The Disappearing Act
I think I sort of…disappeared. At least, I ended up on the other side of the planet. In all my childhood whims of living in the wilderness or having a dozen children or starting an orphanage or joining the persecuted church and becoming a martyr, somehow marrying an Australian and migrating to Brisbane never came to mind. Between December 25th, 2023, and December 25th, 2024, I managed to get engaged, celebrate two wedding ceremonies on two different continents, and move my entire life to Australia. Even for someone who moved about a dozen times as a kid, including to Austria, that was a lot. Now, I often live day by day as if everything is normal—being married, having a job, living in a rental. It’s in moments of missing my family or feeling too easily overwhelmed or having anxiety about being in groups of people or trying to fill out a permanent residency visa that I remember the massive amount of change I’ve been through this year. I fee...