I’ve been in Australia for exactly one month today and the homesickness is setting in. It’s not that I’m unhappy or not having a good time, it’s just that it’s been a month since I last saw my dogs. It’s been a month since I last sat on my sofa. It’s been a month since I last cooked in my kitchen, used my shower head, used a non-travel sized bottle of shampoo.
And it’s been a month since I played with my band.
I think that’s what’s hardest right now. I have a bass with me. I have practice tracks that I’m playing along with, but the thing I love most about being a musician is the collaborative creative process. I love sitting down with a lyric sheet and a basic chord progression and playing through a song with the band until we figure out what we want it to sound like. I love improvising a backup line while my dad noodles around on the banjo. I love being in a band.
And I’m grateful for this time to establish which things in my everyday life are things that I love and which things I can do without. It’s like I’m troubleshooting my life, taking out certain elements and figuring out which ones are essential contributors to my overall well-being.
Thank you for reading.
“It’s like I’m troubleshooting my life…”
Yes. This. Thank you.
Life as iterative design: Change the design. Is it better? No? Back it out. Add a new feature. Is it better? Yes! Keep that feature and move on.
The key with *A WHOLE LIFE* is that most of us focus on the huge, transitional rituals. They are more obvious.
You’re doing fabulous, hard work down under, Emily. You’re listening to the swans. Feeling the bass. Smelling your person. Big and small. Well done, and very brave to figure it out with intention…by design.