Short Story
It's not going to happen to me you know.
I'm not gonna be like them. Them, where I grew up. Them, where I started my life.
They're trapped in. Trapped in by all them walls they built. They're never gonna leave where they are and they're gonna keep being like they've always been. Thinking that havin' a house and making kids is all it's about.
You know what. My mum and dad. Mother and father. They lived right next door to each other. That's how they met. How sad is that? That's not my life my friends.
I know different. I know more. I'm seeing the world. Well I have been. Not now, but things is different now. Doesn't mean I'm gonna join the grey brigade.
It's sad really. How conditioned they are to believe that that's all life has to offer. That in this great ocean we call life, you spend every day in the same house, almost never leaving. I guess it's all they've ever known and therefore it's all they ever want. It's what they saw when they started life so it's what they aimed for. To be like mummy and daddy and father and mother.
They stuck around. Not me. They shut themselves off from the rest of the world and the only life they lead is when they poke their heads out and see the same old hairy faces everyday. They've surrounded themselves with similar people and do similar things. Well I haven't.
I travelled. I went loads of different places with loads of different people. We travelled miles and we're gonna keep travelling. I've stopped now, but I'm gonna get back out there, I know I will.
It was great. Sometimes we were up, sometimes we were down, but always exploring always living life. You can say I just skimmed the surface of life but there's so much to the surface, sometimes that's al you need. On the surface of things there's still so much to look at, to feel, to experience.
I don't wanna live my parents life. I love them and they taught me well, but, it's just so dull what they did, what they've done, what they do. They even eat the same stuff every day. Hardly venturing outside their front door and just washing down the same crap each morning, noon and night.
When I was with the guys, out, sailing the seven seas, I never needed food. Just exploring was enough for me. Just surviving on what I had. Things are a bit different now, you gotta stop sometimes, especially when it's this good.
See I've been travelling, I've seen things and some of it's bad, some of it's good, but none of it is a good as this. Since I found this place I've had a whale of a time. Everything is perfect. The look, the feel, the chemistry. It's all perfect here. I mean, look at it, does it not just look like the place for me? Does it not look like me?
Dunno why the old gang moved on. I loved the guys and the scrapes we got in but clearly we wanted different things. I'm not jealous of them. They can do what they want, but I've seen enough of the world to know that it's ok to stop for a bit. You can get a house and chat to the same faces without being stuck somewhere for ever, right?
So yea, I have stopped, and I'm enjoying it. It's relaxing. It's nice to feel that security sometimes. To not always have to be shooting from one place to the next. To have a couple familiar faces around you rather than just being thrown together with strangers all the time. Difference between me and my parents though, is I chose this, so I can leave this. I'm not stuck. I don't have to be here. I can move. I just don't want to. This is me right now and that's cool.
Plus, I've got this place. This place is pretty sweet. Wanna know why? I made it myself. My folks taught me that you gotta build it yourself, then you know it's gonna last. I'm gonna extend it too. Make it real nice. It's solid and secure and even better, it's a place of my own. I can be myself in here. I can do what I want. Haha, if only the neighbours knew what I got up to in here. My own little world. If I don't like what's going on outside I just shut the door and have peace and quiet. Much better than putting up with everyone else's crap.
Another thing, I'm not like my parents cause I've got good people around me. Every day I go out and I can see them. They're a lot like me, they travelled first, but then they found this place and wanted to stay. It's cool to have people who've shared your experiences. Yea, they're all a bit older and haven't travelled for a while but I can see why they stayed. You got people around you, great food just outside your door and it's a great place to bring up kids.
See, I've met someone. They're a bit older, which is really cool, so they just know so much more about life in this place. They know how it all works. We're casual though. Just gonna see what happens. Thinking about kids though. That's my new adventure. I suppose I've always wanted them and after travelling, finding this place and finding the right person, it seems right. Also, they next door which is pretty sweet!
Thing is though, with the kids, I've got to be realistic. I've got to make plans for the future. Gotta be responsible. So, yea, I reckon I'll stay for a while. I'm not gonna be stuck here forever though. Barnacle Bobby does what they want!