For all the things that haven’t gone according to plan — and there have been many — I can’t say life has been dull. If anything, it has been a series of reminders that the world remains an interesting place, whether you’re ready for it or not.

Work has taken me into a lot of different corners. Remote communities, mine sites, board rooms, hospitals, aged care homes, schools, dusty roads, and airports where the coffee always tastes the same no matter what country you’re in. Roles changed. Titles changed. Expectations changed. But the common thread was people — trying, failing, building, adapting. There’s no shortage of effort out there, even when the systems are messy or under-resourced or just plain stubborn.

Travel has done the same thing. It’s easy to think the world shrinks as you get older, but that’s only if you stop looking. I’ve crossed deserts and stood on beaches where the ocean feels too big to understand. I’ve seen cities where everyone moves fast and no one looks up, and small towns where everyone knows exactly who you are before you say a word. Every place leaves something behind, even if it takes years to realise what.

Time has given me a different lens. When you’re young, there’s urgency — a need to push through, get ahead, prove something. Later, you start to notice the details. Not meaning-of-life stuff, just simple things: a good conversation, a clear night sky, the sound of kids laughing somewhere down the street. Those moments don’t fix anything, but they give you a reason to keep paying attention.

People are complicated. I’ve worked with enough of them, argued with enough of them, relied on enough of them to know that everyone’s carrying more than they show. Some push through it, some get flattened by it, and some quietly find a way of stitching their life back together without asking anyone to clap for them. I respect that more now than I used to.

If there’s a lesson in all the moving around, it might be this: change is guaranteed, stability is temporary, and the best you can do is turn up and do what’s in front of you. Plans are fine, but they don’t override reality. Flexibility counts. Humour helps. A bit of grit doesn’t hurt either.

Even with all the challenges — the missteps, the wrong turns, the days where you wonder what the point of any of it is — there’s still something ahead worth leaning toward. I don’t know exactly what that is anymore. But I know enough to keep my eyes open for it.

So yes, the world remains an interesting place. It doesn’t always feel kind. It doesn’t always make sense. But it keeps offering new chapters, new people, new reasons to keep going. As long as that continues, I’ll keep showing up. Maybe a little slower these days. Maybe with my feet up more often. But still here, still watching, still curious about whatever comes next.