Going back to the world I know and love

We lasted just over 2 years back in our 'home' on the Gold Coast, after returning during COVID following nearly a decade on the road full time around Australia and the UK/Europe. We couldn't bring ourselves to buy material possessions and in fact, I didn't get excited about it which was a bit of a surprise to me. In fact, anything I did purchase for the house (even furniture) felt like a weight, a burden. I'd lived out of a suitcase for so so long. I had trouble relating to and connecting with my 'friends'. I realised I had absolutely nothing in common with the people I grew up with and I was a changed person.

As a career woman with no children and living a nomadic lifestyle for so long, I realised I just did not fit into 'normal' life. The idea of the 9-5 grind made me feel mentally and physically unwell. I felt like the life had been sucked out of me and I was a shell of my former self. A large part of my life, who I was, disappeared fairly quickly. As a full time locum sonographer, I hadn't paid a bill in about 8-9 years, all expenses were paid. It was like I'd been in a time capsule and finally stepped out into a whole new world, one I didn't care for...

So much had changed; COVID, the cost of living, technology, traffic, overpopulation, customer service was terrible, everyone's care factor was zero, phone addiction, materialistic obsession, AI, homelessness... It's like I just didn't see all these negatives when I was living in regional cites and remote towns and living my best life. City life and living a 'normal' life with the majority brought out everything negative around me. Yes, the world is a very hard place to live now, but I believe it was my mindset and outlook that was amplifying anything remotely negative.

It wasn't just me who was affected, so was my partner. After many long discussions, we realised we had to be true to who we are and go back to our former life. We had to chase our dreams, follow our instincts and just basically live life! Why be unhappy, what's the point in life otherwise? Sure, not having children made our decision much easier than for most and neither of us had any family left on the Gold Coast anymore. People rarely visited as everyone was always too busy in their hectic lives. In fact, out of my circle of 'friends', only one person bothered to visit me when I was off work for 5 months unpaid last year following my second hip surgery. In response, I withdrew from social media and didn't attend invitations to birthday parties and events. They didn't even know I still couldn't walk as no one bothered to ask. I realised no one actually cared and I was just making up numbers.

This all sounds very gloomy and I'm sure I sound like a complete sook, but that's how it can feel when you're at rock bottom. I knew this wasn't me and I had to make a massive change. To many, my life is selfish and indulgent, but to me; it's what I was born to do and who I am. So here I am, just having returned from New Zealand visiting family and attending a conference; ready to pick up our camper tomorrow and hit the road again...

And I couldn't be more excited!!!

See you on the road,

Kelly