A simple 5 years ago I was about to turn 26. Life was good, if a little predictable. I had my job, my house, my friends and my routine. Ok, so I was pulling massive amounts of overtime, coping with huge amounts of stress (I thought!), and falling into a comfortable rut, but I was happy.
Within a year I had changed job within the organisation, moved 200 miles, and was living in rented accomodation with a new set of friends, a new predictable routine, and the ability to go back home and find most of my old rut waiting for me.
3 months later I had ditched it all. Thanks to some spectacular mis-management I decided to go contracting. This co-incided with some changes around my friends lives which dissapated my comfortable cushions and forced me to strike out afresh.
I moved to a new city, set myself up in a shared house with a bunch of strangers, and started working as an infrastructure architect to a group of developers. I'd always previously worked with other techies. This was very different. This was fun.
3 years ago at this time I was engaged. That's what leaving your comfort zone does for you! I was also in the process of moving again. This time about 450 miles to yet another city (a BIG one this time), a new contract, and a new set of challenges.
Just 2 years ago I was a few weeks away from being married, we'd moved again (our last for a while I hope), I'd changed job again (the life of a contractor!), and we were slowly establishing a cushion of our own. One that has a bit more permenance about it.
(You never realise when you're living in it, but the warm envelope of familiarity we wrap ourselves in is made up of so many elements we have no control over.)
Just last year, my daughter was less then 2 months old, I had changed job yet again, and life was chaos! Comfortable familiarity and predictable routine? With a baby? Not a chance! I'd love to say life was fantastic, but at that point, life was lived (although some days, life was survived!). I was certainly happy somewhere underneath it all though.
So, here we are, today. I haven't moved, I haven't changed job (although I am about to go permanent which is yet another huge change that seems small and logical at the moment), but life has changed yet again. My daughter changes every week. There is always a new discovery, a new facial expression, a new noise. Some predictability has returned; the morning and evening commutes anchor my day. My family is there to return to, my safe, warm cushion. And I'm certainly happy. Which is all that matters really.
So, that was 5 years. As I lived it, it was just life. Looking back, however, what a huge change! Here's to the next 5!
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