JULY 13
Musings from the Middle of Nowhere
Where is nowhere? I looked it up on the map. Australia has Nowhere Track, Nowhere Creek, and Tasmania even has a place called Nowhere Else. Apparently, nowhere is a popular destination. For me, nowhere is not a place marked by coordinates or signposts. It is a state of mind. It is that moment when the world forgets to ask anything of you.
These days, nowhere feels increasingly difficult to find. The modern world insists we must always be somewhere important, doing something productive, and documenting it. Even coffee has become a performance. Heaven forbid we simply drink instant coffee in our pyjamas while staring into space. We should be sipping artisan blends in trendy cafés discussing mindfulness. The irony is that true mindfulness often happens when we are doing absolutely nothing.
My favourite version of nowhere involves a comfortable chair, a cup of coffee, and no plans. No appointments. No deadlines. No lists demanding attention. Just me, the birds outside, and whatever random thoughts wander through my mind.
Why do socks disappear in washing machines while Tupperware lids vanish in cupboards? Why do we buy notebooks and refuse to write in them? Why can we forget why we entered a room, yet remember an embarrassing comment from decades ago?
Children understand nowhere better than adults. Give a child permission to amuse themselves, and they will happily examine ants, build imaginary kingdoms, or find dinosaurs in clouds. Adults feel guilty after ten minutes of inactivity. We assume we should be folding washing, answering emails, or organising that drawer of mysterious cables.
Perhaps growing older should mean reclaiming our right to nowhere. Those pockets are not wasted time. They are breathing spaces between life’s chapters, allowing us to think, remember, laugh, and find answers without searching.
So if anyone asks where I have been today, I shall say: nowhere. Not lost. Not idle. Enjoying a holiday where the mind wanders freely.
