The Contingency Plan

Split-Level Living

I can hear my neighbours warmly greeting friends tonight.

It's been years since I've lived at home, but I still miss having friends pop by because they're in the area. It would happen at least a couple times a week when I was younger.

Over the years, friendships have fragmented and although I don't mourn the past, I certainly miss the comfort and security of having an established group of friends. What's happened? ... I no longer have to keep my apartment spotless all the time *grin*.

I live in a very different area to that in which I was raised. You could easily say I grew up in a dodgy area of Sydney, but now live in one of the wealthiest and most beautiful. And I went directly from one extreme to the other.

When I first moved here there were a few of things that really struck me: the quietness (I couldn't hear people's arguments, parties or the blasting bass of cars driving by), the number and ratio of luxury cars, the hoards of people exercising or walking their pets at any given time of the day, the overload of people wearing navy, white, cream and beige and the fact that I could walk around at night without a male or large group accompanying me. I felt so out of place!

Yet another thing I've also noticed is the lack of warmth and community, things seem so official. The only time I see friends is when we organize drinks or dinner parties and in my whole time I've never bumped into a friend on the street and subsequently spent the afternoon with them - my experiences are lacking intimacy.

Perhaps my goal for this week will be to get my place spotless and to invite all those old friends over... maybe I'll start a pattern.