As it turns out, the human body doesn't adjust all that well to extreme temperature changes.
During my time home, I was fortunate enough to get to travel to Panorama Mountain Resort, a popular ski destination, where the temperature dropped to an excruciating -27 degrees. You can imagine the pure excitement I felt when I got back to the Gold Coast and it was clear sunny skies and 30 degrees out. So I thought to myself, "Great, I'll go hit up the beach for a couple hours. What could possibly go wrong?"
A lot can go wrong, Kelsey. A lot.
So there I was, sitting on the beach yesterday in my togs, sunnies and sunhat with the hot Queensland sun beating down on me, daydreaming about the new, exciting semester before me.
Perhaps one of the coolest and most exciting things about my time abroad has been the ability to explore into new ideas and concepts that I probably wouldn't have considered looking into before. Specifically, I've been studying both religion and philosophy in my spare time, trying to find my own understanding of each. I've been really fortunate to have great influences in my life that help guide me in these areas. I feel that it is equally important to create your own understanding and set of values and morals to follow in your own life.
Some of the most interesting work that I have encountered has included the voice recordings of Alan Watts. Available on YouTube, he speaks about many great wonders that we all have in life, such as purpose, identity, love, worry, choices, and truthfulness to oneself. He decomposes complex concepts into smaller ideas which are both easy to follow and intriguing.
One of my most favorite pieces of his work is this video, in which he asks listeners:
what would you do if money was no object?
Hopefully this is something that you've thought about before, but I encourage you to watch the video anyways. While we may not all be able to understand our own answer to this difficult question, but it is amusing to think about it anyways. Over time, and as we ask ourselves these questions more and more, the answers start to become a little clearer.
Naturally, I have thought long and hard about this question, and I have a few answers.
#1: I would like to live in a quaint little cottage somewhere near a body of water. I really love Vancouver Island, Eastern Canada, and of course Australia, but I'm not picky. I want it to be in a small community that is comfy- a place where you see people you know when you go to the grocery store but big enough to keep you busy.
#2: I want to be one of those 50 year old women who struts around her cute cottage in a big comfy sweater, and drinks a lot of tea. I also want a nice kitchen and a house that's a home, not something that resembles some sort of museum. I want there to be life in it- antiques, a few chips in the paint, family pictures throughout, with stories held within it's walls.
3#: I want to make a career using my talents as a writer and public speaker. I am continually deepening my knowledge of the field and finding new opportunities, and I want my career to stem from these things because I'm truly passionate about communication.
#4: I hereby promise that I will write a book. I think this might be the big one, but I'm not sure yet. I recently read a brilliant email on the Listserve encouraging people to write books and I felt like the writer was speaking to me. I can't say where my life will lead me, or what I may be inspired to write a book about, but I know it's always been within me.
Those are my big 4, the things I would do if money was no object.
Take the time to check out Alan Watts' video and consider your thoughts on this. Throw your ideas into the comments section below, because I want to hear about them.
Mum, I know what you're thinking... And I totally did have sunscreen on. As I sit at my computer and type, every inch of my body is screaming and the evidence is clear- flaming red skin isn't exactly easy to hide. As I've said before, sometimes it's easier to feel the pain of a mistake than to admit that mum is right... Sometimes. (Not this time). That being said, if I want to be a cute older lady, I better start using better sunscreen and using my Aussie instinct to know when enough is enough (sun wise, this rule does not include wine). Lesson learned.
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Also, I encourage you to check out Listserve, a daily email service that picks a subscriber at random to share their thoughts with the world.. If you subscribe you could be chosen! But otherwise, it is a nice thing to wake up to- an email from a surprise person writing about anything they are passionate about, with an infinate number of possible topics. It's bound to make you smile.
P.S. Thanks to Carlo for sharing this with me! Australia is not the same without you, my friend. I hope you are well in Washington. Xx
- Kelsey
