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 β 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. π
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.
