A picture that says 1000ish words

From the ocean to a nursing care home. Here are some lessons I've learnt during the COVID 19 pandemic (promise this isn’t really morbid).

Yes, that's me feeling my inner superwoman powers, Gabby finding her inner mermaid and the lads we met that very morning looking like they’ve just won the lottery. For me, this really was the day I hit JACKPOT. This photo was taken on my very first dive ever over 5 years ago. Just days before I was dabbling through all the usual inner doubts as to why I shouldn't have gone diving, whether it be the previous trauma problems with my ears, to just the mere fact that breathing through a tube seemed terribly claustrophobic to me.

Throughout my late teens i was QUEEN OF BAILING (as many of you are aware and accustomed to SORRY, even bailed and went home early on this trip hahahaha sorry @gabholmes i love you. Anyways, that is for another time) and i remember the very conversation i had with my mum previous to booking this gap year travel trip through South East Asia. It went something along the lines of mumma J saying “you’ll never book it anyway” and with that myself and Gabby took a trip to Brighton STA travel and bladdy well booked it. Never felt so cocky. Well done mumma J, clever lil reverse psychologist you.

Christ, i think its mental that if i hadn’t of booked this trip and gone for a try dive i wouldn’t of had the most incredible 5 years, done >100 dives, going on to do conservation internships in Thailand, getting a first class degree in marine biology, doing my scientific research diving and dive masters in Indonesia, participating in many world wide projects, interned in an oceanography centre in Greece, doing school talks to kiddies on marine biology... ya de ya da. IT IS MAD. Who'da thought i'd turn into such a fish freak and be proud of it. Yes, I might not have the most stable life in terms of finances and having a mortgage but i have never suffered and will ALWAYS find a way (i have had SO many random jobs) because i am always hungry for more.

“Nobody in the world has had the same experiences or influence that you have”

“They have 15 years of experience, when they mean one year, fifteen times”

The point I'm trying to get across is we all need to stop thinking so much. Since coming home from Australia due to COVID 19 i couldn’t help but feel yet another wave of disappointment in myself that i still didn’t have a stable career, relationship or my own home to crawl back to. That I needed to change in order to fit into the world around me for things to work, that I was doing something wrong not to have stability. In actual fact, having spoken to so many people living their last days, there tends to be a common similarity regarding what matter most at the end of the day. People. Family. Friends.

“Humility is not thinking of less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less”

I have literally had the most wonderful summer so far with my family. How lucky am I to be able to have such a beautiful home to come back to and be surrounded by so much support and love. I am extremely grateful. Anyways back to the point (sorry if you know me well you know i tent to waffle).

At the end of our days, it’s not the places you have been but the people you will remember most. If I hadn't just jumped into the deep end (excuse the pun) I would have never met the most amazing people from all over the world from whom i have learnt and grown so so much from. Considering most of my travels I have done solo, it was during these times I have never had such an enriched experience in making some incredible relationships that I know will last a lifetime.

I have had 98 year olds tell me time and time again not to fear trying and to just GO FOR IT in life because life is too feckin short and it flys by. We spend way too much time (well i do anyways) considering all the 'right' or the 'wrong' ways to do life but there is no such thing. YO GO DO YOU BO! This is key because when you find your groove and your passion, you will attract those on your wavelength and create the most beautiful friendships and it is those friendships that will carry you through the good and bad times. So i dare you to just try and DO IT, what YOU WANT, no more overthinking because as i get told everyday at work, life goes by so bloody fast and it's a waste of time living in fear of failure (and go see your grandparents <3).