choice.

At this time tomorrow, I will be flying over the skies en route back to Melbourne. Home is now a concept I'm finding difficult to define, really. They say home is where the heart is, but what if you have a soft spot for more than one?

Being here is a good thing. A reprieve from the daily toil, to be among family and old friends makes senese. Yet, even the familiar turns a tinge unfamiliar when the little things don't quite add up. Perhaps, in more ways than imagined, I am estranged because emotionally, I have been uprooted, and while the mise-en-scene is the same, the direction of the script isn't.

And if you ask me why would I choose to return back to a 5-day working schedule compared to the endless summer of holidays, I would hesitate and tell you honestly that I do not know, except that it is familiar.

Today, I saw a good friend get married. They have been dating for many many years, and to see them take another step forward is a really nice thing. Maybe I have too many negative things to say about relationships, but then people like her bear a little hope that sometimes, some people managed to find what they're looking for, and that happy endings still do exist. And that tells me the world is still alright.

And really, romance is a fuzzy feeling that will eventually wean, unless people work at it. And there will be days, as my colleague aptly illustrates, whereby you wake up to a face of your kids puke, and the last thing on your mind is making an effort to do something nice for your partner or go out on a date. But love is something else. Love is sometimes the absence of a desire to sacrifice your non-existent time and freedom to wipe that mess up, tell your wife you'll look after two screaming kids while asking her to go buy something nice for herself while you cook dinner tonight. And that might sound abit far-fetched and not quite possible, but if it would make someone a little happier, would it not be worth thinking about it?

To give without expecting something back. The littlest things.

And without the benefit of that pretty picture, to put it simply, if you're cleaning up your kids' poop, doing the dishes, or taking out the garbage, just to help the other person out,

I think that's love enough.

. arigato .