Well I am back from a truly spectacular trip. Turns out there was no internet connectivity out near Kings Canyon. I moved from my safari tent to a swag one night and literally slept under the stars. I was terrified of the idea at first (there were scorpions and dingos around apparently) so I said YES I will do it! I woke at 4am to a truly amazing sky and saw numerous shooting stars. I wished for you know what... The walk around the base of Uluru (Ayers Rock) was probably the highlight. So humbling to have an aboriginal guide show us rock paintings by his "grandfather"……dating back 22,000 years. Certainly brings some perspective in terms of my significance in the history of the universe!
Maybell - If only we all could read tea leaves! I'm pleased to report that I've now done TWO bucket-list worthy things in the last 6 months (the other being Diner en Blanc). Thank you for the reminder about the Robx quote (and thanks Labug for posting it originally). I did go back and read the whole thing after skimming it the first time round. There are some good reminders there. Slow is fast.
Barrybran - Thank you. I needed to hear those words. Great point about being grateful for the interactions I do have with H (Robx made that point too, if I recall). I'd lost sight of that given that our interactions are still quite tense at the moment. I'm hopeful things will get better in time. The idea of not interacting with him makes be genuinely sad, so I must be appreciative of what I do have.
Labug - Love it! You may have seen my post on Calibri's thread (I found it easier to navigate the treacherous Kings Canyon rim walk because I felt more purposeful in my movement). It was so great to feel my mindfulness and yoga practice paying off in this practical way. One of the things I'm striving for in 2015 is to learn to be less judgmental - of people, events, whatever. Purposeful + present + non-judgmental. I think I will adopt that as my mantra.
Ggrass - there was a lot of red sand but I was surprised at how much green vegetation there was. It rained 5 days before so maybe everything just came out? I didn't see any hopping mice. Just dingoes and brumbies. I was the only Australian in a group of 23. The guide had been working there for a year and this was only the third time she had an Australian on her tour. I think we should all be made to do it!
Little - yeah, my sister in London has major problems with her cell phone signal in her house. I suppose the old buildings weren't designed with that in mind?! I did a safari in Uganda a few years ago and was so disappointed that I still had phone signal out there. Made it hard to appreciate that I really was seeing wild elephants etc and not just animals in a park or something.
Happy New Year everyone. May 2015 be a year of peace, love and happiness for us all.
Last edited by ganb8te; 01/02/1506:51 AM.
H 37 Me 36 Together 15 years Married 5 years No kids BD Apr 2014 H moved out 2 Jun 2014
But it's a great part of the world, the little mice are native big almost like rats. Bush mice.
They used to come out when you stoped any where and they can smell water if you drop some. They are everywhere when that happens.
Australians tend not to do organised tours. as the guides don't know that much. Aboringal guides are best depending on the guide you get or the crowd. Australians tend to dismiss the native culture and some of their stuff is very different to what you would expect.
M 46 h54 Both married before T 11y Bd 2/14 I must see where ow leads! Ms 18 hs 26
Still trying to decide whether I'll send a birthday text to my H tomorrow. H didn't text over the holidays, but I didn't expect him to. Probably not a deal breaker either way.
I know I've turned a few of you on to the Headspace mindfulness app. I also have he book by the same name/author. It's a useful companion. Interestingly the author first came to meditation as an 11yo, when his mum turned to meditation during a messy divorce.
Anyway, I came across a passage the other day that I wanted to share with you as it seems relevant to our work here. The set up is that the author is recalling a story his Tibetan teacher once told him. I've substituted some DB words for effect. See if you can pick which ones ;-)
... ... ...
“Imagine every day you have to walk to work." ..."Toward the end of this street there is a very big hole [substitute:cheese less tunnel]"... “[Every] day you go down the same street and walk straight into the [cheese less tunnel]. You don’t mean to do it, it’s just that you’ve got so used to following that particular path...that you do it without even thinking.” ... “Now...when you start to meditate it’s like you wake up and become more aware of what’s going on around you.” ... “[At] first you just see the [cheese less tunnel], but the habit of walking down that part of the street is so strong that you can’t help but walk straight into it” ... “But...if you continue meditating, you’ll begin to see the [cheese less tunnel] much earlier and be able to take some evasive action. At first you may try to go around the edge and fall in anyway. This is part of the process. But eventually, with practice, you’ll see it with such clarity that you’ll simply walk around it and continue on your way.”
Excerpt From: Puddicombe, Andy. “Get Some Headspace.” St. Martin’s Griffin. iBooks.
H 37 Me 36 Together 15 years Married 5 years No kids BD Apr 2014 H moved out 2 Jun 2014
Glad you liked the passage, Gg. I think I am at the point in the passage where I can see the tunnels and stop myself falling in, but I can't quite figure out the alternative route. Sounds like you are well on track.
Thanks, Jim and Calibri, for weighing in on the bday text. I am leaning toward sending it.
H 37 Me 36 Together 15 years Married 5 years No kids BD Apr 2014 H moved out 2 Jun 2014
Mmmm. Sent the text around 8pm last night. Read at 3.46am. Mind wanders off....
1. He was out partying til late (on a Tuesday, ya'll; Lisa and Mozza's sitches are coming to mind) 2. He's not sleeping well (he probably has jetlag. Truth be told, it was 4am when I saw that he picked it up...probably more to do with my neighbours noizy aircon unit) 3. He's in a different timezone (but I thought he was back) 4. Any number of other possibilities
Is there a way to turn off the time stamp in iOS? I know how to set it so others can't see when I read a text, but can I set it so I can't see when they read it even if they have this feature turned on?
Anyway, I made some good progress with crow pose last night so it all evens out.
H 37 Me 36 Together 15 years Married 5 years No kids BD Apr 2014 H moved out 2 Jun 2014
