Author's Notes
The order
The doctor said: walk. So I walked. I was on holiday, which I did not choose for this purpose or any other.
What I saw
Elderly couples moving at the same pace. Surfers carrying their boards toward the water like people with somewhere to be. They didn't look like they were obeying anything. I'm not sure that's true.
Some of them stopped later, at the edge. Not looking at a ship. Not at the horizon exactly. Just out.
The question
I kept wondering who decided. The couples — him, her, or a white coat? The surfers — did they choose the sea, or did the sea just become who they are, somewhere along the way?
I couldn't tell from watching. I don't think they could either.
The title
The Gold Coast sells a lifestyle. Chosen, intentional, enviable. By the time I finished walking, I wasn't sure anyone there had chosen anything more than I had.
We were all just told, by something, to be there.
Gold Coast · 2026