I was feeling this burst of utter contentment today. I don’t really know what to do with such intense contentment. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this content with my life as I do now.

My initial fears in moving to new places are the concerns of feeling isolated and disconnected from the local community. Funnily though, that after being in Merrylands hardly a month I feel more connected to the local community in some aspects than anywhere else I’ve lived. People are just so friendly. I don’t need really deep connections, but people just talk to one another. Strangers. The shops today made me smile with glee after I chatted with the woman at Franklins in the queue with me and then went to the fruit and veg shop where the woman was talking to me about the curry I was having for dinner cause she was Indian. She says as I’m leaving, nice to see you, I haven’t seen you before. I tell her I’m new here and I feel this happiness to think she knows her local customers.

These simple, yet friendly interactions have happened here now too many times to count. I don’t know what’s happened in some places where we feel we can’t just have a general chit chat with those around us. It’s so great here and I think these simple things have made me feel sufficiently connected and that I will be looked after here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 3:48 pm.