Recently, I found myself driving alone for the first time in a while.
There's usually a little passenger in the back seat these days, but on that particular afternoon, it was just me.
As I drove, I looked up and saw the sky painted with soft evening colours.
Instantly, I was back in New Zealand, where I spent 13 years of my life.
Every few days, I'd see a sky like this on my way to work in the morning or driving home at the end of the day. I was lucky enough to live in West Auckland — where, if you know, you know. The sunsets were beautiful... even if the sun was usually shining straight into my eyes on the drive home.
Back then, the view accompanied a busy mind. I was thinking about work, the week ahead, the mortgage, bills, and the quiet loneliness that sometimes comes with building a life somewhere new.
Now I'm in Taiwan... another new place, ironically. 😄
The same sun still sets. The same clouds still catch the evening light. They're simply on another part of the world.
This time, I wasn't rushing anywhere.
I simply drove, looked outside, and smiled.
It's funny how, when we're in one place, we often imagine life somewhere else.
As I looked at the sky, all those memories from Auckland came rushing back.
The memories did. The worries didn't.
Now that I'm here, there are still things I miss about Auckland. It gave me some of the most important years of my life.
But instead of wishing I were somewhere else, I found myself feeling grateful for where I am today.
Moments like this remind me that perhaps it isn't the place that changes us.
Time does.
The same sky. A different season of life.
And, for me, in the best possible way.
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前幾天，難得自己一個人開車。平常後座總有一位小乘客，那天只有我，和窗外的晚霞。
那一刻，突然想起在紐西蘭生活的十三年。以前上下班的路上，也常常看見這樣的天空。只是那時候，我的腦海總裝滿了工作、生活、房貸，以及對未來的不確定性。
看到同樣的夕陽，同樣的天空，但在世界的另一端，這種感覺很神奇。
感覺很多回憶回來了。但那些憂慮，沒有。
原來，改變的不是天空，而是自己。
同一片天空。不同的人生階段。
而現在的我，很喜歡這樣的風景。