Day 337 – anxious love
At what point did I allow this FEAR (False Expectation Appearing Real) creep in? Where did it come from? I can’t really explain this but it seems like my barriers have come up again. All of a sudden I am anxious and scared. I have crossed the point of no return. The only way out would be painful because I don’t want out. I am happy and I am in love. I know. Terrifying. The human condition dictates that we question anything that seems “too good to be true”. We map out the worry lines and plan out our failures, certain that it will all fall apart. Despite growing up with the fairytales and the happily ever afters, harsh reality quickly teaches us to mistrust. To trust seems naive so we suspect others, become uncertain of our own emotions and question everything, descending into a spiral of confusion and negative projections. Of course, worrying is praying for what you don’t want to happen. Through the power of manifestation you create reality and in believing that something will go wrong, we feel validated when it does, convincing ourselves that we just knew it and we were right to be so suspicious. Well, what if I just let the barriers down? Eventually my pride has to come away and I have to talk about it. The funny thing about communication is how silly our fears seem when we speak them out loud; I am chronically phobic of seeing clay being cut with wire. The thought of it causes my mouth to dry up and I almost start shaking. I couldn’t get through a sculpting class with a gun to my head. And yes, when I speak about this I realise how absurd it is. Well, when I finally tell Matt what is bothering me, I suddenly get red in the face and laugh at my own silliness. Out loud, fears are just false expectations- proof that I am not living in the NOW. Proof that I am allowing my past to influence my future and both of those conditions to ruin my present. Well the past has happened and can’t be changed so why worry? And the future hasn’t happened but can be determined only by the now so why not just EEE- Exist, Enjoy, Experience…
Day 338 – city gal
I have been sent to Newcastle for work… Which sounds awful until I arrive at Nelson Bay. This place is beautiful! And then I get the cancellations… Luckily enough I have a bikini in my car so I can take advantage of the gap in my bookings. So here I am, sunbaking on white sand in front of turquoise blue water. I can’t remember the last time I was somewhere like this. Mexico? I remember a year ago it was my everyday life to be around crystal clear water and white sand with no people around. Suddenly I realise how much I have acclimatised to the city. I realise how city-fied I have become when I turn up at a customer’s house and see an animal with antlers. I can’t even name the animal but I realise this is the first time I have seen antlers so close. I grew up on a farm! How can this be so amazing to me? I guess I have been absorbed into the concrete jungle already… Well, at least when I escape to a white sand beach with bright blue water, I can appreciate it because it is so different from grey roads and traffic lights.
Day 339 – Oscar is here!
We are three, the reps sent up here for work this week. The other two girls and I go for a walk in the early morning. I am telling them about Oscar, my nephew who is due any day now. When we get back to the hotel, I have a message on my phone that he has arrived. We have been waiting, but not as long as his older sister, Bella. She has known about his arrival for a while now. My sister-in-law was once told by a psychic that Bella knew her little brother from a previous life. When they were away, Bella was telling other children about her brother, Oscar, who was coming soon. As soon as she found out she was having a little sibling, she was excited that Oscar was coming. Now he is here. They are finally together again. I wish I wasn’t away. I am starting to question this job that keeps me away from my family. I am always working. Well, from far away, welcome to the world Oscar. I can’t wait to meet my new little man!
Day 340 – yoga with an audience
Of course, I have brought my yoga mat. If it doesn’t fit into my bag, then it isn’t a bag worth taking away. I roll the mat out before dawn and begin some sun salutations. I thought that everyone was asleep until I hear the girls say, “wow.” I guess I have an audience. I am not entirely comfortable with yoga performance, but sometimes people pay attention. The important part is to keep myself centred so that I am not performing. Turn within so that this isn’t about the without. It’s like the philosophical question- if a tree falls in the wood and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound? If a yogi stands on her head and nobody is there is to see it, is she truly upside down?
Day 341 – sole detachment
Get pretty. Wear the face. Walk tall in the shoes. Smile. Be pleasant. Behave. All the orchestrations of a polite lady can be faked but when I am shopping for shoes and immediately go towards skulls or tassels or studs, then decide that this is too hard, I ask if I can just go barefoot. I end up choosing shoes named Black Krystle because that is my best friend’s name and I will need her courage every step of the way. Strapping on mountain climbing shoes in the snow? Easy. Crampons? Yep I got that. Flippers whilst floating? Sure. Barefoot is something I am more than comfortable with. Whilst I can rock high heels when necessary, they represent jail for my toes and the unwelcome feeling that my sole is detaching from my foot. I don’t like feeling sole (soul?) detachment. Sometimes this whole monkey dance of society- look pretty, have the right hair, the right clothes, the makeup… it all just seems so fake. It’s all part of the song and dance that we play to present an image to our peers. If I want people to know who I really am I wouldn’t wear shoes at all.
Day 342 – stress
Another speeding fine. The universe and certainly, the roads and traffic authority are telling me that I am going too damn fast. SLOW DOWN. Do not pass GO. Pay $200. Mum reminds me about uni. Time to stop mucking around and re-enroll. Time to choose- is sales really where I want to focus so much time and energy? Certainly not. To write and write well may not be able to be taught, particularly by distance education, but it might help with getting paid for this. And I have about $500 worth of fines to pay so working for money would be ideal. The whole whirlpool of thought is starting to pull me down into a bit of a cave of stress and behind my sunglasses I struggle to hold tears back. Thus is the first time Matt has seen me cry. I pretend not to. If there is one thing meditation can fix it is stress. Another antidote is love. Today we are meeting Oscar and when I hold his tiny body and smell his little head suddenly all those issues are gone. Pure life. Breath. His dreams can’t be more complex than leaving the womb. He can’t even see right now. I keep trying to wake him up but he is milk-drunk. My beautiful niece hovers beside us, looking dotingly down her little brother who she has been waiting for. Fines, uni, work, money, all melt away when pure life reminds you how to live. Just breathe.
365 Days in Bliss 