My earliest memory of change is probably the first time my family and I moved house. After this, we did it 6 more times. It was a habit of my Mums – she tends to get bored easily, and as much as she was annoying to be around at the time of selling and buying due to stress, I really liked moving house. Obviously, there are a lot of things that change in our lives every day. No matter how minuscule they seem, when you look back on them they form a series of changes, each one somehow linked to another in order to determine a particular outcome and show you how you got to where you are today.
Other than moving house, I hadn’t endured many considerable changes in my life, that was until December 2005 when I met Glynn. During the first stages of forming some kind of relationship, I honestly didn’t believe the choices I made that holiday would mean any massive changes in my life. Partly because I didn’t want anything serious like that at the time, and partly because I saw it as unrealistic due to the distance between us. Obviously that didn’t pan out how I thought it would have, but I’m so grateful for that. Who knows where my life would have lead had he not made that first trip up to Perth. Would I know how to fix a flat tyre yet? Would I ever have visited Manjimup? Would I still be close to Windy Harbour mates? Would I have even made the decision to travel?
The next massive change in my life came in 2007 when I lost my friend Carys. I’d never lost anyone before this – well, not anyone I was close enough with – so this came as a shock. Watching someone who was just as normal as you and I be struck with one of the worst diseases possible and still manage to have a belly laugh and smile was so inspiring. I can’t even imagine how heartbreaking it would be to know that soon you’re not going to be able to hug your Mum and Dad or play with your little sister, give your brother advice – I crumble simply thinking about it. Being able to stay so strong and make the most of her time on earth considering the circumstances is utterly admirable. Carys has changed my life by inspiring me to get out and LIVE. When I’m having a lazy day I can just hear her saying, “Sneably, get off your ass woman!” I like to think she had a contribution in me pushing myself to do this trip.
I honestly feel this trip alone has created change in me. Not me as a person, but the way I think about certain things, my confidence, my level of bravery, my values. As a result of making a decision that lead to a massive change, I’ve learned so much about myself, about places I only ever dreamed of visiting but never considered it would become a reality, about Sarah, and about people I left back home.
Speaking of home, it seems I’m going to return to some big changes. Some not-so-great things have happened while I’ve been away, and some great. My Grandma passed away recently and not long before that so did our family dog, Sol. Glynn now has a new girlfriend which is never easy to take in, but as hard as it is sometimes, I’m happy with the decision we made and I stick by it. My family has moved house (yes, again) which is going to be a massive physical change – to come home to a new house is going to be incredibly strange but also cool – I love decorating a new room! My sister Ashleigh is moving schools which is weird because every O’Hara girl in the family (even Dad’s sisters) has only ever gone to St. Brigid’s. What a rebel. And who knows what else will change from the moment I post this blog til the moment I arrive home?
All I can say for sure is that I like change. It can provide you with incredible sadness or utter euphoria, but something useful always comes out of it. The change itself may not be enjoyable at the time, but the idea that it plays a part in leading to something new is exciting. This trip is probably the biggest change of all, and I feel like it’s struck a chord and created what I hope to be a domino effect of change! Yeah, Domino’s is boring, but change is exciting.
