The Trouble with Christmas

Tuesday 30 December 2014

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Image via Wishful Thinking

I don’t do these heart-to-heart posts often on this blog but with Christmas just gone, the topic of loneliness has been on the forefront of my mind and I felt an overwhelming urge to put pen to paper (so to speak). I wanted to start by clarifying that Christmas is my favourite time of the year (lest you think I am a regular Grinch) - I love the colours, the food, the traditions and I embrace it all with abandon. Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year when the absence of family and friends is felt more starkly for most. This year, with just Jordan and I at the Christmas table, the loneliness felt almost unbearable. We tried. We opened presents, we headed down to the beach, we cooked a lovely meal but with hoards of families enjoying the sunshine together, the chasm grew and grew. By late afternoon, photos of family gatherings back home began to appear on Facebook, obligatory phone calls from reluctant relatives were hurriedly received and made (or in my case, none were received at all) and Christmas lunch was eaten quickly and packed away quietly. Wine was drunk and self pity was had in spades. It was the very first Christmas that I wished away. And will hopefully be the last.

A few days away from the confines of home, doing some of my favourite things raised a few new questions and concerns (mainly for the future generation of little Smiths that will share in the same isolation), but thankfully, the time away allowed me to think and helped validate our continued choice of living away from “home”. I also realised something that brought a level of comfort and perspective to me, Jordan and I are not alone. There are others out there that have made the difficult choice to leave all they know behind to carve out new (better) lives for themselves. To have new opportunities, to live without unnecessary injustices or constant fear, to see the world, to have tangible dreams. There are others out there, like us, who are shy and take time to make good friends. There are others out there with family members who seemingly forget about them. And there are others out there who spent this Christmas by themselves, missing home and those they hold dear. If you are one such person, know that you are not alone. There are others who are experiencing the very same feelings and questioning the same choices. It will get better. Christmas just sucks once in a while. Next year promises to be way better anyway.

Bali (The Rest)

Monday 29 December 2014

Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas break!? For those of you freezing your butts off in the Northern Hemisphere, I am hoping to bring you a little colour and sunshine to brighten up your day by showing you the rest of my Bali pics (well if I am honest, I still have a few more pics of the rice paddies to share if you are willing). It was a mammoth task choosing my favourites so I kinda just chucked them all in. If you don’t have a cup of coffee, I suggest you go and get one now because this is a longy. Hope you enjoy going through them as much as I did…

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All images via Wishful Thinking

Merry Merry

Thursday 25 December 2014

Merry Christmas everyone! It’s just Jord and I this year so we’ll be eating untraditional food (steak on the barbeque) and drinking bubbles before 10am in our pyjamas and then maybe a swim down at the beach. Hope wherever you are, you have a wonderful day.

Christmas wreath print

Aussie Christmas Wreath Print | Hardtofind.com.au

Bali (Part Un)

Tuesday 23 December 2014

Hi again. I’m back. I know I said I was going to have a little break from my laptop for the festive season but well turns out I have some time on my hands for once! A Facebook message from a dear friend this morning (prodding me to post my Bali pics) was just the motivation I needed to put a little something together. There are hundreds of photos – all are just as colourful and vibrant as the next, but before I get into the meaty parts of our trip, I wanted to show you where we stayed. In hindsight, we selected very poor dates for our trip (schoolies and monsoon season… both presenting their own set of unique challenges) but luckily our accommodation in the second half of our trip, proved to be luxurious beyond belief. Architecturally designed, Aria Villas in Ubud is perched on the side of a valley. Close to the hustle and bustle of the town centre, but also tucked away next to the rolling rice paddies. We had sumptuous massages (complimentary massages are given to guests on arrival – heavenly), delicious food and knowledgeable guides right at our fingertips. A word of warning though, Jordan’s credit card is still smoking… but it was oh so worth it. Here’s why it was paradise for me.

Wishful Thinking - Aria Villas, Bali

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All images via Wishful Thinking