A moment in time

The wind is howling as I sip my coffee staring out towards the messy ocean. Its midday and I'm basking in the glorious winter sun. I should be somewhere else right now, but something brought me here to this headland, although I'm not sure what quite yet. Time passes and I grow restless. Finishing my coffee I stand up and stretch and suddenly feel an urge to dive into the sea but there are too many people here and I want to be somewhere isolated.

I jump in my car and head south, bound for somewhere, anywhere. A road appears to my left and instinctively I turn onto it, as if something higher is guiding me. It is windy and eventually becomes a dirt track. Up and down hills I travel until I eventually reach a carpark. I jump from the car and grab a mandarin and I see a small dam with a trail alongside it, so I sit there in the sun and watch ducks swim along the waters surface. Finishing my mandarin I head off on the trail with my bikini and towel, keen to hit the ocean.

As I emerge from the trail I notice the beach is deserted, not another soul in sight. The sand is warm and as I run to the sea I am laughing and smiling at the beauty and wonder of it all. I dive under the sea and white water rushes over my head, engulfing me. I emerge, all salty and sandy and skip towards my towel hidden under a pandanus tree full of fruit.

I reach for my towel.

I look up.

Its as if the world stops.

You are holding a baby duckling in your hands. You smile at me. Gentle kindness radiates from your being. You say hello and ask me how the water was. I'm not sure I can answer when I'm drowning in your beauty, but somehow I manage to smile back at you and say 'Beautiful'. We talk for what seems like hours, but of course I'm not checking the time, why would I want to, I want it to stand still and for this moment to last forever. You talk of so many things - the ocean, life, animals, waves, surfing and I notice you have the most perfect teeth. Your hair is long and wavy, and I just want to reach out and touch it. The baby duck sleeps in your cupped hands, warm against the chilly late afternoon onshore wind. So much time passes and the wind increases and makes me shiver, reminding me that I am not dreaming and that it is getting late. I tell you I have to go and you walk me to my car, talking and smiling the whole way. It's as if I have known you forever. You say goodbye and kiss me on the cheek, which feels as natural as the sun touching the earth first thing in the morning.

I drive away wondering if it was all but a dream.

And I know it wasn't.

Because I felt your heart & you felt mine.

It was a moment in time.

Nature smiles

It's a sunny morning as I drive along the highway. I know the wind is going to pick up and I hesitated slightly before taking off, enjoying the sun kissing my face as I sipped peppermint tea on the balcony earlier. But road trips are always beckoning my gypsy spirit and there's no way I can waste a day of sunshine inside so I'm here now humming along to Xavier Rudd gently playing on the stereo.

Pulling up into the carpark I stretch my legs and look at the ocean down below. Such beauty. Every time I set eyes on the sea I am enthralled beyond belief at what lays just below the surface. There's a whole other world under there.

I pick up my hat and hit the hiking trail, it says 4kms return. I've never walked this track before so I'm just letting myself be guided by the northerly wind that has by now picked up slightly.

Heading into a coastal paperbark forest I can see a river inlet down to my left and in the distance I can hear children splashing and playing, such joy to ones ears. I keep walking and their squeals of delight fade Into the distance. Approaching the first hill the ocean comes into view and the water is a murky brown colour, I'm slightly disappointed but I remind myself of the beauty of natures imperfections and I smile at this thought.

Walking for another few kilometres I savour the sunshine on my skin and wonder why I wore cowgirl boots as I clamber over exposed rocks with a sign above warning that the track beyond is for experienced bush walkers only. Damn boots! I quickly discard them and feel my feet connect with bare earth, such a delight!

Walking on the track narrows and goes slightly inland. Muddy sections squish between my toes and I smile at the sensation. Oh to be alive! But I really want to see the coast again.

As I round what feels like the millionth corner I suddenly stop. Right there in front of me is the most perfect scene I could have ever imagined. A tiny golden beach surrounded by pandanus trees perched on large boulders dropping into the sea. I gasp at the incredible beauty that I am beholding. There is not another soul around. Birds sing sweetly somewhere in the forest behind me. I feel completely at peace. There are absolutely no words to describe this magical place, it as if time has stood still.

I sit on a huge boulder for some time just staring out at the sea and the headlands beyond. Not thinking, not doing - just being.

I have no idea how much time has passed when I finally stand up and start walking again. The track continues to narrow and follows steeply the curves of the headland. A butterfly flutters by in front of me, dancing in the sunlight filtering through the trees. Again the track winds inland for some time before emerging to the most breathtaking set of headlands jutting out and dropping dramatically into the sea. Black rock against turquoise sea and feathering up into green hills of grass touched by winter sun. oh what a sight!

Heading further along the track I approach a lookout where I sit for some time feeling blessed and grateful all at once for this incredible connection with nature. And as a lone whale breaches out to sea I walk quietly back to my car, smiling and wondering if this was all but a dream ......

Liquid Gold

I remember the morning clearly.

As we paddled out, just the two of us, we paddled further than every other surfer. A morning like this was as if the universe had stood still.

The sun was emerging from below the horizon and colours of orange and yellow were spilling onto the surface of the sea. The water was still and soft, with just tiny movements of flow as my board broke the surface, reminding me that in fact I was still alive and not dreaming.

He turned to me and he smiled, wisdom in the creases of his older eyes. He spoke softly and he said

'This is liquid gold'

Defining moments

Some moments define us. In a split second we can be changed, our perceptions of the world can change. Our eyes can be opened to beauty when we seek further than what we initially set out to seek.

Yesterday was one such day. With many of these moments.

As I pull into the carpark of my favourite surf spot I am disappointed to see the tiniest of waves peeling off the point, and by tiny I mean unrideable. I have just driven an hour or more. I'm a teeny bit bummed. After a quick coffee break I decide that adventure is calling and I jump back into my car and hit the dirt road southbound. With no way of knowing where I will end up I allow the universe to guide me. The hills are so green, and the yellow fireweed covers paddocks to my right as a crystal blue ocean strikes me as the most dazzling jewel I have ever seen to my left. Coffee cup is empty as I drain out the last of the bitter taste adjusting my sunnies against the morning glare. Somehow I feel that today will be exceptional, yet as I pull up into a dusty carpark I see cars for miles, but I just want to be alone, so again I turn around and hightail it back onto the road with dust in my rearview mirror.

Travelling further into the trees I am greeted by a light offshore wind & suddenly I am at a lookout and below me stretches a beach as far as the eye can see, with a little cove, and a little but perfect wave. I look up at the sky, stretch, smile and start to get my board off the roof. When I arrive down at the beach I realise the wave isn't as perfect as I initially thought so instead I grab my gopro and race to the sea, laughing and smiling at her beauty, realising that she, like humanity, is never always perfect, yet, in her imperfections, well, she is beautiful. Diving under the water I gasp at the crispness of the winter chill. Emerging up again I feel refreshed and free. I swim, I dive..... I feel free. Laying on the sand I sip peppermint and lemon tea from a 2nd hand thermos, its the colour of the sun and again I smile at the simple pleasures of being alive. The sun is beaming brightly at me and the warm rays touch my body like a lover long lost, spiralling me into a dreamy delirious state.

You see...... some moments define us. What may not seem perfect at first is always what you make it. There is no such thing as perfect. Nature reminds us that we are perfectly imperfect. But, no matter what, nature will always be perfect to me.