100 Days in Perth

Recently, we reached a milestone in our lives in Perth. Somehow, we passed the 100 day mark. Not that we were counting. Not really. But the 100 days in Perth have slowly crept up on us, tapped us on the shoulder, and whizzed right by. 100 days that have perfectly aligned with the global timeline we have all been working on with coronavirus.

We boarded a packed Qantas flight and departed Sydney on the afternoon of 23rd March not knowing what the immediate future had in store for us. And not just because of coronavirus. After 8 years in Sydney we were stretching our wings. Off to explore the world, and have some new adventures. At least that had been the plan. I should have known better. 

At work I am always extolling the benefits of planning, but stressing the need to remain flexible. The oft quoted Dwight Eisenhower is resurrected. 

Or as the rather more eloquent Mike Tyson put it, “everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.” So I coach people to expect the punch in the mouth. Or in professional terms, to “inspect and adapt”.

And this is what we did. The fabled spreadsheet didn’t quite get consigned to the garbage, but it did get mothballed. For now. Full disclosure? I have a new version already prepared, and cleverly renamed “Travels 2021.” Because as the stoics taught us, this too shall pass.

So we find ourselves entering the second half of 2020. A new financial year, the adverts in my social media feeds keep telling me. We may have only been in Perth for just over 4 months, but pausing to reflect, over my ice cold pint of Guinness, which is bloody good by the way, I remember that we have a lot to be grateful for. And gratitude is one of the practices that will get us through this. A practice of daily gratitude has been shown to improve our mental health. And mental health is something that has been climbing up my personal agenda of late. 

Uprooting a life of 8 years in Sydney was a deliberate choice. A choice that I own. 100%. But even our choices can bring consequences. Intended, and unintended. Expected, and unexpected. Personally, I have found it harder than I thought. And I am not sure whether this is as a result of mentally knowing that we are not where we planned to be. That we left Sydney with only a backpack because only a day before we thought we were travelling to Asia.

Whatever the reason, I have felt adrift. A feeling that is slowly dissipating. I was struggling to find my connection back to life. Drifting in a land that I didn’t recognise. I felt liminal. On the threshold of something. I am managing this. Meditating, when I remember. Leaning on Buddhist teachings. Knowing that our thoughts are not reality. And thoughts, if left to run amok, can drive you mad.

Which brings me back to mental health, a topic that interests me more and more. And for this reason I have recently undergone training, and become an accredited Mental Health First Aider. I want to help. Wherever I can.

Besides keeping myself busy with learning, we both have a lot to be proud of. We arrived in a new city, with no jobs, and nowhere to live. An apartment was the easy piece of the puzzle, with the jobs being much harder. But I am proud of how we have both thrown ourselves into it and are both now working. And due to coronavirus we are both working from home. Which has its own challenges. I forgot to put myself on mute one day this week, and the call I was on suddenly went silent. 

“Who was that?”

“Did someone say something?”

“…”

“It was a Scottish lady speaking. How weird.”

The “Scottish lady” was Victoria, in the other corner of the lounge, chatting on another call. 

Apartment. Jobs. Trips to beautiful places such as Margaret River and the Swan Valley. Continuing my personal growth. I know we have plenty to be grateful for.

I read something from a friend the other day, that I think is advice that everyone should be following right now. In the days of homeschooling. Working from home and interrupting each other’s calls. In the midst of all the stress, we should all “just do what we can”.

It’s worth repeating, as we head into the second half of 2020. Just do what you can.