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Closing circles because that's what life is.

Kaikoura-Seddon

The circle of life is not a very broad concept in my opinion. I'd rather think of life as a never-ending paper chain of circles, the kind of chain where every third loop is red, white and blue. You're constantly keeping your hands busy connecting pieces of paper into loops, and connecting the loops into each other. Sometimes a loop in the chain breaks up (after all, it is just paper) and you have to go back and fix the damage as well as you can. Sometimes the chain just holds together so well - like it would have a mind of its own, telling itself to stay in one piece - and seems like using the stenchy glue was a waste of time in the first place. Yes, that's more like what life is: a red, white and blue paper chain.

I am back in Seddon, the place from where I started my journey on South Island two months ago. Looking back on the things I've done, the emotions I've gone through and the people I've met, I think I can safely say that I am richer now. Richer in mind that is - as for my wallet, I cannot say the same. People say that you learn important lessons from traveling, and all the hardships that come with it, such as 'never give up', 'every cloud has a silver lining', 'strength of mind will triumph', etc. It's always about not giving up, not letting go, being yourself, or something else as grand as that.

In all honesty, I have to say that the most important lesson I've learned within the past two months has been: 'Don't let yourself be bored.' And I think that's a reasonably good lesson, mind you. Boredom is the nasty old man in the corner of a street, wearing raggy clothes and begging you for your time and money. You, of course, do your best to walk past as fast as possible, but boredom, the mischievious little thing, will try to trip you over with his cane every time you try trodding past him. That's what I've learned to avoid, the cane of boredom.

Now, before I go on blabbering more about old men and canes, I will come back to the initial idea of text - circles. The people living in a circle of life are bound to two things, birth and death, the beginning and the end of the circle, and everything else in between is null, boredom. The people living in a colorful chain of circles are bound to only one thing, which is hanging up the chain on to the ceiling to make your life festive. Keep yourself busy connecting the circles of your life together and boredom won't have a go at you.