The succulent greens watching over the precious purple jacs, already hint at being in another city. It may only be an hour or so away by soaring through the air, but it is still distinctly different. The humidity that clings to the skin like an annoying 3 year old wrapped around your leg, tells me we are no longer in Melbourne Dorothy.
Only this time, the little nuances between people are not there. The shop keepers make eye contact with a little twinkle of a smile that in previous visits was stored away, reserved for only those deemed deserving of that special glint. Now, it seems, anyone who takes the time to scan the QR code and enter their details and remember a face mask, is worthy of that twinkle. Could this be the new sense of community? The community that everyone complained was non-existent in big cities. Or is it just a new appreciation for interaction with those not deemed our immediate loved ones?
Let’s be honest, being let out of the world’s most not so liveable city definitely puts a hop skip and a lot of chat in one’s step. While the locals sit quietly on the street corner mumbling between themselves, a little hurricane from Melbourne turns up with a lot of twinkle and glint at the prospect of meeting new people, in a new location, with new stories. They had no choice but to be moved by such excitement to be in their city, and I was ever so grateful to be welcomed into their mumblings with such warm compassion and understanding.
The great divide between Sydney and Melbourne seemed to dissipate as stories of lockdown and unreasonable to reasonable laws were discussed with understanding and sometimes acceptance. The common feelings of helplessness and lack of choice seemed to be what unite people, even on a minuscule scale.
So thank you Sydney, for opening your stores, stopping on the streets and in the parks to have a chat about the roses, the best place for coffee, where to go on a rainy day, and simply, just to say hello.
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