On “here” and “there.”

I can’t count how many times I’ve wanted to be some place other than Melbourne.

Some days I dreamed of being on a white sandy beach in Bali, Phuket, or Krabi; other days I wish I was back home in Singapore.

More often than not, I find myself missing people. At the beginning, I often wondered if they missed me, too – but as time goes by I’ve become less concerned about that simply because it doesn’t really matter if they do (or do not).

It’s been said that “it’s the people that make a place” and I find it hard to disagree. I have no qualms about being alone – in fact, my psyche demands it from time to time – but memories are best made with those near and dear to my heart. That group of people changes because of a season, a particular country, or simply because we were all there at the right place at the right time.

The phrase “wish you were here” is thrown around loosely (in fact, many phrases are thrown around loosely nowadays, but I digress). While air travel has made it easy to jetset around, we can’t always be where we want to be. It is made even harder by the fact that so many of my close friends (and not to mention my family) and I are separated by a state, or a large body of water.

Somehow I feel this post is going in circles, repeating this one thing: I wish I were someplace else with the people I love.

But I’ve come to realise one thing. Wherever they are, that place is made better because of them. And because of that reason, I half-wish they aren’t here (wherever that is) with me.

I hope they know they’re making their surroundings better. That they have the power to make an impact, however small and seemingly insignificant. And in some small way, I am blessed in knowing that there, wherever there is, is lucky to have them.

The Chinese have a saying: 既来之；则安之。

Translated, it means to be content wherever you are.

Melbourne is a great place. As with every relationship, I’ve fallen out of love with her… and I’m back to loving where I live.

So yes, there are days I feel like telling a whole bunch of people, “I wish you were here.” But then I also find contentment in saying, “I’ll see you soon. Maybe sooner than you think.”