I have spent this weekend being surrounded by exhibitions of love.
First up was a surprise birthday outing for my girlfriend Carrie, where we spent the day go-karting. I was faced with embracing the saying “do something that scares you everyday”. The newest thing that scares me is being in a go kart, surrounded by newly post pubescent males flying around a go kart track where they bump into you and all I’m trying to do is be a good driver. Not the point of the exercise, I know. I’m not designed to be a go kart driver it seems. Let me bungee jump, let me sky dive. Go karting took me a little longer to gain the confidence needed to floor the accelerator enough to not get lapped by the other 15 people twice in 10 minutes. It was a great time, the birthday girl got to let loose and fulfil her need for speed while also being surrounded by her close friends for the day. My favourite part was where I got to shoot silly string at her whilst she ascended the stairs. She hates mess…… Ha ha ha!!! Very happy to push that button in a socially accepted way for a few minutes!
The next day, after a fulfilling morning of wandering about the side of a hill listening to the bird life, the plan to ‘Get Jo out of the house’ commenced. The best bit about this is that both Sara and Jo were both consumed with polar thought processes. Sara: “I hope Jo doesn’t question why we are faffing about here, usually we’d be in and out in 5 minutes.” Jo: “why are we here when we could get all this stuff from the dollar store much faster?” I was shopping, which is what I thought was called for to continue this ruse. I got some sweet Mexican poncho style material and called Mum to enlist her in making some awesome yoga cushions. This idea was met with agreement and a reminder that I have a sewing machine sitting in their house that I’ve not used in 8 years. No time like the present to learn how to sew 5 straight lines and a zip! Successful shopping adventure.
Once we had the all clear to return home, Jo walked inside to see happy birthday strung up everywhere and her closest Australian friends sitting around ready to celebrate her half birthday! I think she was in shock for about 3 hours.
There is nothing quite like a gathering of great people to remind you about how great the world can be. This particular group go to music festivals together, live relatively close together suburb wise, spend a lot of time being around one another week to week. It’s a delightful urban family. Having John book us all in for a half birthday a couple of month in advance meant we all put each other’s time as a priority, we spent the afternoon and evening catching up properly, telling stories and making new ones through silly adventures and the occasional see through dress. Other than to take photos and arrange rides around town, very little time was spent on the phone. It was fantastic. There was a lot of presence and a lot of love.
I think it’s important to pull yourself up sometimes and reinforce the sense of gratitude you feel when you have occasions such as these. In a world that is quickly discovering the need for social inclusion, that double booking yourself actually decreases your sense of happiness and your mental presence, along with the continual bombardment of scary things happening in the world, it’s the time spent being with others whom you love and respect that counteracts all the crazy. Simply thinking about my experiences and continuing to be grateful for them brings me a deep sense of calm.
That’s how we develop resilience, joy, and love. Being with people who bring out the best of you and help create moments and memories that make a life full of the fun stuff.
Happy Wandering!
Hx