I am participating in the 2016 A-to-Z Challenge. My
theme is the music of my life.
From 1999 to 2002, it was as if my life-choice dial was stuck
on repeat.
I went back and forth to Australia three different times. I was once
again trying to make a life in a foreign country, once again involved in a
dead-end relationship, and once again miserable. Although I had some amazing
travel experiences in Australia and New Zealand (I did a two week tour from top
to bottom in NZ, traveled from Darwin to Alice Springs and spent a good
amount of time in the Outback; later, I did a two-week stint from Sydney to
Cairns), lived twice in Melbourne and had the opportunity to work and live
there as a resident (once in a homestay and another time with a friend in an
apartment), I was physically and psychologically worn down. Another relationship with a guy who was not a good match for me was wreaking havoc with my emotions. It felt like London all over again. The only difference was that I was in Australia.
In March of 2002, I turned thirty and
something inside me clicked. What was I doing? Why did I keep running from one country
to another looking for a man who apparently did not exist? In May of that year
I left Australia for home and permanently hung up my ex-pat cloak. Enough was
enough.
It was time to meet someone and settle down…at least
that was what I thought. It would be four more years before I met my husband,
and there was still a lot of heartbreak to come.
Have you ever repeated the same mistakes over and
over again?
