I mused to Hubs the other day that our life provides many “Sliding Doors“* moments where our decisions can, and do, completely alter the direction and immediate outcomes of our lives. Most people’s sliding doors moments come from external sources; new neighbours, new people at work; new schools to attend; and these things generally won’t impact on their whole lives, just an aspect.

I’m referring mainly to our moving from place to place so often.  When we move, we move. Since Hubs and I were married, we have lived in the following places, in order:

Brisbane
Melbourne
Wangaratta
Mount Beauty
Back to Wangaratta
Townsville
Ingham
Mount Isa
Rockhampton

I look back at the friendships we have formed over the years, due to our moving around so much, and it makes me ponder over two things in particular. Firstly I can’t imagine our lives without the people we met and befriended in all the above places. I just can’t. We still holiday together; we keep in touch by phone and letter and email and fb; they are the Godparents for our children; they were there in the early years of our marriage, and when we first got pregnant and had our first baby; they were not just our substitute family and friends after leaving everyone behind in Brisbane – they were and are so much more than that and I simply cannot fathom how we could possibly exist without them in our lives.

The second thing I wonder is twofold. Who will we meet next, and who will we never get to meet? There are so many good people out there, and I know that we can’t be friends with everyone, and it really makes me believe that the people we have met along the way are truly meant to be a part of our lives. I sometimes get frustrated with our dodgy old house and how much these renovations are costing us and is it really worth it and maybe we should have bought somewhere else or just rented. But then I think of our neighbours and the impact they have had on our life here and I don’t regret buying this “renovators delight” for a second. We never would have met some of them, and certainly would never have had the relationship we have with them, if they didn’t all live right across the road from us.

Rockhampton really was a random move for us. The job was supposed to be available from August, and being so damn miserable in Mount Isa, I told Hubs we should take it. I honestly wouldn’t have cared where it was (okay, within reason) I just needed to leave the Isa. But then we found out he wouldn’t be able to start until January. It was still a great job opportunity so he still accepted it, but in hindsight, we could have gone to a number of different places. And honestly, it’s been one of the best moves for me in so far as friendships and support networks.

When I was deciding about whether or not to have another baby, (Hubs was already on board, just waiting for me to come to my senses) I told him that if we were to go down that path, we would either have to move back to Brisbane or stay here for another year.

So here we are. We are almost definitely going to be moving at the end of this year, so I am making the most of my village while I have it. And who knows who will be on the either side of the next lot of sliding doors.

*I bloody love this movie. The premise, the execution, the actors. It still gets me thinking, nearly 20 years later!