"But it was just like, this darkness ... which was revealed ... which I hadn't anticipated"

“What happens to a DREAM deferred?”

Susan is from New Mexico in the USA, but has lived most of her adult life in Perth, Western Australia.

The desire was to take her husband and two boys to the US … to live, to connect with family and be “part of the mundane in each others lives.”

BUT, after over 3 years of careful planning, the ‘moment’ of leaving WA coincided with the world being exposed to a global pandemic. The plans, the future, the expectations of a different life were literally tipped upside down.

The risk to her family and the prospect of being separated if they became stranded in another country, was too much.

So after selling most of the families possessions, including the TV, beds and the couch, … preparing the house for rental … being left with only 4 of each eating utensils … IT HAD ALL CHANGED.

Now, one year on from this confronting situation, Susan reflects on what could have been … and also on the loving and positive experiences she has received from her friends and the community.