An Epic Weekend

I was lying in bed, trying to sleep away the emptiness. I experience moments and sometimes entire days where everything is covered in meaninglessness. Like no matter what I do I can't feel anything. The world is devoid of joy. I've learned over the years though, to not get so attached. Mental and emotional states come and go, and if I practice non-attachment then life retains a certain lightness no matter what, because I'm identifying with a deeper part of my being that is beyond thoughts and emotions.

I heard footsteps and looked out the window to see Silva walking up the steps with someone else. After they came downstairs that's when I remembered a Chinese helper was arriving today. I got up to meet the man. Jacob. He's been a student at The University of Queensland studying economics and wanted to change it up during his time off. He was amazed at the location and environment of the home.

One of the first questions Elissa asked him was, "What's your real name? Your Chinese name?" It's a funny situation because teachers in China obviously do not know Australian culture because they will tell students they need to change their names to fit in better, but the reality is Australians are so straight forward, they think "What are you trying to hide? Just tell me your real name." Haowen Guo.

Haowen was like a little kid taking everything in. "Ahhh it's amazing." He noticed the trampoline and it was the first time he ever saw one in person. As he jumped on I joined him, and just watching him trying to balance, his limbs flopping around like rubbery pencils, I couldn't help but burst into laughter, especially after secretly bouncing him higher and higher. Exactly what I needed. Afterwards I was on the couch reading and Elissa seemed to intuitively read my feelings of emptiness and came up to me all excited like a little kid full of unconditional love, "cuddle time!" I'm already saying I love you to this family.

As dinner was being prepared, sitting outside on the sofa, Haowen opened up my world to Chinese culture, explaining all the exotic food in the different regions of China, some history, China's relationship with Japan, the corruption in the government & school system, and lots more. At this point I have some mental momentum building which is making me feel better by the second. There is no substitute for traveling the world and being immersed in different cultures. Haowen said he loves spicy food so during dinner I gave him some exceptionally hot cayenne pepper. A few seconds later, "Oh my god." "Oh my god" ah ha. "I thought you liked spicy food Haowen!" As his mouth was on fire that's when I gave him a proper verbal welcome.

After that hilarious dinner I was teaching Haowen some of the daily work duties, taking full advantage of the fact that his English was good but not great. After a while he caught on that I was totally messin' with him. Hearing his accent and pronunciation of words I entered a state of hysterical laughter where everything was, for lack of a better word, hysterical. Soon we both couldn't stop laughing. I went to bed laughing that night.

From an internal perspective this day could be explained as this: From complete emptiness to non stop laughter. 

We kicked off the weekend with a early morning hike on one of the many trails in the local bush. Summer & Elissa got me into carrying weights in my backpack so I'm up to fifteen kilos at the moment. By the time I leave I'm gonna be a beast.

Group nap on the deck.

Even Siris joined in.

We had a heat wave come through this weekend so from about noon until four it's zombie land. One of the chickens died from old age and ten minutes into digging a grave my clothes were sticking to me from the humidity and sweat. I felt a burning on my leg and looked down to see heaps of jumping ants all over the place crawling up my legs. My leg went from burning to feeling like it was on fire for five minutes straight. They aren't poisonous, but damn did that sting! 

Perfect time for an afternoon journey to a local waterhole. It was so refreshing and peaceful. 

After I jumped in Summer gave me the update that there are eels, frogs, spiders that hide in the cracks and give out nasty bites, and other creatures lurking around. Thanks for the update Summer. 

Cheers everyone.

The new wildlife continues to inspire me.

Summer heat + waterhole + wildlife = a quality afternoon

Although Haowen doesn't know how to swim so he didn't get in.

That night as me and Haowen were sitting outside waiting for everyone else to get ready for Summer's local dance performance, listening to thunder that was so powerful it felt like it came straight from Zeus himself, he said, "ahhhhh this is life." Indeed. Indeed it is. Just before that, as the storm was coming in, the windows were still open and Haowen pointed out a large orange sized spider on the window that was right in front of me. Whoa! I'm chill with most spiders at this point, but if it can cover more than half my face it needs to be escorted outside the premises.  

Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so I swiped some off of Haowen's phone instead. Summer's dance included two other women and three chairs. No other word could be used to describe the dance other than sexy. Afterwards, the dance floor opened up, and that's when I saw Nick (who I've been going on hikes with) prowling in the outskirts. I immediately got up and brought him to center stage. Dancing is the best, especially when people that seem to be anxious or worried or too self conscious just let loose. 

Quality pics from Haowen. 

Silvanna having fun with some local clay that the Aboriginal's use as face paint. 

A new day and a new waterhole. This one was much more spacious and had some nice cliffs to jump off of. We picked up Summer's long time friend Jive (sweet name dude) and had another great afternoon. Recently Summer randomly came across research and anecdotal experiences praising the benefits of sleeping on the floor, and she inspired me to try it out. The main issue seems to be that because the muscles and tissues of the body have to conform to the mattress, they are never able to fully relax, as well as the fact that most beds are not good for long term posture and spine alignment. Me and her have an all or nothing mindset so we took pictures of our back and stomach and in three months we will be able to visually see any differences and feel any as well. 

From left to right. Summer. Haowen. Jive. Silvanna. Elissa. Tristan. Moi

It was Tristan's birthday so the day had many surprises and the food was exceptional. For dinner we had Seafood pilaf with scallops, salmon, prawns, and squid, vegetable flan, and a heavenly raw macadamia nut cheesecake (no dairy). 

Afterwards a dance party complete with fog and a disco ball Summer got in India. At one point I had my shirt off around my head doing robotic karate, Haowen was pullin' off some fresh Chinese moves, Elissa and Summer were dancing like hippy chicks in the sixties trippin' on acid, and Tristan was break dancing among other things. I secretly hid my camera (not that anyone would have cared) to capture the epic-ness. 

The night ended on a high note, going on a journey to look at some stars. We walked up to a decent spot and everyone layed out on the pavement. My two Australia sisters. My Aboriginal brother (Tristan is a civilized Aboriginal living in the modern world). And my Chinese brother. There were misty clouds blocking our view so we could only see a few stars, then a few minutes later it all cleared up magically. A few long stretches of silence just taking it all in, then a car swerved around the corner to see us laying on the pavement. Teehee. But wait, there's more. We walked down to a big pond where there was a mating frenzy of frogs taking place. I didn't know frog sex sounded so wild. There was a sound, i kid you not, that was the exact same as a woodpecker.

Summer and Elissa, being done with meditation & yoga classes for the year, had the rare opportunity of having a Sunday off, so we all (except for Eden cuz she had work) took a trip up the coast to the beautiful town of Noosa. First stop. Nutworks, which is a huge macadamia nut farm and across the street there happens to be a ginger factory. Ooooooo. The shop was intoxicating and I made the mistake of bringing in my wallet so I had to buy some chocolate covered goodies.

The Ginger Factory is like a tropical ginger Disneyland complete with rides and overpriced food and a train that goes around the outside. 

Being the ginger factory, I was hoping to enjoy a quality ginger beer, but instead I received a watered down artificially flavored drink with spirit alcohol added. "Hand crafted" my ass. 

We stopped at a local shopping center when we arrived in Noosa, purchased goodies for a picnic, and then drove the ten minutes to see Elissa's sister who lives right on a lake. 

Butterfliessssss

Picnic by a colorful saltwater lake + great company + pelicans + the deadly red bellied black snake = a refreshing afternoon. 

Lookin' fresh my Chinese brotha! 

Ladies and gents, I introduce you to the highly venomous red bellied black snake. As we were about to leave a bunch of nearby kids spotted it, and later it poked it's head out just so I could get a high quality picture. Thanks buddy. Enjoy swallowing all those frogs and other reptiles whole.

Tis' the season of snakes and mozzies

Cheers

Mount Nebo Lookout

Last day of meditation this year, for an organized class that is. 

Memories in Time

I was in the library checking out books and the girls came down all dressed up for a dance party, and well, how could I not get in on all that goodness? 

Another night. Elissa's boyfriend Tristan came over and we watched a short film he created on racism that won awards at many film festivals all over Australia. 

Me, Summer, and Elissa were having a picnic outside and I turned around to a blue tongued lizard right under my thigh. I freaked out for a moment cuz I thought it was a snake. It was a harmless little dude. Elissa picked it up and examined it. They've had all sorts of wildlife come to them when they are sick. This one didn't look injured at all but he was uncommonly chilled out. A few days later we found him dead by the house. Later that night as I was cutting up vegetables for dinner, Silvanna was playing my all time favorite song on the piano, Clair de Lune, while Summer and Elissa buried him on the hill above the tramp. 

Right as I shut the bathroom door I heard a swarm of birds land on a nearby tree. I looked outside the window to see a family of tropical lorikeets munching on some leaves. 

We  stopped at the train station to pickup another helper from Chicago and on the way back swooped up some more baby chickies. Silvanna was stoked. Actually, everyone was. The helper ended up leaving the next morning to spend her last days in Straya' on the beach in Byron Bay.

Sunday morning. Last session of yoga at the home. The focus for today was awareness of the whole body through mindful stretching. The last part consisted of giving and receiving love via a massage. I partnered up with a guy I didn't know at all. Afterwards, we enjoyed a huge picnic on the lawn complete with a whole turkey and homemmade cranberry sauce (no connection with Thanksgiving just a coincidence). This is my kind of spiritual sunday. Loose clothing. Yoga directed by Summer. Being actively engaged with other people. Massages. Sunshine. And a picnic out in nature. Doesn't get much better than that. 

It was the last session of meditation in Brisbane. I took a few capsules of tonic herbs that have been used for thousands of years to enhance meditation & mindfulness before we left. After arriving and meeting everyone we all did some stretches and relaxed into thrity minutes of non reactive meditation where you simply focus on the sensations of the breath and don't move at all. Ten or fifteen minutes pass and my legs start to get tingly because I haven't mastered my sitting position, but I just breathe. Thoughts come and go. I just breathe. A mosquito lands on my neck. I just breathe. The wind brushes up against my skin. I just breathe. Soon my focus is intense. Inhale. Exhale. Chest rising. Chest falling. After the thirty minutes was over and Summer began the guided meditation of imagining gooey liquid light spill down into the body from the top of the head, I felt a profound feeling of peace enter deep into my bones. Into my cells. The rest of the night I felt blissfully serene.

Me  and Summer were enjoying a picnic outside when a bird swooped in to eat some of that delicious purple banana flower nectar.

On different walks I've seen a variety of wildlife, such as a wild pig hustling across the road, a few wallaby's (looks like a small kangaroo) that hop around like energizer bunnies on steroids, and a huge variety of lizards and birds. Australia is a nature lovers paradise.

Jumping on the tramp one day and still being used to a larger surface area to work with I was trying to do some combination backflips while Summer & Elissa were watching. Mid flip I knew I was going off, and ended up slamming my back and legs into the deck. Thankfully I didn't break any bones. Just had some nasty bruises. 

Jolly's Lookout

The meditation nest

Summer & Elissa teach one meditation class in Brisbane once a week but most of the classes are at their home which is sweet. It definitely makes for a more homey feel.  Such a great environment to be in. An open & loving space. After the guided meditation, when everyone was enjoying tea and a different assortment of snacks, is when I met Nick. Nick is a paramedic who lives up the street. He's also an avid hiker so he invited me to hike up to Jolly's lookout. Of course I'm game. 

We started at 7:00am and Nick's Dalmatian Tully tagged along for the adventure. 

Epic trees entering D'Aguilar National Park. A certain type of fig tree keeps growing up and around and over a long period of time you have this. 

The long journey gave us ample time for stimulating conversation. Nick talked about when he first started skydiving and eventually took the leap to basejumping. He said back then it was more of an expression of the human spirit rather than the ego with all the rules and regulations. That got me all perked up and interested. Here's what I would do. Take a solid basejumping course, skydive around thirty or forty times solo so I have a good enough understanding of how to control myself in the air, learn how to pack my own chute, have some very in depth conversations with experienced base jumpers like Nick, and then just go for it. No certification. No "300 skydives first" or whatever it is. Buy my own pack. And then say I'm in New Zealand, I just drive out to a remote cliff, or abandoned radio tower, climb to the top, make sure I have enough height and the wind conditions are ok, then take the leap, pull the string, purple parachute launches out, and then I land by my car and go about my day.

After a few hours we made it to Jolly's Lookout and we were graced with some great weather. 

You can't see in the picture but from this view, far in the distance, is Moreton Island and Bribie Island. Moreton Island is the third largest sand island in the world. 

The smell of this flower. Intoxicating citrusy sweetness. (I should patent that name for a gelato flavor)

Nick also told me about a ten day meditation experience he had at a Buddhist center. No talking. No technology. Two meals a day. Meditation spread out in few hour chunks throughout the entire day. Everyone has their own little bed. Repeat for ten days. At the end they ask you to donate or come back as a server next time. Sounds like a totally unique experience. The kind of stuff I'm into. I was stoked to hear they have these centers all over the world. I plan to have that experience sometime in the next few months. It continues to blow me away how many opportunities are available world wide, but rather than costing money, it just takes some symbiosis. You know, like if you have chickens, you take care of them like family, and in return you get some high quality eggs.

On  the way back I looked ahead shocked for a moment, watching a baseball bat sized reptile walk across the trail, and apparently it was a very small one. 

Oh  the infamous Cockatoos, with their maddening screeching screams. Most people know not to feed them, especially if they are around your house, because if there comes a time when you stop, they will literally start destroying your house. Cockatoos could be likened to raging hormonal teenagers. 

The hike ended up being around 12 miles, and I couldn't think of a better way to break in my new hiking boots.

I went with Elissa to pick up her youngest daughter Silva at school (she's starting home schooling next year) and loved seeing how this particular public school functions. Kids with no shoes. Breaks for mindfulness and water fights. Imagine that? An actual school taking breaks for mindfulness. These Auzzies man. They're onto something big here.