Moving On Up
107th Edition
Happy Spiritual Wednesday
Last week I felt to share two editions as a way to make up for a couple weeks off… After sharing on Saturday, it felt too soon to release on Monday, so here we are. Back on track for next week.
Sydney
I arrived in Australia on December 30, 2010 with a few bags, a couple surfboards and a guitar. When I landed, I didn’t know if I’d be here a month, 10 years, a lifetime… My first residence was in Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where I stayed for 6 months. I then migrated slightly south to Curl Curl, then to Freshwater and eventually into Manly Beach over the course of the next couple years.
Manly was where much of my life would take place over the following decade, and it became my little local. For those unfamiliar, the Northern Beaches extend from the northern headland of the Sydney Harbour up to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse at the tip of Palm Beach, all of which lies just north of Sydney city, hence the name.
The area is the stunning, with each beach having its own cliffs, headlands, unique features and culture. Included are fantastic ocean pools, the birthplace of Australian surfing, spectacular bushland and thriving community. For someone coming from California, especially having spent so much time in Laguna Beach, it was easy to fall into this place as home.
Apart from a year in Melbourne, maybe another year travelling internationally, this has been home for the past 13+ years. And it has been a great home.
It has been my great fortune to have shared the practice of yoga with so many people here in a way that I have come to know a large portion of the population. Walking the streets I often run into people everywhere, and there are many familiar, friendly faces we experience daily.
I have had some incredible, memorable surfs in this swathe of beaches, each with their own character. I’ve nourished deep friendships, love, loss, life in all shades, had beauty in the days, rainbows and sunrises to storms, sadness, sunsets and such.
Although I rarely travel into the city, the journey via ferry takes people through one of the most spectacular and stunning harbours, passing two landmarks of man’s creation in the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Quite a ride.
There are so many beautiful things about this place, and it is a mix of people from around the world who have found themselves here like it is a magnet drawing us in, concentrating the best from the world in its clutches.
And Yet…
While this has been a beautiful home for myself, my lady and my son’s short life thus far, I have yearned for more - and at the same time, less! What beauty exists in this region of the world, comes with an attraction that means cost of living increases, competition goes up, the “keeping up with the Jones’” factor increases.
Over the years it has become busier, more developed, more modern and different. In some ways, huge improvements have been made, giving way to a more stunning area for us all to live in. In other ways, the vibe has changed, the people have changed and the quality of life has become different, or at least not as magnetising to me.
In the summer time, there are hordes of tourists swarming to this place as it is a huge destination and one that is easily accessible from the city via the famous ferries. Seeing so many people coming to catch glimpses of the scenery and settings reminds me of what a privilege it is to live full time in a remarkable tourist destination, how blessed we are to call this place home.
And yet, I have found myself waning in contentment here over the years, in a way, perhaps, feeling the desire to move on and explore elsewhere.
While there has been great community and growth in the Beaches, there has also increased an angle of stagnation - simply put; I have found that it is very comfortable and to me, this yields little growth.
I can’t recall who first said it to me, but the quote was unforgettable: “In life, we are either growing or we are dying.” Manly and the community have been a space for me to experience huge growth, massive transformations and life-altering experiences which will always be in my heart and for this I am grateful. However, I have felt that, whether due to my own internal motors or the environment or both, I have been stagnant and my time here has come to a close.
My lady and I have both wanted to migrate from here for several years now and recent events have opened the door to a life shift that we believe will see us into the next chapter with grace and abundance in life quality.
Northwards
In the past decade, but with emphasis on the last 4 years since the world went crazy and shut down a lot of face to face interactions, many folk have migrated from Sydney to the Northern Rivers, and area in northeast New South Wales famous for being the energetic, spiritual and many other capitols of Australia.
I have felt the pull, as I have spent a lot of time up north and many of my dear and close friends have migrated that way and beyond. When my partner and I met, we early on discussed going that direction and the stars have now aligned for us to make the move with our little man into the next chapter of our lives where we will thrive amongst vast landscapes and gorgeous country.
It has been a dream of ours to live on land, to grow our food, have space, no neighbours visible and just simple peace and quiet. Sydney doesn’t have much of this, and what it does have is priced way above our liking.
In a beautiful turn of events, an opportunity has presented itself in which we can move onto a plot of land just in from the coast and satisfy these desires while allowing for our boy to frolic in the grass and dirt, climb trees and to live in harmony with Nature’s cycles.
The property is a dream spot, and we feel so honoured to have the opportunity to become caretakers for it for a while, to grow food, maybe some animals, to live off the grid with solar energy and rainwater.
We are pulling back to living a more simple lifestyle - more and less at the same time - and it will force the growth I have been craving as we learn to live in sync with the land and the nature around us.
As a buffer, we will be spending two months living in Byron Bay, nestled up next to the beach as a soft landing, which will give opportunity to reconnect with friends, make new ones, and connect with the new community who will be our people now.
It is going to be a fantastic transition and time which I will continue to document.
Bittersweet
I’ve come to appreciate that nothing in this world is all good or all bad, and this move is no different. We move forward to greener pastures, richer land and lore, deeper connection to country and spirit. These are all beautiful things, yet we will be leaving behind a thriving community of loved ones, close friends and adopted family who have been there for and with us over the years in ways that only expatriates can know.
The past month or so has found us at gatherings of family dinners, picnics, walks and more with our people and it has shown the bittersweet nature of this move, or rather the sad side. So many great people are here with and for us, and we are uprooting and going, leaving it behind. They will all still be here, but we won’t.
Another perspective on this sentiment is to appreciate what a great community we have amassed around us and how fortunate we are to have had such beautiful connections in our time here. We are truly blessed. And… Life must go on!
In my time as an employee with Power Living, I always had the same quote on my email signature. It was adopted from Lao Tsu which I have followed often and to great effect.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
Here we go… this week begins the packing & culling adventure!
And so it is, with love.
PS: I failed to include the link for my final Sydney sound journey offering last week, but details can be found HERE.
Moving On Up