Being Present

One of the best bits of travel, for me, is the thought that I don’t want to be anywhere but THERE, wherever THERE may be. At home, while my awareness of this problem has improved (more on that later), I find myself always thinking about the next thing due, whether it’s a great thing like a wedding, a good thing like a lesson plan, or a terrible thing like my check up at the dentist. Being a planner has done a lot of good things for me, but the downside is that it is hard to be present in any one moment.

When we travel it takes me a few hours, even a day or so, to shift my thinking. One sure sign that we are on vacation is that I woke before Ben, slaved over pouring a bowl of muesli (made on a local farm with macadamia nuts) for us both, and headed down to the estuary with my coffee and nothing else—I knew I had some “being present” work to do, which means leaving the book and camera behind, and trying to quiet my mind.

Here’s how it went at first: Wow, are those limes? I hope this deck is sturdy—if I fell into the water, I could climb up over there, but are there snakes in the water? I would need a really long, hot shower if I got in there. Don’t take long showers—they’re having a drought. You’re on vacation, don’t worry about droughts. One of the best bits of staying in a hotel is the fresh towel every day, and I hate how that fresh towel now comes with a heap of guilt and the image of a lone polar bear floating on a chunk of ice cap. I wonder what the tomatoes in Italy are going to taste like? Those aren’t limes. I’m going to go squeeze them just in case. What is scurvy, exactly?

(Flip, flip) Ooh, a fish! Was that a fish?

There were fish “flipping out” all over the estuary this morning, and it was great. It was a good reminder that the universe is always giving me a show and capturing my attention if I just watch for it.

I spent a lazy hour watching the fish, (success), and a couple of even lazier hours inside with a book. As I write this post, we’re digesting a yummy lunch of roast pumpkin salad, flat head fish, and dark chocolate beignets for dessert. Ben is playing with his photos, and I’m people watching. Dinner in tonight, methinks, and a beach walk on the morrow.

I also learned that I am not passionate about passion fruit.

Love,
Robyn and Ben