When I look back on my life I see that there have been distinct seasons—each one marked by growth and change. I am not the same person I was in 1985, 1995, 2005 or 2014. I feel like I’ve had several lives. I sometimes look back at photos of myself at different stages of life and wonder who that person was. (Especially when big hair and 80’s fashions ruled!)
Establishing a career as a teacher marked the 80’s and early 90’s. I married (really young!) In our twenties, my husband left his job and took up study. We volunteered in youth work, had babies, bought a house and did all the usual suburban family things you do.
The 90’s and early 2000’s were spent bringing up our children and working hard in our careers. I transitioned from a teaching career to writing, volunteered in event management roles and did some more study.
This current season has been huge. My husband has transitioned away from corporate work to photography. We spend a lot of time traveling and working on our creative pursuits.
We’ve both spent time overseas working in various projects— me in Cambodia and East Timor, and my husband in Ecuador, Bolivia, Tonga, and Africa amongst others. A new life of volunteerism has evolved alongside our creative work.
I spend my life traveling, writing, studying and volunteering—doing what I love.
Time changes things, children grow and careers develop, however, we made several strategic and deliberate decisions along the way in order to transform our lives and to change, not only our circumstances, but also who we are.
The values and essential essence of who we are has stayed the same, but these decisions have widened our horizons. Rather than just working for forty years and retiring to caravan around Australia, we decided to live our lives now and to do the things we wanted to do now, rather than wait and perhaps never get to do them.
Some lessons we’ve learnt along the way are:
- Be curious and keep learning.
- It’s not all about you. Volunteer—say yes to opportunities to help or serve others.
- Change requires a leap of faith.
- Sow into others’ lives. Be interested in others and help when you can.
- Travel, and have adventures, as often as possible.
- Difficult situations inspire creative solutions.
Just as fashions change, we need to look at ourselves and see where change is necessary. If we stay the same we may not be able to impact the world as effectively. There are constants in life like values, beliefs and principles, but over time life is a journey of transformation.
