If I Could Choose

Last week at work, a customer said to me, if I could choose where I wanted to be right now,
where would I choose to be? And what would I like to be doing?

My immediate answer was "not here that's for sure".

He then said I should give it some thought.

(D and his wife K are lovely people, they come in every single week, one of my favourite couples)

If I had unrestricted choice, globally, where would I like to be?

Globally? Wow!

And what would I like to be doing?

Since then, I've been thinking about it.

Quite a bit.

My first thoughts were for faraway places that I've always wanted to see.

Canada, New Zealand, Tasmania, even Ireland. (I might get lucky and meet a Leprechaun....)

All of these are English speaking places and I would love to live in each one for a summer. No winters, I couldn't handle snow.

But permanently? No.

So I'm trying to think of places in Australia where I would love to be. Where I would love to live for the rest of my life.

There's quite a few things to consider in this fantasy. I still want to be near my family. I'd need reliable digital TV reception. I'd need internet access. High speed broadband? Yes. Mobile phone coverage? Yes. Easy, (well reasonably easy), access to a shopping centre, library and medical/dental centre. Keeping in mind that I don't drive.

(And since I'm dreaming, I'd like to live in a place where the summer temperatures don't get above 30*C too often, or winter temperatures don't get below 20*C, or 16*C at the very lowest. Does Australia have such a place?)

I'd really love a little country town, with a small population, beach in front, rain forest behind.....neighbours within yoo-hoo distance but not so close I can hear their toilet flushing....I'm not a social person although I do enjoy occasional company, maybe at a cafe. And no 24/7 semi-trailers barrelling down the road in front of my home.

But I've narrowed it down to three areas. With a fourth possibility.

> Adelaide, (eastern suburbs) which I know and love, but a house of my own away from main roads that have non-stop traffic.

> One of the small towns in the Adelaide Hills area. Again, a house of my own, with space for family to visit and maybe sleep over, a yard (not too big), where I could plant vegetables in the ground instead of in pots, maybe have a few fruit trees. And a rainwater tank.

> Victor Harbor. It has all of the above things, plus a beach. I've heard it's very nice there, whales and dolphins can be seen in the ocean and it's not too far from my family. They could drive to see me, I could catch a bus to Adelaide and see them.

>The fourth possibility? Tasmania. Yes, I know it has a little snow in the winter, (brrr), but it's still Australia, there's a ferry to the mainland, buses and trains to my family. And good growing soil.



The second part of this question, what would I like to be doing?, is much easier to answer.

Nothing.

Well, not working anyway.

I'd like to be retired.

Because I'm weary.

Not just tired, that's easily fixed with a few days off and lots of sleep.

No, I'm weary. I just don't have the get up and go that I used to have.

Being bright and cheerful for customers day after day, when I'm normally a quiet loner type, is tiring.
 The aches and injuries I'm constantly recovering from are wearying.

I would like to be able to sit down in between jobs around the house, I can't do that in between customers. It's go go go.

I would like to be able to sleep when I like, for as long as I like, or as little as I like.

I would like to spend the whole day reading, on the internet, or a book.

I would like to be able to potter in my garden if the whim took me, or walk into town to a cafe and have lunch, maybe meet up with friends or neighbours, or not, as I choose.

I want to never wear a uniform again. Ever.

If I could find that little country town, I could gradually get to know the community, eventually do a little volunteer work or some other community type thing with friends that I'd make. Bingo? Baking for fundraising cake stalls? I can do those....

So there it is. I want a quiet life, a home of my own, away from constant traffic, but close enough to family and friends. Time and space to just sit and dream.