Last Day in Perth

Today is my last day in Perth. You probably guessed that from the title.

Tomorrow, my Person and I are heading to Melbourne for an extended weekend, and then Monday morning I board a plane back to the States.

I feel kind of weird because I don’t feel any of the travel nerves I usually feel in advance of a trip. Maybe it’s because it’s just one more leg in a long journey, or maybe it’s because, for all I’ve enjoyed my time in Perth, I don’t really feel any emotional connection to the city itself. Or maybe, with all the international travel I’ve done in the last two years, I’m no longer phased by domestic flights. I don’t know.

But what I do know is that the last 70 days have been vital to my growth as a human being. I think I’ve come to understand some things about myself that weren’t really in focus before.

For instance, I’m not just a dog person. I need dogs in my daily life to feel complete. The same goes for playing music with people. Maybe next time I’m in Perth, I’ll make an effort to find some people to jam with, maybe go to open mics. I’m looking forward to getting back to playing with the band.

It’s also been really amazing having this time to be a full-time writer, to get a chance to try the life I’d ultimately like to live. And it’s a lifestyle I really like. When I was working full-time and trying to revise my first book, I felt so stuck because I couldn’t just sit down and write whenever I wanted to (which is most of the time). Having the ability to set an out-there goal (write the first draft of an epic political fantasy in four months) and follow through on that goal without having to push back my deadline was amazing. I’m well aware of how privileged I am to have been able to take this time to do nothing but write. I know that this will push me to keep writing and keep submitting and keep trying to achieve the life I want.

It’s starting to sink in that I’ll be separating from my Person in less than a week. I’m not entirely sure when I’ll see him again. It could be three months if he’s able to get time off work or it could be in six months when my band season is done, and I can leave for another three months. Regardless, it will be a longer separation than I’d like.

I guess I’m a bit of an emotional stew right now. I’m sad to leave my Person; excited to see my family and cuddle my dogs; not looking forward to long flights, long layovers and going through customs; nervous-exited for the Futurescapes workshop; avoiding dwelling on the existential dread that sinks in every time I remind myself that I’m going to need  a job when I get home (why do I have to be an adult again?); and generally feeling like I’m on the right track to living the life I want.

Also, I miss American coffee. I can’t wait to just walk up to a Starbucks counter and order a black, dark roast and not get a funny look from the barista.

Anyway, that’s me right now. It’ll probably be a different story in a week when I’m recovering from jet lag in Arizona and frantically trying to finish my critiques for this workshop.

Thank you for reading.