it is about belonging
One year on from moving to Melbourne and on an evening walk that includes the top of the high street for this shopping centre, I have stopped to look at the scene in front. And took this photograph.
It is the outline of the city’s CBD.
Whenever I see this view, I am reminded that this is where we now live. Whereas in previous years if I thought about it, home was a place not too distant from the wonderfully beautiful south coast of New South Wales.
Yes I had lived for more than fifty years in an inland city, Canberra, but it was not too far from the coastlines, the sea, the beaches, the rocks and all those views that were part of my childhood.
Even if we did not visit the south coast as often as we would have wished, I knew that those places were there. There was a strong sense of belonging knowing that the south coast was never too far away – the minimum travel was less than two hours.
But for now this city’s skyline is defining where I live.
It is not that it is alien or that I have trouble accepting this new life, it is just that whenever I see it on the horizon, it sort of brings home the reality that I have moved away completely from anything resembling my former life.
This view reminds me that I have moved somewhere completely different. While the reality is that we have moved interstate, the real feeling is that we have moved to a different country – equivalent to being in a new land – completely disconnected to the former.
We like this.
We have embraced this change and know that there is no lingering feeling to go back. We know there are things that we miss. But, life is good where we have chosen to live out our lives.
Some people travel to see new things and to have different experiences. We have decided that we have had enough of the business of air travel. Why go through all that discomfort when the city we now live in offers many new experiences – almost daily.
This city and the regional areas of Victoria are where we will be on holidays for many years – as long as our health allows.
It is about belonging, and we know we now belong here in Melbourne. So for now, we continue to enjoy our extended holiday in this city and hope to enjoy the many Melbourne sunsets as is happening in the photograph above.
Rating the experience of living in Melbourne 5/5 stars