Davidson Street was my
saviour, my little abode where I rested as weathered the change of 2011 and
morphed into who I am now. It was the first time in my life that I was entirely
alone to fend for myself. No one to consult on decisions or to advise of an
expected arrival time. No rules apart from those I enforced on myself and no
one to check the odd sounds for me in the middle of the night. It was here that
I learnt many a lesson that one often learns in their late teens/ early 20’s
and it was here that I began to find myself. I am now embarking on my last
three weeks at Davidson Street and although I will again embrace the change
that has been bestowed upon me, I feel a slight twinge of nostalgia as the
onset of memories from the last twelve months replay in my mind.
As I sit on my balcony
this winters day I am reflecting on the past few years and as the rain starts
to fall and extinguish my cigarette I remember that change is inevitable and
its time to let go once again and move forward. June and July are always a
season of change in my life. Let me step back and restate the former – always.
I can pinpoint every major change in my life to either one of these winter
months and am now certain that my year begins in July and ends in June. Some
ancients believe that one’s birthday is the reset of one’s year, and as I near
my 25th birthday I feel as though my 2012 is about to begin.
The last few months
have been tumultuous. On second though tumultuous seems like an understatement,
try horrendous, but these horrendous times have not come without rebirth and
strengthening. Id like to pause for a moment and mention that in the last few
months some amazing people have come into my life and some old friendships have
been strengthened more than I could have ever imagined.
Single life in
Melbourne has not exactly been easy, but it’s been exciting and although I have
been here for over a year I still wake every day and appreciate every moment as
if I were on holiday. It’s the coffee and breakfasts that I now cherish that
make Melbourne what it is to me- liberating; and I now feel safe enough in
myself to relinquish the rules I so quickly self impose and jump into whatever
comes my way.
In three weeks I will
be moving in with my best friend and I am beyond excited. Since living in
Melbourne she has become a sister to me and us living together will form a home
that both of us have dearly missed since leaving our families and friends in Adelaide. She has been my rock, and although, at times I am tough to handle, she sticks by me, slaps me in the face and pushes me to be the best I can be. Thank you pumpernickel!
After moving home I will be off to Greece to my family’s island. Five weeks
alone in the family house on an island in Greece for the summer. This is my
present to myself. After Greece I will be off to London for four days to visit another
close friend who recently moved. This young lady also played a key role in helping me stand on my own and to her I am truly grateful and I can't wait to see the amazing life she has built for herself.
After my worldly travels it will be back home to Melbourne to end the Winter, rested and ready to make 2012 the best year ever.
So it’s here that
Davidson Street and I part, and I say thank you. Thank you for bringing me back
to who I once was and I hope that those who fill these walls after me find the
same enlightenment as I did.
<3 Benny.
