Life is like a movie recording
The camera records new experiences to tell your story. Routine and predictable events are edited out to save memory space. If you live an ordinary life, your life’s movie may be a short one. If you live an extraordinary life, full of novelty and challenges, your movie is more like the director’s extended cut.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose
Dr. Seuss
Change your perception of time
My thoughts are shared by Dr David Eagleman, a neuroscientist fascinated by how the brain perceives the passage of time and memory.
His studies indicate that if you’re bored and not paying attention, your brain is less likely to lay down memories. For example, have you ever been driving and suddenly realise that you’ve arrived at your destination but with very little recall of how you got there?
Conversely, if you’re excited or in a risky situation, time may seem to slow down. An event that took 5 seconds seems to stretch to 10 seconds or more. This is because your brain is capturing as much information as possible to lay down memories so it can richly analyse past outcomes. This is what I refer to as making my life’s movie.
Many of us follow the same routine every day. We go to work, come home, sleep, get up and do it all over again. This kind of daily pattern seldom triggers your brain to record these events in any great detail and as a result, they are often edited out of your life’s movie.
How many new experiences did you have last year?
And the year before that?
Life is one big holiday
Since we moved to Scotland from Australia in 2016, our life has slowed right down – in a good way.
It feels like we have lived 10 years in the last 3 years.
Every day has brought with it new experiences, some good, others not so much. But we have continued to learn and to stretch. We’ve become flexible and responsive to whatever life throws at us.
- We live intuitively. We can feel the invisible hand of the Universe guide our way.
- We trust our instinct as it leads us on our journey to a beautiful life. And we are grateful for the lessons along the way.
- Our mind, body and spirit are alert to interpret the world around us.
- Our daily experiences have become vivid, beautiful memories that extend our perception of time.
Change and Circumstance
I appreciate that not everyone thinks and feels this way.
Some days I wonder what it is all for. But for at least 350 days a year I am super-grateful for my life as it is.
For more than 20 years, my husband and I dreamed of living overseas and specifically in the UK. In 2016, we decided to finally do it. To start over and move to the other side of the world with our two sons. We gave away or sold most of our possessions, in exchange for the opportunity to experience a new, more memorable life. More importantly, we will soon give our children the legacy of dual Australian-British citizenship.
It is a mindset. It is also circumstantial. Many people continue to struggle with daily life without a positive change in their personal circumstances, and without the love and support of others. For many, it can be difficult to find the light in their lives among the darkness.
I get that. And I’m here to say that I believe we’re each here for a reason and until that is achieved we can make a difference in the world and in the lives of others, in our own unique way.
Paying it forward
We can all help change lives by simply being. Care for your loved ones. Listen to your friends. Look out for your workmates. Speak with strangers. It all matters. By listening to stories shared by others both less and more fortunate than myself, I have made positive changes to my life. You can too.
Have you thought of how you can give your time, money, energy and love to others? Did you know that there are nearly 25,000 charities in Scotland – from community groups and care providers to animal welfare and environmental groups?
Fusion Playroom is my little neck of the woods where I give my loving energies and promote positive change.
I hope that by sharing my experiences and thoughts, I can provide inspiration and support to others. In particular, I love to reach out to others who want to move to Scotland and the UK generally.
My greatest reward is when I get messages and emails from readers who share their own stories and personal experiences with me – both before they leave and after they take a leap of faith to reinvent themselves in another country. I’m one of their biggest cheerleaders.
I also like to think that some of the locals gain a greater appreciation of this beautiful part of the world we live in. I thank them for being so welcoming to myself and my family on our Northern Hemisphere adventure.
I proudly call Glasgow home.
#auswegian
So what are you waiting for?
Quiet on set!
Roll sound.
Roll camera.
Action!
Scotland Road Trip: NC500 – Arisaig to Glasgow
