How to nourish your soul

Hanging out in the west is not too shabby -  I am cold....I put on the heat, I want to go to a yoga class..... I have a plethora to chose from and the power is on all of the time. The list is endless really. All things that you take for granted but I can assure you are not given's in some parts of the world. I love catching up with friends and discovering new things to amuse my 6 month old nephew with ( this week it is singing "what's up pussy cat" and I have him in stitches) but, there is always a but, I find some things challenging and difficult and leave me asking why?

People are busy in the city, from morning til night it is go go go - I know, I used to be one of the inner urban dwellers that rose at 5am to start my day and maxed out every minute before I fell into bed at 10pm.  I think it made me feel more useful, more valued and more valuable the more I could squeeze into a single 24 hours. I notice now that lifestyle whilst sometimes is rewarding and it certainly allows me to be where I am now (think financially) but on the flip side, I wonder how I could've truly connected with people in the past, how I might've been fueling my body and my mind to some degree (as I was leading a pretty healthy lifestyle) I was somehow missing out on fueling my soul. Nourishing one's soul can prove a tough trick in the set of the city and the hectic life that goes with it.

Taking time out to simply breath, to ponder, to dwell, to smile, to listen, to read the paper from cover to cover, to enjoy the sunshine on your face, to eat delicious food and savour it.....simple things that take time, and awareness to enjoy them. I read today in the Sydney Morning Herald weekend magazine an article about the pursuit of pleasure, how hedonism is alive and well but how we feel guilty for seeking pleasure. I get that pleasure seeking lifestyles that are fixated on external vices filling an internal void are perhaps not useful, but seriously, having a day in bed with a good book or a long lunch the lingers into the evening are things now seen to be pursuits purely about pleasure and we feel guilty about partaking in them....it is a bit sad really.

Life is short, I am reminded of that today as I received the news that a guy I worked with last year died last week - 25 and a HIV sufferer. I am reminded to savour each and every minute of this life, don't fill it with "stuff" or a long list of things to do, enjoy it, and do things that nourish your soul. I am reminded not to post pone happiness for one more minute, to not get caught in the "should's" but to do the things that help me be the best person I can, and to help others to do the same. And from time to time that may be a day in bed with a good book or a long lunch that lingers into the evening. Perhaps you can do the same :)

http://www.mitrataa.org

PS You may remember the organisation I worked with in Nepal last year - they are doing amazing work with women's and girls development and also are running Bal Mandir Children's Home - they are fundraising at the moment. One great way to nourish your soul is to give so perhaps you could support some kids who don't have iPods or private schooling, but are in need of your help.

Life is pretty fancy out here....

Being home as been an interesting experience – I say interesting as it is wonderful and magical and totally normal. I was not sure what to expect to be honest, I had prepared for mini freak out mode or major holy shit moments, but I have not really found that to be the case. Instead I am in a place where things seem normal, like I have always been here, doing this. That the last 18 months is almost a dream – but then it is just some experiences I have had that are part of my existence. My 5 month old nephew is my reality check though, my sister has a baby, the little man was not around 18 months ago. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I look different, there has been some time passed since I was last here. It is weird though, that it is not more weird. Not sure that completely makes sense, but I think I reflected a few weeks back that my normal has shifted that I don’t really have one anymore so maybe that has something to do with it. 

At first having no norm, no comparison of what is ordinary, or not, you may think it is unsettling or not grounding. Norm or ordinary is our anchor, our reference point, our ability to compare and decide whether something is good or bad, ok or not ok, scary or safe....it is the starting point. I am not sure that I have a starting point anymore, or it has changed. Everything feels normal but it also feels bright and shiny and new. It is weird.  It is exciting and it is refreshing and I am liking this place. I enjoy the brightness of friends and family, the connection with people that have been part of my life and make me who I am today. Seeing people for the first time is interesting, I know they are carefully measuring up how much I have changed, whether I have grown both inside and out, curious to know what I learned and what I didn’t, what am I doing now and where I am going. The list of questions is endless and good natured and come from a place of genuine interest and careful consideration. Some have followed my blog (actually I am humbled by how many people have been reading about my adventures) and others have not, but all are friendships that I am blessed to have as we pick up where we left off – whether it is 12 months or 36 since our last meeting, all have stood the test of time. 

hanging out with Coops, perhaps the best bit of home :)

I am enjoying the ease of being in a western country – of drinking water from the tap, of having hot water when ever I want it, of flushing loo paper, having climate control heating – little things really, but as my friends in Mcleod say “wow, how fancy!” I appreciate the access to amazing food and wine and to clean and wide streets and the mod cons of the western world. But on the flip side I have to bight my lip when I pay close to $5 for a coffee, when I see the indulgence in consumerism, the political debates over processing boat people and the reality that many people in Australia simply do not appreciate how lucky they are to have a public health system, to not have to live hand to mouth and that the biggest decision is whether to get the iPhone 5 or stick with the 4.  But it is the reality here, the norm, so I am not begrudging it or judging, truly I am not, but I recognise that this is simply how things are.  Different paradigms of reality, not wrong or right, but versions that it is best to not try and compare.  I feel lucky to have had the chance to see a different paradigm, a different reality, and it is something I hope I continue to do where ever I am in the world, to see things a little bit differently, to stand back and look at the world through the glasses of keeping it real  – it does not mean we all go off and live in a hippie commune, but at least see things as they are. And appreciating it for what it is. So places like India and Nepal are always with me, the dirt the grim the poverty and the rubbish – but more importantly the simplicity, the humbleness, the happiness of the people. I take that with me everywhere. Perhaps that is now my norm.  And having heating that comes up from the floor IS pretty fancy.