The Journey
109th Edition
Happy Spiritual Wednesday
It’s been a couple weeks, and in the time since I last shared, I have packed our life into boxes, loaded those boxes, drove away from the home where our son was born, unloaded those boxes in a temporary storing space, moved into a temporary house for a week, surfed, missed the surf, swam, slept, had sleepless nights… etc. It’s been a big couple weeks.
Comfort & the Allure
While I am sure we all feel drawn to comfort in our lives, I have come to notice how comfort and I have developed a bit of an adversarial relationship. I touch on this regularly, but I have come to see it expand in recent times as my life was sort of just cruising by.
For the past decade and then some, come to think of it - likely for my whole life - I have been fortunate enough to be in cruise mode. How I mean is: Haven’t really had to work hard for anything, have beautifully fallen into opportunities without need for trying, have had good luck, one might say.
Elements of this, upon reflection, are attractive and would lead me to question “Why Change?”
But what I have found is that life has been passing, time has been ticking, the list of things to do has grown, and the time is now to act. And in this way, I have become less content with the cruise life I have lived, and have started to notice how the busyness of the world around me has become abrasive.
Back on track…
What I have come to see is that those things which bring more convenience tend to be aversions to growth. People want to go on holidays to beautiful places, stay in opulent dwellings, be waited on by semi-slaves (they do get paid), and sleep in ultra soft beds with 16,000 thread count Phoenician Polar Bear sheets. There may be some hyperbole in there, but it makes the point.
I don’t want these things. I like simplicity, a tent, a swag, a sleeping bag. Nature.
In my journey recently, I left way too late, got sidetracked, arrived at camp at 2:30am, swarmed by Mosquitos, tired etc. But I setup in a one man tent, with just the fly screen above me and had the most beautiful view of the night sky. I felt still. And I slept.
You see, we are all sold the allure of comfort, softer, more luxurious - pick the product, it’s there. Yet these descriptors actually make us soft, make us less capable and less vital. It’s a trap, and I found myself getting signals to turn around now.
The Shift
Today I am embarking on the final week of a 7 month course in Nature Connection and skills. Many of the techniques we have learned are what most would call primitive. But what does this mean?
Our ancestors were resilient, resourceful, remarkable. It wasn’t so much that life was tough back then, it is just that life was how it was, and there were not any conveniences like we have today. They had to work for what they wanted, and in many ways they appreciated it more. Now we can make fire with a $1 Bic lighter, no biggie. We have a fridge and a freezer that stores food for ages. If we don’t like it, we can go to the store and buy an abundance of food like items, all waiting for us to be taken in by their marketing.
Technology isn’t any enemy, but we have to come back to a place where we can appreciate the abundance that is in our lives right now. It is beautiful, and it is often taken for granted.
In light of this, My family and I have moved out of Sydney, into a bit of uncertainty, but mainly into the simple, primitive life that we have been craving. Maybe it is because I have gone out, have gone to fancy restaurants and clubs, have done the partying and the scene that I now can appreciate the simplicity.
Maybe it is because I realise that what I crave is a depth and a quality of life and connection to the earth that doesn’t come from these activities.
Mostly, it’s for my son. I grew up in a beautiful neighbourhood where my family still lives today, and I am grateful for this. However, I didn’t grow up with the level of connection to the natural world I now crave and am experiencing. He may not want what I want, but so far, he thrives I the bushlands, and he gets pissy in the concrete.
So we have made the move, prepping for the day soon when we will be living off grid, working for our stay, living in a sort of “as life intends” manner.
Just a Quickie
I have noticed how sharing my life and my family has not been on the forefront of my mind lately, maybe ever. This line of thought leads me to some senses of reclusiveness in my observations and foregoing writing some days.
I write today simply to write, and to share a little about what is going on. We are in a flux, my family and I, and there is lots of uncertainty, confusion, and disorientation. But I know we are on the right path, and I know we are where we are meant to be.
Many days, I don’t share because I just assume that everyone else has read/ seen/ researched what I have. Some days I am right, and some not.
I won’t keep you long today, but I will share more here soon.
Have a beautiful week, and if you get the time… What is something you could be more appreciative for today?
And so it is, with love.
The Journey