As I come ever nearer to pulling the curtain on my third decade I find myself thinking about mortality on a more frequent basis than before. A symptom of age undoubtedly. I seem to be questioning the rules and rubrics that society has constructed over the course of its existence. Do they benefit or inhibit me? I ponder where we all fit into all of this. How far can one prod these very rules and ensure they do not become a servant to them? I once read that ‘the rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men’ and this seems more pertinent as each sand grain passes through my own timer.

I have been testing geography a lot recently. Investigating the various soils of the earth. Barefoot as we were meant to. I spend a lot of hours sitting at road side cafes across different nations with disregard for time; making observations and scribing mental notes. Not on anything specific, but in the hope that all this adds to my cerebral armoury, for use at some later date for an occasion not yet planned. It’s important to note that these cafes are stumbled upon, not sought after. I felt it key to mention this. I think about the pursuit of success and the quest for more, knowing how it is riddled with setbacks and yet we embark on it willingly. I yearn for less technology and a life centred around hunting and gathering and yet I am as distracted by my phone as I have ever been. Am I any different to the ravenous monkey hypnotised by a bunch of perfectly ripe bananas?

I ruminate over the complexities of life. God, spirituality & culture. Where do I belong and whom with? It’s vital to spend time thinking about these things without letting them overcome you. I have been reading a lot recently, I aim to read more in this next decade and the one after, if I am so destined to live through them. I spend a lot of time thinking about the notions of work and leisure, trying to pinpoint the perfect ratio between the two, I am leaning towards 70-75% leisure.

As my third decade takes centre stage I am thankful for the the plethora of experiences that I have been privy to and how they have moulded me as a human. I know what I enjoy and that in itself is a monumental achievement. I will be leaving my twenties soon, striding confidently into my thirties and as Fitzgerald put it so well “We beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

 This line makes a lot more sense now than it did when I first lay eyes on it. I am sure it will be even clearer tomorrow and in the sunsets to come.

DV