September always feels like a new beginning. I know I say that about every month, moon and Sunday, but September in particular has that fresh start vibe going on a level that makes me want to clean my entire apartment, write a novel and make a vision board the size of my bed. Since I spent a few of my earlier years in Boston it is subconsciously ingrained in my mind that the school year should be starting, plus in Australia we've just absolutely smashed into spring, so suffice to say the aura of commencement is STRONG.
I feel like every month so far this year I've said that I felt as though I was getting closer to finding my ideal balance in life and really hitting my stride, and although that is true overall I don't necessarily feel like August was a particularly strong month on the #SortOutMyLife2k15 front. August was draining. It was exhausting. It was great, and I had a ridiculous amount of amazing experiences, but that was very much at the expense of every mental and emotional resource I'd managed to store up over the rest of the year. I love being busy, and I've realised that contrary to what I had always believed about myself I actually thrive off productivity, but when you feel like you're about to cry from exhaustion 24/7 then it's time to take a step back and book some flights to Bali.
Which is where I will soon be for nine days of beaches, contemplation and sitting very, very still.
Which is where I will soon be for nine days of beaches, contemplation and sitting very, very still.
Despite having just returned from Ireland and being less than a week away from Indonesia, I am feeling extraordinarily trapped and impatient. I spent the weekend before last in London and oh my god was it hard to leave. I've always been confident in my decision to move but now I'm completely, entirely sure it's where I'm meant to be. Add that to the fact that I woke up yesterday wanting to go to the Vatican Museum and have spent every working hour since thinking about different things I want to do in Italy, you've got a recipe for restlessness. As much as I love Melbourne, I am so ready for my reality to finally catch up with the way I feel it should be.
I may have spent the last month feeling like my head is stuck in a storm cloud, but one thing that has become infinitely more clear is the role that travel is going to play in my life, and most likely in whatever career I end up heading towards. I've always been one for spontaneous flights, but the quick turnaround between these two trips has made me realise just how comfortable I feel making impulsive decisions to pack up and leave.* Much more comfortable than staying put in one place. Not in terms of where I live - I need a home base and stability, and to be honest I don't plan on moving again for quite some time once I get to London - but the ability to listen to my instincts and my impulses and just get up and go is something that I've always known was important in my life. I love being at home. I love having a routine and being in my comfort zone and sitting on my bed with a solid man candle burning, but it's all about a balance. And my balance is apparently between sitting on my bed and fleeing the country. Such is life. Such am I. Good god I want to clean my room and go to Florence tomorrow.
In the spirit of this newfound clarity, I've decided to have a bit of a theme on the blog for this month. I don't think that's something that I've ever done before (apart from at Christmas), but it's something I really like the idea of, so expect a whole bunch of travel-related content to find its way here as September wanders on. As for now, I'm currently sitting at a picnic table next to a lake and the sun is going down, so I'm going to pack it up and go home before I freeze. Finally, holler at me if there is any kind of travel-related content you'd be interested in seeing on here over the next month. I'm always interested to know if you guys are actually enjoying what I'm putting up because there's a lot less interaction involved with blogging than there is with youtube, so feel v free to leave a comment or tweet me (@madz0rs) with any ideas or feedback or thoughts on the new Little Mix song**. My hands are starting to go slightly blue, so I shall bid adieu to the lake and to you. TTYL budz xx0x0x0x0
*That sounds very bad
**I have very literally had it and absolutely nothing else on repeat for the last three days