"I left a part of myself in the outback." The words werent mine; they came from a German guy staying in my hostel. He had just spent a month travelling alone across the wide open land. So many sunrises and sunsets, blistering hot days and dark starry nights etched into him; empty hours, endless weeks, time without reference.

I left a part of myself in the outback. Some buzz. Some restlessness. That fitful compulsion to talk all the time. The constant mental activity. The need for fast, loud music. Its gone.

Instead, there's a peace or calm which is almost unsettling. There's a compulsion to eat alone and enjoy the food. Not to drink. To listen to calm music. To talk to one person at a time so you can focus on them. It's a desire to appreciate and invest in everything, and to gaze at the world through your senses.

I wonder if it will fit in with the rest of the world.

I left a part of myself in the outback and I wonder if I need it back.