What if...

This week there have been a few What if... moments for me.  You know, those moments that make you think.  Those moments that make you contemplate how different things could be, or could have been.  This latter one is one I'm not comfortable with as I firmly believe in looking forward, and only looking back to learn, not to dwell.  But alas, I have dwelled a little this week on a couple of occasions, but I did make sure I learnt something each time.  This is how it went...

 

On Monday I received a letter in the mail advising that my drivers license was overdue.  I was genuinely surprised by this.  I have a 5 year licence and as it's something I never look at I take it for granted that I'll get the renewal letter when needed and will renew it accordingly (like many others I'm sure).  Well guess what - the renewal went missing in the mail and I never received it.  So I've been blissfully unaware that I've been driving unlicensed for over 3 weeks!  Needless to say this was rectified first thing Tuesday morning, but it made me think what if I'd had an accident - my insurance would be void as I was technically unlicensed!  This opened up a can of worms (in my head).  Suffice to say I did learn something when looking back - check your bloody license every so often!

 

Tuesday morning dawned with the news of the Boston Marathon bombings and all the ensuing horrors, grief and dare I say, the mis-reporting and sensationalism in the media.  My heart truly goes out to the innocent victims and their families.  I personally struggle a bit with how appalled I am with humanity for such a cruel act, but how on the other hand how amazing humanity is in supporting and helping each other.  It really is a knife edge sometimes.  All of this made me (rather selfishly) think what if my parents were there - they will be in a month.  How would I feel?  How would I cope?  And then, how are the people there now coping?  What did I learn?  Not so much a learning, but a reminder.  Tell your nearest and dearest that you love them.  Often!

 

And then it was Wednesday.  Dare I utter these words: Go New Zealand!  No longer will I join my fellow Aussies to laugh at jokes about our kiwi neighbours as they are truly showing the way.  In case you missed it, yesterday New Zealand legalised same sex marriage.  I'm so happy for all the same sex couples in New Zealand who will now be able to legally marry and enjoy the legal rights that that brings.  I just wish Australia would get its shiz together and do the same.  So this great news made me think what if Australia legalised same sex marriage and the lovely Wayne and I could get married.  Would we even get married after all this time?  If so, how?  What?  When?  Where?  My ever restless mind went off in all directions with this one!  So what did I learn from this (even though I wasn't actually looking back)?  I learnt to not lose hope.  Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to marry my man in my own country one day!

G. xx