I had this realisation the other day. Actually, it was just one of a number of moments of clarity I have had recently…A few weeks away from the office will do that.

Anyway, for me realisations come not so much as blinding flashes but slow, creeping new dawns. Wonderful “aah ha” moments that warm the soul like the morning sun on a crisp morning.

So there I was driving back from the Peats Ridge Music Festival after a quick stopover in Sydney to catch up with friends. Heading down the Hume Hwy with only my ipod and thoughts for company. (There should be a rule against being left with your own thoughts for THAT long).

And then I came to see something that I had never noticed before (apart from the Holbrook Submarine)…a significant part of the person I am today, took form in the 3 years I lived in Sydney.

I might have been 31 when I moved north but it was during the “Sydney years” that I started to come of age in many ways. My love of music found voice, I re-discovered my enjoyment of the bush, I learnt to scuba dive and even tried salsa for the first time (although I had totally forgotten about this until now).

All of this I did in the company of a small group of Sydney friends, who referred to themselves (and their extended circles of friends) as “Rent A Crowd”. They were different from my friends in Melbourne (they would say they were just plain different) but they were exactly what I needed as it turned out. I learnt something about how to be me in the most positive of expressions and it is something I have not stopped pursuing ever since.

And so I drove down the Hume recalling past adventures, appreciating the good fortune I had to meet such great people… and looking forward to the great possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead in 2010.

I look forward to sharing 2010 with you all and hope your year is full of wonderful realisations and actualities.