Circa 1997, my parents bought our family a Gateway PC. This was a time when more middle-class families like ours could afford home computers and internet connections were painfully slow. With it, we had a Carmen Sandiego CD-ROM game. I loved the television show, but the computer game was super basic compared to the TV show and only featured 15-20 world cities. One of those cities was Sydney, and the icon was a picture of the Sydney Opera House. The only other city I remember is Stockholm, and I don't recall the picture.
This was an era before Google and Instagram so the only other Australian things I knew of fell along the lines of Crocodile Dundee and kangaroos. The Sydney Opera House cast Sydney in a non-whimsical way, yet this realistic version still seemed out of reach in this lifetime for a 17-year-old living in the Midwest.
The first time I saw the Opera House in person, and even on this trip, I could feel a strong sense of pride for showing up for myself and giving 1997 Angie this opportunity to explore the earth.
At any point in our lives, we can choose who we want to be. In many ways, I have achieved this. In many ways, I am still learning how to create my own reality. I'm not saying it's always easy, painless, or straightforward. I'm saying it's worth it.
How is your younger self proud of you?
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