2020 - New Year, New Decade, New Blog

I had been thinking about starting a blog to keep my mind active whilst on a "staycation" in the USA, during a period of funemployment". For the first few months in the USA, a blog remained firmly in the category of an idea, on the "To Do", or the "I'm gonna list", but finally one day I sat down to write.

It was late November in Anacortes, Washington, and after two beautiful, crisp autumn days we had woken to a thick blanket of fog. It took until 2 pm to clear at our place which overlooks Similk Bay, but gave way to a clear, calm afternoon. I sat basking in the sun on the balcony, cup of tea in hand, content after a productive day, and began to reflect on various aspects of life - the beginning of what would be this first blog post.

Above: My favourite writing/reading spot on the balcony

Above: Samilk Bay, from the beach in front of our house

Looking over the water from our house is my place of zen, a place to focus on being present, calm and grateful. I've never been very good at meditation, and in fact in this place I feel closer to a meditative state than I do when I attempt to meditate! This is a state I could not have found six months ago, when my world was clouded by stress and anxiety.

Every now and then the quiet zen is interrupted by the sound of a Growler (Boeing EA 18G - modified Super Hornet designed for electronic warfare), which remind me why I am here in the USA. I am here because my boyfriend is a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force and has been posted to Whidbey Island Naval Station to train on the Growler with the US Navy for 12 months.

Above: My partner Tim and I celebrating his graduation from 76 Squadron in Newcastle, Australia. Flying the Hawk

His posting to the USA posed a difficult situation for me, as I had been recently promoted within the company I worked for, and then seconded to an important project. I felt like I was finally starting to kick some goals at work, and I was worried about what impact an extended period of leave would have on my career in the short to mid term. In the end I chose to resign from my job and move to the USA, where I knew I would be ineligible to work. I chose to value my relationship over my career, opportunity over obligation, living life over going through the motions.

While in the USA my plan was to make the most of my situation. Hiking, snowboarding and exploring aside, I wanted to use the time to do all the things you usually feel you never have enough time to do - read, listen to podcasts, focus on fitness, practice gratitude, refresh my Spanish language skills, the list goes on.

In just three months I feel like a completely new person, and it's not just because I'm no longer working a strenuous fly in fly out work roster in the West Australian mining industry.

The first half of 2019 was extremely challenging, both personally and professionally. I moved house. I was juggling a new job with next to no guidance or instruction, with some colleagues making the transition less than comfortable. I was flying across the country every third week to visit Tim for a few days (who I would only get to spend a limited amount of time with as his job is very demanding), which resulted in me taking over 90 flights in the first eight months of the year. Supporting him through what is a ridiculously hard course in the toxic culture of the RAAF Air Combat Group was exhausting. I had joined a volunteer committee for a cause I felt passionate about, but it was a big time commitment in the context of my work and travel schedule. I hardly got to see my friends and family as I was so busy splitting time between Perth, Newcastle and Leonora. My poor body never knew where it was. I lost over five kilograms in the space of two months due to stress. Diving back into those feelings from the safety of the balcony, in the zen mode, and seeking a level of understanding has driven me to start this blog.

Above: The meme that sums up so much of adulthood

Outside of purely documenting the thoughts and ideas, getting them out of my head and onto "paper" (or digital media), I hope that the stories, or at least the reference material shared (podcasts, books, TED talks) will be useful to anyone reading, to help them reflect on their own stories, experiences and perspectives. I've never been one to be overly "deep" or vulnerable on a personal level on social media, so this is a very new and scary thing for me. I am also NOT a writer (as is probably obvious) - so I hope my scatter brain can string together some words which vaguely make sense, with all its tangents and detours along the way.

Above: From Arae, some of my hopes for this blog

I'll be uploading photos and videos, which are aimed at giving a visual update to life in the beautiful Pacific North West. Again, I'm not a social media "influencer" and am definitely not a videographer. I'm just aiming for authentic, unfiltered content, sharing because it might be interesting for some.

Above: My first video, summing up our hiking adventures in fall, 2019.

I'll be aiming for fortnightly updates (dependent on university study load and schedule of friends and family visiting). I'm looking forward to 2020 (I'm making a conscious choice not to include a 20/20 vision pun here). Please feel free to provide any feedback on stories or content, my only request is that it be constructive.

Peace, Amy