Celebrate the every day

Two days ago I started reading my sister's old blogs which she hasn't updated for months. Over the past 9 years she has been back and forth between Europe and Australia many many times and she is a much better writer than I am, and made lots of interesting observations.

She also wrote about some every day things back in her 'normal' life in Australia but these posts are few and far between.

I have a friend who has a blog and she writes about every day things and events and thoughts but these types of blogs are generally rare. What I'm talking about is a blog that really reads like a journal, with that person's thoughts on random topics.

What I find is that most people use their blog (or Facebook) almost as a "show and tell" album and if they have nothing to show or tell, then nothing will get posted. That's why you see pictures of weddings, babies, birthdays, travel, new houses, housewarmings, nightclubbing and partying time and time again but not much of anything else.

What do I mean by this "else"? I mean anything that does not fit into the above categories. It is extremely rare to read posts or see photos about things people deem are not worthy. But why? Shouldn't life be celebrated for the good at the bad? And not just things which are deemed worthy enough to "show off"? Now I am not saying that people should be posting photos of funerals or car crashes or horrible, stupid things like that...

What I mean is... Why is it that travel brings out the kid in everyone? That innate inner curiosity about everything that makes everything seem new, and interesting, beautiful and wonderful. Now, why can't you take that side of you and transplant it into your real world? Just because you have to go to work or have to study, you still have enough spare time to "smell the roses" so to speak.

Why do people start up a blog for the soul purpose of documenting their travels so that when they are not travelling anymore there is nothing left to write about? Even that little weekend escape to the seaside town 2 hours away is not "worthy" because it's not overseas?

I found this blog 52 suburbs which is an amazing blog about 52 of the 600+ suburbs of Sydney. Despite all my years of living here I don't even know half the things this lady posts about. She really discovers the nitty gritty of this city and the people that live in it. She takes beautiful photos and writes about them in an interesting way that just makes it interesting.

Well, that's sort of what I do with my life. I document parts of it which may seem boring on the surface but I take pretty photos and I make interesting observations. Not really for anyone else, but just for me. I do often share my 'findings' too (and I don't care if others find it 'boring' as it's not for them, it's for me!)

And why do I do it?

Well, over the past 10 years of my life, some amazingly HORRIBLE things have happened to me and to people around me. I've had 4 people (3 I was very close to) I know die, aged between their 20s and 60s and all before their time, two of shocking circumstances that I can't even write about they are that shocking (put it this way, they were both stories in the city's main newspaper).

Over the last 3 years I've had more ups and downs in my life than in all the years of my life preceding that.

Also during that time I spent one year living abroad which was an amazingly wonderful experience but when I came back home, to Sydney, I became really depressed with what's known as "reverse culture shock." I was so sad all the time and hated my so-called home. When I first came back I couldn't see anything good about this place.

But over time I began to love it again and realised all the wonderful things about it that I doesn't exist in the other place. And as time goes on, in the past few months I've become more and more appreciative of my HOME. Sydney will always be my HOME so I'd better love it or else. As well as that, I've become so much more appreciative of the people around me, my family and my dear long-time friends.

When I have dinner with my family I cherish every single minute of my time with them. If it's the last time I ever see them I want to know that all I had was happy memories and none of fighting or disagreements. I take photos of every single event in my life because I want to remember and cherish all the wonderful and beautiful moments together with the people that I love and adore most in the world.

I don't see my friends as often as I'd like to given that we're all so busy (and everyone lives far from each other in this big city) but when I do I like to make the most of every minute with them too.

I think going into life with these thoughts makes me feel much more at peace, and much happier in general. I know that if some unforeseen circumstance would make myself or someone I know leave this earth, at least I will have had some happy memory of my last days, or my last days with that person.

I'm not even sure what the point of my post is, other than to get some thoughts out. My main point is that I feel that everything in life should be celebrated, not just the parties and whatnot. Take the time to appreciate the people around you but also the place around you. Also, you really can discover the beauty in your own "backyard" if you look hard enough. In fact there is probably even more beauty there than in all those other countries you want to travel to...

Image from lonelovaas via Weheartit