Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Who Let the Dogs Out





WWOOF, WWOOF, WWOOF, WWOOF…. I apologize for the reference to one of the most obnoxious songs ever to be stuck in my head, but it had to be done. We survived our month in the bush and, by the looks of the above “Australian Gothic” photographs, we are now hardened WWOOFers. I am thankful for the experience and can see myself WWOOFing my way around the world. Next stop South America. In many ways the experience was reminiscent of living in the home of Senora Rosa in Seville, Spain – an opportunity to learn the local lingo, way of life and, in this case, the native plants and animals. Deepest gratitude to Helga and Claus for sharing your piece of paradise.

As life in the Pacemaker caravan drew to an end, we followed our intuition and ended up on the Sunshine Coast. We found a clean and quite bungalow style hostel just a few blocks from Sunshine beach near Noosa. Noosa is a trendy holiday destination for Southern Australians wanting to escape winter’s grey skies. The coast is lined with modern construction boasting spectacular views – the ocean as far you can see. For a minute I imagined myself doing my morning practice on one of those balconies. It would no doubt be followed by a quick swim or surf. Noosa National Park features a two-hour costal walk along its pristine beaches and looming cliffs. On the other side of those cliffs we found a nude beach where we tanned our white bits and continued reading the Gita. (Is that sacrilegious?) On Saturday we took the bus to Eumundi where we strolled the isles of an out door farmers market three times the size of Pike’s. One of the highlights of these four fairy-tale days was, of course, food related. I love food. I constantly day dream about preparing it, eating it and sharing it. In a previous life I must have been a gourmet chef, food critic or at least pleasantly plump. Cameron treated me to an amazing three-course meal at a waterfront restaurant where we enjoyed exceptional wine and service. This was quite a treat as up until that point we’d been cooking nearly everything from scratch. It was lovely to be waited on and even better not have to worry about cleaning up. It’s amazing what you take for granted when all “conveniences” are at the tips of your fingers.

Noosa was definitely a large step away from the silence we would have encountered at the ashram, but only a small step toward real life. We decided together that a little bit of civilization was just what we needed. Although we didn’t have the strict schedule and required silence of a Vipassana retreat, our time on the farm was equally profound. To shed the layers of our conditioned existence and move inward toward the Self proved to be emotionally and spiritually intense. To wipe the mirror clean is to stand naked and vulnerable before it with all your hopes, fears, mistakes, patterns and loves lying neatly on a table like glistening surgical instruments. A fully licensed doctor can rattle off the names of each without a moment’s hesitation and leave only a small row of dissolvable stitches. The self-taught makes a bloody mess and a Frankenstein scar serves as a constant reminder that denial makes the experience no less real. The learning curve is steep and risky. I think Eeyore said it best, “Can’t go under it, can’t go over it, gotta go through it.” In the end it’s all worth it. All that remains post-op is a rush of inspiration and an expansive feeling.

Don't forget to check out Cameron the camel's blog at www.mytb.org/cam2yogi

2 comments:

Nathan said...

Slightly disappointed to hear that the ashram has been deftly removed from your journey, quite possibly because the idea so tantalizes, and scares, me! Nice you found a nude beach, they are so uplifting to the spirit :) Journey on fair traveler. Your provocative tales of far lands serve to inspire and excite my spirit as Bali draws near!
Nathan

Anonymous said...

I love you! Thank you for this experience and being here with me. You're my Queen and you'll always be treated as one.