A chapter in my life is shortly coming to a close and a new dawn beckons. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted of my shoulders and with it leaves a lot of pain. Time is the greatest healer a human can possibly experience.
It was a decade ago that I decided to make the biggest decision of my life and relocate to a world I did not know. Being disillusioned with my life back in 2000 I was not a happy person. I had moved to a house where I never saw my flatmates, I was in a job I was not happy in and also at the end of a terrible four year relationship. The decision was simple, run away. So I did, to London.
Starting a new job in a city where you don’t know anybody is a challenge enough, moving into a new house with people you never met is frightening, but to start a relationship with a complete unknown is the biggest challenge of all. It was far from easy the years of 2001/2, they were financially tough. I was living in a house where it seemed there were more people than could possibly be contained, work was dull and my social life was hardly one to write home about.
The years went by and I finally felt settled in London, the relationship grew stronger, the work got better and though I moved at least twice a year I finally settled in a nice house by the river. But as usual with my life nothing was ever going to be easy and half way through the decade I found myself out of work, out of a relationship and almost homeless. So I made the temporary decision to run home with my tail between my legs.
Moving back in with your parents after eight years away is never an easy decision but it did allow me to become financially settled again and after several months of home cooked food I decided it was time again to return to London. Possibly the biggest mistake of my life.
The friends I had made were gone, all that remained was a shell of what my life once was, and the eerie laughter of days spent in pub gardens had turned into whispers in the wind. Places I used to frequent either torn down or transformed into an unrecognisable unwelcoming sight. Only the river offered any form of recognisable stability.
So here I am, ten years on from my move and the chapter of “London” is closing. I’ve lived, laughed, loved and lost since I first stepped foot into Elephant & Castle. I have felt highs and lows never experienced before. But through all the madness and sadness I would not change a second of it as it has made me who I am.
Sweden now awaits, a new chapter in my life begins. I am no longer the guy in his early twenties who moved to London to find that the streets were not paved with gold. I am wiser, smarter and more resilient. I know that Sweden is not a kingdom laid with treasure and heavenly days. It is going to be the biggest challenge of my life, living in another country where the language, laws, lifestyle and history is all so new. Making new friends will not be hard, and a relationship is already here. What makes this one such a challenge is that it really is delving into the unknown.
Physically I have not changed much in the last ten years, a few more lines on my face but mentally I’ve grown a skin tougher than a Rhino. Sweden is going to throw a lot of challenges my way yet as always I will face them head on.
A new decade, a new chapter. Let The Sweden Tales commence.
