morsla | Elementary, my dear Watson

I'm orbited by debris from the places I've been and the paths I've walked down. Sherlock Holmes 'read' his subjects by noting their appearance. How many fossils do you carry around, shedding light on who and where you have been?

I wear a rock around my neck - a present from my parents. It's not a precious stone or a crystal; instead I wear a piece of Zebra stone from WA. It has patterns of iron oxide running through it, and I like the familiar weight of it. I've collected stones since I could walk, and I spent some of the last few years studying Geology.

In the creased skin of my left hand there are paint streaks, left over from smoothing out my brushes last night. I always seem to have a speck of paint on me somewhere... it's like I've absorbed so much over the years that I exude it from my pores. I've been painting for almost fifteen years now.

My wallet is an motley collection of membership cards and receipts. There's also a sheet of plastic in there, a periodic table listing molar masses. I've had it since high school, back when I thought I'd be a chemist. I studied until I decided against following that path any further, and moved on to other fields. I've worked as a chemist for years, but in two weeks I leave the lab. After everything else has faded, I'll still have that sheet of plastic.

My hands and elbows have scars that remind me to cross at the lights on Royal Parade. I have weak ankles, partly due to the accident. I sprain them far too often, but I'm used to walking with a limp. I gave up athletics at school when I developed tendon injuries, and they still cause problems today. I don't carry anything physical from the years of martial arts, but they have taught my feet how to stay underneath me regardless of how my joints might protest.

What are you carrying around at the moment?

I never thought I'd go this far
Without a star to cross the seas
So far from shores I'd left behind
Still far from shores I've yet to reach