Improving My Life – One Avocado At A Time

I’ve reached an age where I spend more time reading about foods that are good for me than I do reading restaurant menus.

Twenty years ago, I was more interested in whether a meal came with chips. These days, I’m standing in the supermarket wondering whether garlic improves circulation and if dark chocolate counts as a health food. (I’ve decided it does. Please don’t ruin this for me.)

Living on Kangaroo Island has changed my perspective on a lot of things. Life moves a little slower here. You notice the seasons. You walk more because it’s a nice day rather than because your watch vibrates every hour. You stop measuring success by how busy you are and start measuring it by how often you catch yourself smiling for no particular reason.

I’ve also discovered that positivity breeds happiness.

Not because life suddenly becomes easy. It doesn’t. But because once you deliberately start looking after yourself, one good habit seems to invite another.

For me it started with walking. Then sleeping better. Then the occasional cold shower. (Cold enough to wake me up, but not so cold that I start questioning every life decision that brought me to the bathroom.)

Now it’s food. I’ve been reading about the surprising number of everyday foods that support heart health, healthy circulation, lower stress and, let’s just say… a bloke’s overall enthusiasm for life.

Yet nothing exotic. Avocados. Bananas. Garlic. Basil. Figs. A little dark chocolate. Even oysters, although living on an island doesn’t automatically mean I know what to do with one. I still look at them as though they’ve just washed ashore and have an opinion about something.

None of these foods are magic. They won’t suddenly turn me into George Clooney. Frankly, I don’t think even George Clooney became George Clooney by eating more bananas. But they all contribute to something bigger. More energy, better sleep, less stress, a healthier heart, and a clearer mind.

I’ve spent the past year rebuilding my life.

Learning to enjoy my own company. Rediscovering photography. Walking the beaches. Building a window cleaning business that keeps me active while introducing me to just about everyone in Kingscote.

Some days have been brilliant. Others have felt like trying to clean windows during a Kangaroo Island winter—technically possible, but you’ll spend most of the day waiting for the weather to cooperate.

The difference now is that I don’t expect one giant breakthrough to change everything. Life gets better because of hundreds of tiny decisions. Going for a walk instead of staying on the couch. Choosing food that looks after Future Stephen rather than Present Stephen’s sweet tooth.

Getting enough sleep. Laughing at myself more often. Accepting that growing older isn’t a design flaw. It’s simply another stage of the journey, and I’d much rather arrive there in reasonable working order than with the maintenance light flashing.

The older I get, the less interested I am in chasing perfection. I’m far more interested in building resilience.

• Feeling healthy enough to spend a day cleaning windows.
• Having enough energy to wander around with a camera looking for the perfect photograph.
• Being present with my boys.
• Enjoying good conversations.

And perhaps, one day, if life decides to surprise me again, being ready to share all of that with someone else.

It turns out improving your life doesn’t always begin with a grand plan. Sometimes it starts with buying an avocado instead of a family-sized packet of biscuits.

Although I reckon dark chocolate deserves an honorary status as a vegetable.