somewhere else. Not that it's bad to be excited about the future or miss people or places from the past but if you are constantly somewhere else you are never truly present and you miss out on so many good things where you are.

If you know me well or have talked to me recently you probably know that I really, really, REALLY, want to go to France. In fact, I've had it in the back of my mind ever since I left Australia and I even bought a plane ticket months ago in a moment of weakness. I feel like ever since I got back from New Jersey, all I've done is plan for France and work on getting everything in order for a visa and a place to stay. It turns out, it's an incredibly complicated and lengthy process to get a French visa and I'm still not entirely sure I will get one but that doesn't stop me from constantly envisioning all the things I will do in France and the incredible life I will have there. Of course it won't be perfect and there will most definitely be things that I miss about home but my imaginary life in France seems so much more attractive than my life here. I can't wait to see what the future holds and what will happen.

Yet I already miss the awesome people I worked with on the Meerwald and the all the crazy adventures and many laughable moments we had. And I still often long for the other places I have lived - especially Margaret River. I miss the friends that I had there and I miss surfing practically every day. I miss working at the restaurant there just a few hours a day and having the majority of the day free. I miss everything being within walking distance and having so many people around and things to do so often. But I forget about how I missed my family and friends, how I missed having a horse to ride and more places to go outside of where I was, and how I was so often bored with all my free time. It's so easy to only remember the good things about a place you were and forget the good things in the place you are.

Our great little house in Margs

One of the beautiful beaches near Margaret River

Meeting the baby of one of my best friends for the first time

I have amazing friends here and I have my wonderful family. I have a job and a place to live. I have a car to use (most of the time) and I have a horse to ride. It's frustrating sometimes because Connecticut isn't always the most exciting place to live and I get bored but I'm SO grateful for the time I have here and I don't want to take away from that by living in the past or the future!

Exploring Boston with a great friend