Until a few weeks ago, I was directionless treading water in the hope that something positive and engaging would come along and consume me. It hasn't happened thus far and I have lost the motivation to keep searching it out. Standard fodder in the provinces is that London is a far less (superficially) friendly city, to which I agree, yet it does allow you a greater scope for development if that's what you're seeking. With eight million people in London and approximately half a million in Bristol it's not surprising. However the cost of opportunity is weighed up by the dog eat dog mentality which requires a hardy disposition, otherwise you'll be swallowed whole and spat out the other side. People are happier in there non-achievements here (big money career success is not top of the agenda), people don't come to Bristol to 'make it' - they arrive seeking out a nicer, more spiritually rewarding life, recycling, growing your own food, charity/arts/conservation work, diy community projects. I miss (the full extent will only be revealed upon leaving) the warmth that comes with those lifestyle choices. Laid back happy, contented people, who actively engage you, coming from a small town in back of beyond I occasionally felt alone in my energies of niceness, yet in Bristol it was met in equal measures. I long for the dynamic life of London, yet crave the relaxation, which the green city provides.
