I think that perhaps if you have read much of my website, or some of my blog postings, you have perhaps realised that I have on occasion chosen a slightly different path in life. I have never really liked to fit into a mould, and have enjoyed many years of quite unusual self-employment, alongside the more traditional jobs that I have worked in.
After the separation from my wife, I took the fairly drastic step of packing my car with a few belongings, and driving six hours into the goldfields to the east of Perth, with no job, or even place to stay when I got there. In the mining town of Kalgoorlie I finally got a job as a driver of the huge trucks in the gold mine there. It was one of the best things I have ever done, in terms of experience, fun, meeting some great people, and dealing with a tough personal situation.
Back in Perth almost two years later, I am back at work in the city, and because I have a train station almost on my doorstep, I have been commuting to work by train most days.
In many ways I like it, because I have time to read a bit, or listen to some music, or simply just sit and watch the world go by – much more relaxing than driving to and from work.
This morning, I took the train and found myself walking along through the main station in Perth amongst hundreds of other peak-hour-city-commuters down a long narrow train station corridor.
Every one was following the unwritten laws of the morning commuter: keep left, keep moving, stay out of everyone else’s space. I have to admit, I didn’t like the feeling of being herded like a rat through a maze, and longed for my days in a mine truck, driving in Kalgoorlie or Telfer, no commuting, no crowds, endless open space.
As I was walking along, I thought about a video I had watched recently, which put a smile back on my face again. I found myself running through wild scenarios in my head of what it would be like to do something unusual, to give people something to talk about when they got home that evening. However, like everyone else, I had to be somewhere very soon, so I continued on my way and boarded the next train to work.
Take a look at this experiment/piece of art/street theatre?? I’m not really sure what to call it. But I would have loved to have seen it, or even better, have been a part of it! I heard about on my favourite radio station Triple J a few weeks ago:-