But sometimes, on your darkest day or your coldest night, memories are all you have. When I think about the past, about my sorry excuse for a life, it's ever so difficult to pick the best moments. My greatest hits. I wonder what I will see if my life ever flashes before my eyes?
I think back to year 7 camp at the cricket ground, and running the Christmas Island marathon with some of my closest friends. I'm sleeping out under the stars at Dolly Beach, damming the fresh water streams and listening to the waves crash against the rocks, and watching the massive mother turtles struggle against all odds up the beach to lay their eggs. I see me performing with my best mate Sione in the 2003 circus, and acting in the play Karaoke Kristmas, getting to play out some of the most monumental moments in Christmas Island's fascinating history.
I'll never forget the geography trip to Northam eating one of Mr. Carters famous curry pies at Bakers Hill, and going to Cott beach on a hot summers afternoon to celebrate finishing our last ever TEE exam. And graduation night, and Leavers, which was an absolute blast sleeping on the beach (illegally), and scrambling around the Leavers party trying to find anyone who resembled a friend!
And then I come to my time at uni. By a long, long way the best two and a half years of my life! Not just because of the epic Tav sessions or the parties, or rocking out to Dan's guitar, or $4 pasta Wednesdays, but the little things as well. Like sitting in the common room waiting for the Cell Biology lecture in the random shed, spending countless hours watching Transformers, Indiana Jones and Once; the movie with not nearly enough explosions. There's swimming in my undies at Leighton Beach with Alex and a whole bunch of random people I had only just met, and that field trip to Harry Waring Marsupial Reserve (and the crazy dataset that ensued!). I think about waiting with Lina for what seemed like hours in the cue for the toilets at Oktoberfest, and being one of the founding members of the CEBC, and getting out of a cab with Cass in god-knows-where, falling into a prickle patch and somehow making it back to Nicola's house alive.
Of course, there are other memories, almost 20 years worth in fact, which all could pass through my brain the moment I die; dodging crabs on my bike on CI, Silly Softball, my first girlfriend, watching Sachin Tendulkar bat at the WACA, crying after Australia got knocked out of the 2006 world cup, random tree climbing, Hank-Anthony moments, chasing the elusive stingray with Vince and Max, epic 5-way chain-spoons and many, many more.
Looking back on the past is a difficult thing, but it is also a wonderful thing. Writing this post has made me feel quite up-beat, and emotional, in a good way. So I encourage you, dear reader, to get out a piece of paper and scribble down some of your favourite memories, you might feel better for it!
What are your greatest hits?
I like to think that the simple, usually overlooked things in life are just as important as the big memories. :')
ReplyDelete