Sensually Rigid Pleasure

January 26th, 08

Hello hello hello,

How do I start??? Well first I guess I should say HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!!! Yes it’s their Independence Day-220 years old!

On top of that since I’ve written last I have gone from Byron to Sydney to now I’m in Melbourne and about to leave it here…..I have to say though before I start to catch up with you, I believe Melbourne so far is my favorite city in Australia, and St Kilda (a suburb) maybe even my favorite area. But really how can one compare, each town has it’s blessing to give to the world. Yet here in Melbourne area it’s so relaxed and peaceful for my heart, there is something just very beautiful about it. I believe it’s all the parks, there is a park every few streets, even in the city. I miss parks. When I lived in San Jose, it’s what I loved, walking to a park to read or write or just be with nature.

Let me begin by sharing with you this amazing lake I got to swim in when I was in Lennox Head and my time in Ballina. Well I had a fabulous few days in Lennox Head and Ballina. I really got to see how relaxed I am from NZ and spending time with Rob. I took my first day in Lennox Head just to walk on the beach where the foam was about 1.5-2 feet deep as it’s been flooding and all the rivers flow into the ocean and make this foam. It had been toxic for about 5-7 days and that day, the day I was there was the first day that people could go into the water again.

It was lovely to watch the foam move, roll and shimmy. It was so amazing how alive it felt and looked. Slightly brown in color and just bubbles galore. The rainbows that shown in all those bubbles were brilliant, even without the sun being out. Rainbows where every where you looked, within the bubbles.

I walked through the bubbles, my feet and legs being completely swallowed by these foamy forms and when a wave come, the foam would go higher up on my legs and then rinse some off going back out to sea. You see the ocean was cleaning all that was toxic and dirty within the bubbles this past week after the floods. Nature amazes me, it works so well when we step out of the way.
Yet of course it was great that the city came in and removed debris, trees, and then the last day I was there cleaning the sand from all the left little stuff, dead fish, etc. Even the birds didn’t eat the fish, they knew it was toxic. I met a woman that was helping the birds there that had eaten the fish, she brought the birds pillows to be more comfortable as they were nursed back to care. I love that this place takes care of its home and its animals.

I then went for a swim in the Tea Tree lake. At first you think it’s just black from who knows what, but it’s colored a dark redish brown from all the Tea Trees that live around it. You get into it and it feels lovely. I soothes your skin, your hair, you don’t feel like you need to bathe afterward. I felt so clean and pure. It washes everything away and lifts you some how. It’s just glorious to swim in. I felt so close to nature there in that water. So grateful I had come to Lennox and that I had the chance to, even if for one more time swim again in the lake. I ended up staying a few days instead of only 1 just so I could go swimming again in this lovely lake.

I really see how clean it is here, especially for as many people as it has. At the lake there wasn’t trash here and there or cludder. And for as many people there are there that’s amazing! And here there are garbage cans around, but in NZ there was never a garbage bin and still there was no garbage around.

It’s funny the locals complain that the service sucks here in OZ, but honestly I’ll take the service here any day of the week. I’ve found the locals quite nice, they go out of their way to make sure you get what you need and help in any way they can, it’s so lovely to have such great service from people and it’s nicer to give money to people you like.
I love how the bus drivers drive in this country, they drive very precisely, there is no hurry, nothing else to be done but drive. Not too many stressed out drivers I see here. They are very helpful, calm and I feel them happy to be helping others. What a beautiful feeling. I love how when you ask a question to the bus drivers or to anyone on the bus they are so helpful at any time. Only three in all of my time in OZ have I come across someone unpleasant-two of them drivers upset with pedestrians and one just wouldn’t answer if the café had wi fi-but I think she was scared to be caught as she was using it and not taking anything from the menu, but I doubt they would have made a fuss anyway.

I have to say I loved the weather in Byron and Lennox Head area. I could get up at 6am walk on the beach with maybe a t-shirt on or possibly a singlet top and shorts! Love that.

I got down to Sydney to see Beenie and how lovely! After 10 years of not seeing each other it was so lovely to see him again, hang out, have him show me around Sydney, the places people don’t go as tourists and some that they do. It was just a lovely time with him and Kristi. Catching up and seeing each other and having a bbq with his friends and just relaxing with him was great! Plus he’s quite the cook so I got some really lovely food while staying there-simple but SOOOO Good! I was spoiled with such great hospitality-food, shown around, a great place to stay and great company. He took me out for a day on the town on his motor bike, this is the way to see the city! Because nothing is obstructing your view so you see the bridge above you as we crossed it and all the buildings, birds, and everything around you….lovely. We went to beaches, suburbs to see architecture of buildings-which was lovely and he just loves, being he’s into building homes and selling them. We had a great week together, I just couldn’t leave really.

So I got to Melbourne a few days later then expected and honestly I wish I had more time here. It is by far the best city I’ve been in here in OZ. It’s just so comfortable. The energy just feels good, not sure why, maybe it’s the nature within the city. But it’s lovely. I have gotten to see my friend Steph who I met in Mulwillimbah along with Adriane as well, who lives here. It’s been nice to catch up with people and see them, hang out with people I know! Steph will be joining me in Tas with one of her friends to do a 7 night, 8 day backpacking trek in a few weeks. She is from France and just a lovely soul with a big heart. She is here working as a baker which she is great at!!! She’s the one that baked us a cake in Mulwillimbah!

Friday night it was time to do something a little different, something that my soul wanted-I went out to see a dance/gymnastics performance called Aeros-It may have already been in Los Angeles. But if you get the chance, go for it, see it. It feels like you are there for about 30 minutes but 80 minutes have past. It’s brilliant! They did a duet at one point and it was delicious! It brought up the feelings of Sensual, Rigid, Pleasure! As it was very sensual, yet they were stiff at times so it felt rigid, yet the pleasure they seemed to be getting out of it and the audience receiving from it was divine! I have never seen a dance production so in sync before. It was glorious! That was on my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of traveling present to me. That’s right, that just past.

I am off to Tasmania for the next month of hiking, seeing Kristin, my friend from the US that has moved there 4 or 5 years ago and now is married and has her second baby which I haven’t met! It will be nice to catch up there with her.

So life is good, filling me with lessons of slowing down, listening to my body, not “doing” so much. Really asking what I want today or in this moment and doing and being that just that, in the moment. I feel I have finally started to slow down, after a year, yes it’s taken a year, to finally just be happy not doing a lot, but just being here now. How many times do we go off doing this and that and not checking in and see if that is honoring to our souls?????

Today I spent the day exploring St Kilda and will do some more tomorrow. Went for a walk on the beach, which we had great weather and perfect water temperature to swim in. I also went to the main street and looked into the tiny little shops full of all kinds of fun things- great clothes, pastries piled higher then I am tall, all kinds of chocolates, desserts of all kinds, ice creams, gelato, every other shop was filled with lovely things to tempt your taste buds. On top of great cafes people were pouring into and eating lovely salads, meat, pies, everything. Oh, I had my first pie here-no not a pie like we think of it, a pie as it a meat pie-I’d call it a potpie. It was lovely. It reminded me of childhood when my mother would make us frozen potpies in the oven.

Today being a holiday everyone is at a park having a bbq with friends, or at the beach relaxing, swimming in the ocean or going to the festivities in town, which is what I was going to do, but I decided a relaxing day at the beach and having a wander was more my cup of tea after staying up late at the theatre and walking around Melbourne with Adriane last night. I love how relaxed everyone is in this country and how they really spend time with their friends. Which I look forward to once I am home.

So enough for now, I hope you are well, happy, filled with bliss with the life you have chosen. It’s not always easy. Even on this trip it’s not been easy but it’s been full of lessons that I am finally getting to integrate after a year of working on listening and trusting.

I send you love, many hugs, Love, Heather