Changing tides.

This week was spent in the isolation of a popular tourist island, located off the shores of Brisbane. Tangalooma Resort, a name seemingly synonymous with relaxation, beautiful beaches, Quad-biking and shipwrecks has been my place of captivity covering these last seven days, whilst I experienced a new range of somewhat perplexing emotions.

This trip was much more impactful on my current life than what I had originally thought as a collection of coincidences lead to my new frame of mind, revealing just how much this past year has matured my conscious self. But first, we'll begin with the amazing experience that was Tangalooma resort.

The beach was absolutely stunning, the way the sunlight was caught in the reflection of each rolling wave created a view similar to the likes of an ocean of clear diamonds. The water was crisp and clear, never becoming murky, even as rippling waves kicked up the sand beneath them, the water never ceased to have a crystalline clarity. Even something as unexciting as the sand on the beach held a certain beauty unlike that of the beaches of the coastal cities. The sand held a rich yellow colour, making it seem almost artificial whilst being much finer than what I've ever experienced... And I've lived by the beach for more than 11 years, so thats saying something! With the beach looking as beautiful as it did, almost everyday was spent basking in it's serene waters.

If I wasn't at the beach, my time would be spent partaking in the myriad of tours and opportunities presented to me. From tobogganing down 30ft high sand dunes to riding in a helicopter on a birds-eye tour of the island, I made the most of the time I had in this beautiful island resort.

Here comes the slightly heavier part of my vacation, as a word of warning the following may be slightly emotional.

I'll start with the easier part of my story of personal growth. During my time on the island, as expected I had my phone by me at all times in the hopes of finally receiving the phone call that I had been successful in my job interviews. Waiting by the phone day and night I began to grow weary of this wild-goose chase, feeling that my phone was becoming more of a hinderance than a beacon of hope. I learnt how hard it was to keep sand from reaching my phone, as even though it was wrapped in my towel countless times it couldn't resist the sands enigmatic attraction. Almost as though to answer my prayers of freeing me from the shackles of my phone, on the second day of beach-going I received an email alerting me to my lack of suitability for the many jobs I applied for, leaving a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

Now the biggest change came that night when I received a saddening phone call from my bereft girlfriend, the loss she was grieving was of my own. That night we separated down our own paths of growth, as it was for the best of both of us. The feelings felt after this moment in time had passed were heavy to say the least, but like a sapling after a storm this lead to a time of personal growth. I searched the very depths of my psyche to think and process the changes ahead as a result, but unlike my adolescent self, separation doesn't always need to lead to complete and utter loss of contact. Using the rest of the time I had on my holiday away, I centred and grounded myself as I could feel my thoughts mature. In the end we agree'd that despite not being 'together' we could always remain as close friends, theres no reason to remove yourself from someones life if you and that person still share a connection that can support each others futures. So like the adults we are, we ended on an overwhelmingly positive note. Something that I would have thought was unthinkable if I were a year younger. In the end despite such a sad happening I can say without a doubt that she'll always be a beautiful soul and a beautiful person.

To those of you that continued to read despite my warnings, I thank you and can't emphasise enough the appreciation I have for you all.

A word from the writer.

Josh.