I was lying on then edge of the pool at Bondi icebergs soaking up the mid morning sun after doing some laps with my brother. I was wet and cool, my nose running with salt water, face first, resting my chin on my crossed hands. My brother seemed to have this all worked out, he was a young and energetic entrepreneur who successfully lived life by his own rules. “This is how I want to start everyday “ I told my brother.
I was staring back towards the beach and the rest of Bondi having a moment of realisation. I don’t want get up at 5.30am and be onsite at 7 o’clock every fucking morning. Fuck plumbing, fuck Canberra. I don’t want to bust my nuts everyday. I want to swim and lie in the sun and you know….. take it easy.
“Well….start your day the way you want and build your life around that” my bro replied. I always thought he was pretty smart but today I realised he was a Genius! He was right, for so long I’d been doing it wrong. I had been living like an idiot and it now was so obvious. Start your day the way you want!!!
In my under developed brain I interpreted this as being don’t work, start every day by taking it easy and get on the dole and everything will work out. And he was right, sort of.
Soon after, I became a full time bum. I quit my Job, headed off overseas, spent all my money and came home. Instead of going home to Canberra, I decided to stay at my brother's house in Bondi, totally uninvited. I was determined to start my days the way I wanted and I wanted bondi.
My brother was pretty patient with me. Partly because he was so busy and partly because I was a tough conversation to navigate. He new I was staying and he new I was too stupid to work it out for myself so he kind of let me be, probably, hoping that something would give somewhere and my life would be a little more removed from his.
I’m a firm believer that the universe gives you what you need when you need it most and on this particular day, that notion was confirmed. I was lazing in to my day with no real plan when the phone rang, it was the land line, mobiles weren’t a thing. I answered, it was my brother's mate Paul “Yo, what’s up?”I asked in my ‘Im from the streets kind of cool.’
“Not much, I’m going for a coffee with my girlfriend, wanna come?”
“Sure.”
So, 10 minutes later, I met up with Paul and his girlfriend Carla at Gustos cafe. We had coffee, a few laughs and I explained that my plan for the day was to get to the dole office at Bondi Junction and sort my future out. As it turned out Carla had business up there too and offered me a lift. Perfect. Coffees finished, high five and off we went. We got on well right from the get go, our conversations were easy and fun. Once finished with the dole office, we decided to go back to Bondi beach for a swim. Once we had swum, we decided to to go to an old Bondi restaurant, Jackies for lunch. Once we had lunched we decide to go to Carla”s house and have a look at the spare room that was available to rent. Then we decided to have a beer and play some guitar. Then she read me a story she had written, a story that I didn’t understand but proclaimed it to be amazing. Then I decided, right there and then that this is for me, I agreed to take the room and then, sadly, we had to end our day together there. She had to go and meet up with Paul.
I went back to my brothers house and explained to him that I have met a girl and I want to marry her. “Who is it?” He asked
“You know your friend Paul? His girlfriend Carla”.
“For fuck sake you stay away from her you fucking idiot and stop making trouble everywhere you go.”
He was serious. I think I had made him angry
“relax bro, I’m not going to do anything. I just think she’s great.”…….”and I’m moving in with her.”
“For fuck sake your are just making trouble for me’
So, as luck would have it, when Carla told Paul I was moving in, he got the shits and they broke up. I can’t say that is exactly why they broke up but it was there tipping point. Wow, sorry Paul, how lucky am I, thank you again universe. Now, trying to stay true to my word, I played it cool with Carla. I wasn’t to forward or suggestive or anything really. We just hung out and enjoyed each others company and talked a lot. We played guitar, ate food and chatted, philosophised, swam, ate food and chatted.
A year later Carla and I married. Paul, being a graphic designer did the invitations to our wedding. My brother was my best man. A year after that we had our daughter. Paul is her Godfather. 25 years later and Carla and I are still together with two kids. I start every day by going down to Bondi Beach and having a swim and a coffee. 25 years later Paul and I started this t-shirt business, i-bondi . It is mental and It is unreal but it’s how it happened. I often think about that sunny mid morning swim at icebergs pool. It was such a beautiful morning.
