“The great thing about new friends, is they bring new energy to your soul” – Shanna Rodriguez
I had someone remark to me the other day that I’m “so brave” because of the life I’m currently living (in particular regard to leaving my life in Australia and moving overseas by myself after a break-up), and it got me thinking.
I grew up in a small town of 100,000(ish) people in Northern Australia, and until I quit my job and went overseas for the first time at 24 years of age, I’d never lived anywhere but my home town. I had made numerous attempts to leave and move to the east coast, after years of complaining (the good people of Darwin’s favourite past-time; complain about the weather and then do happy dances all dry season), but either family, boyfriends or my own laziness held me back from pulling the trigger on moving. I had friends make the big move, and many would say it was surprisingly difficult to make new friends. “Brisbane girls are super clique-y” they’d say, and “Girls in the big cities aren’t like they are in Darwin”. This all may be true, but I remember I always thought: I’m not worried at all about making friends in a new city.
And it’s true, I never have. Whether I moved overseas with a boyfriend, a friend, or completely by myself, I’ve never had a problem making new friends; locals, foreigners, Aussies, aliens, donkeys, whoever. And I love that when I meet people, they only seem to want to hang out with me more. I love knowing I’m sending that positive energy out to other people, and even better when I receive it back and you vibe on that familiar level.
So ask yourself…
- What is your energy saying about you?
- What kind of person are you presenting to the world as yourself?
- Do you ask questions about others, or just talk about yourself?
- Are you contributing to the conversation, or is someone else having to carry it?
- Are you interrupting others when they speak?
- Are you LISTENING to what they say?
That last one is a big one, and one I struggle with; who doesn’t tune out a little when they’re trying to wait to tell their own super awesome story. But then you’re no longer listening, and that’s Bad Friend 101.
My point is, making new friends is a fucking great thing. Have you ever made one of those new GREAT friends, where you both click instantly and start talking more often, then soon its almost daily and eventually every time you get off work it becomes “Hey what are you doing, I’m coming over”; every time you hang out, it’s a damn good time.
I LIVE FOR THOSE MOMENTS.
My life is so enriched by these kinds of friendships I’ve been fortunate enough to make over this lifetime, all over the world. And just when I think my life is so amazing, and it can’t get any better… I meet a new group of friends, or join a new workplace/team/etc and things just get SO MUCH BETTER. Sure, sometimes you don’t stay as close, or even stay friends at all. People come and go, thats the ebbs and flow of life baby. Even break-ups, love lost – I don’t hold any anger for anyone who was once a close part of my life and no longer is. Life brings people together, and then sometimes they go in a different direction than you. We are all always changing. And I love knowing there are amazing people all around the world who have touched my soul, and I theirs, and they are out there living their own version of their dreams, and I’m cheering for them from the other side of the world, wishing them all the happiness I know they deserve. So many of my best party friends are now stay-at-home Mums who are thriving in their new roles… And I couldn’t be prouder.
So I just wanted to take this moment to say THANK YOU to all the souls I’ve met in these 31 years of living on this great Earth. Thank you to the best friends I’ve had for decades who will always have my back. Thank you to the past loves who inspired me and changed me for the better. Thank you to the people I have connected with in my travels in the jungles, salt flats and big cities in nearly 30 countries and counting. Thank you to my amazing circle of people here in Canada, who are surpassing my wildest dreams of what it would be like to live in Canada. You all make this little Aussie so damn happy every damn day.
I get asked almost daily, “But don’t you miss your friends and family back home?” – “Miss” is a tricky word for me, and this is a question I struggle to answer sometimes. “Missing” someone implies that you feel sadness, and they are gone – but I don’t feel like any of these people have ever left me; As corny as it sounds, I carry all of you in my heart, in my memories, in my smile right now. I am me, because I have been touched & changed by all of you.
So thats just my thought for today. I know my most recent blog posts have had a heavier theme to them lately, as i’ve been doing some work digging into the darker parts of myself which I’m no longer running from, but have no doubt that this happy little hippy is as happy as ever! I am realizing lately how much strength and courage it takes to admit your flaws, and stare your demons in the eye… and allowing myself the space to work through them without distracting myself with people who aren’t worthy of my attention has been a huge place of growth for me.
Big love from “It never snows in Vancouver but it’s snowing like crazy right now” Vancouver!
- Belle
belletakesontheworld 