Take a moment each day to notice that I love my life

One of the most beautiful aspects of travel is the community one encounters. Our western lives sometimes become sterilised by independence and seem to lack the inter-dependence of relationships between people of different ethnicities. However a short encounter had this afternoon reminded me that one does not have to travel to another continent to experience such community. As I’m preparing to pack up my house and sell my belongings in light of my travel plans, I had an Indian lady and her mother come to look at a couch I was planning to sell. Within only a few moments I was captivated by her vivacious descriptions of how she’d laid out her house, what furniture she had and the creative artistry that had gone into fashioning a home that gave expression to who she was. After seeing my renovated garage, she rang her husband and I gave them the grand tour of my house. For one hour we talked, we laughed, we discussed interior design, spherical balls, photography, India, Hinduism, Angkor Wat, the inspiration behind some of the paintings I’d done and an endless tapestry of interwoven conversations. They left me with the offer to help pack boxes even though they had known me for less than an hour. As well as endowing me with a longing to return to India, I closed the door behind them feeling that surely there is nothing more beautiful on this earth than the extended arms of humanity.

I walked through a field of sunflowers, who would have thought such a simple meander through nature’s splendour could afford such a beautiful moment in time. There’s something so compelling about sunflowers, they never look forlorn for even when their season is ending – their broad faces are forever inclined towards the sun. The parched cracked earth beneath my feet looked arid and plain until one’s gaze shifted upward to the long extended green stalks upon which grew these munificent and glorious flowers. As I walked through these fields I reflected on a quote I had read long ago from Helen Keller, she wrote “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It’s what sunflowers do.” What a beautiful emblem by which we should direct our lives.

...these are a few of my favourite things… The open road always unveils beautiful pockets of nature hidden away from the tourist route and is embellished by some of the more unique characteristics of a landscape such as country letterboxes that give life and colour to endless terrain. I took a drive on the weekend through southern New South Wales and encountered some of the most beautiful country of Australia that I have seen thus far. As diverse as it was beautiful, the topography of the landscape encompassed undulating green hills, vast open flood plains, the rugged beauty of Kosciusko and its surrounding mountains, the stilled magic of Lake Jindabyne, small east-coast seaside villages with long wooden jetties straddled over crystal blue water, the lush fertility of Kangaroo Valley, rusted tin milking sheds, majestic old windmills and small country towns lined with tall poplars whose green leaves were turning shades of copper and gold.

Whenever I travel, I always seem to find myself drawn into the presence of mountains. I spent a night at Mt Thredbo on the southern border of NSW and watched the crimson and amethyst light of evening descend between the mountain ranges… it was truly beautiful. I went for a walk by moonlight along the silently flowing alpine river whose waters cast reflection of the starlit sky. I had dinner at an Italian restaurant whose snowy-alp charm was outdone only by its exquisite food. I breathed in the fresh mountain air and found myself at once rejuvenated by life.

I think most of us spend far too much time in the cities, we live in suburbia, we drive not walk, we work in city skyscrapers and industrial estates, we shop at large conglomerate food chains, and we find our relaxation in the improvised pamperings of the modern life – massages, facials and the like… we spend far too little time outdoors in the serene beauty of nature. In the deep heart of the country the stars appear in their most glorious vista, the air is fragranced with the fresh scent of Eucalypt, old abandoned tractors remind one of the ‘good old days’ and cause us to appreciate the times from whence we’ve come, sunlight streams through gum trees rendering a glorious awakening of life, silence prevails upon the earth and fosters a deep richness of thought that is oft lost in our fast and moving pace, live is simpler here…

A few days of breathing in the country air offered a porthole in time to pause and reflect on just how much I do love this life.

Often it is the simplistically subtle moments of life that bring true content. It is not the grand outworking of our creative genius nor the manufactured moments boasting impressive forethought and imagination that bring contentment to our hearts – it is the small moments. This past week has been infused with chaos, mayhem, busyness and last-minute preparation and plans as we stand on the threshold of Christmas. Yet interwoven in the plans that went wrong, the work that was done late or is still pending, the chaos that prevails when deadlines ensue and the task list that never ceased to grow… a few beautiful moments were captured in time like light in a prism bringing colour, warmth and perspective to life.

The magic of a pink sunset splayed over a silhouetted bridge, driving at midnight through a grand corridor of Christmas lights with the night basked in silent splendor, an enchanting conversation with an elderly lady at the supermarket over the price of tonic water and the state of teenagers today, a Venti green tea latte at Starbucks delightfully observing Christmas shoppers take gifts out of bags and tissue paper to show their friends, a drive into one of my favourite old suburbs in Melbourne listening to Andrea Bocelli sing with powerful force ‘Vivere’ – ‘Dare to Live’, a flight over the beautiful countryside of New South Wales with its rolling hills and expansive green paddocks, a moment of humor provoked by an e-mail from a friend, the discovery of a long forgotten piece of writing that brought newfound clarity to the present, a walk through the tall shadowed trees of the Dandenong Ranges with rabbits alighting upon my moonlit path, the light-heartedness of a completely inconsequential conversation with my hairdresser – its discourse interwoven with laughter and its telling framed with the most charming aspects of human nature, the suspended illuminated glory of a full moon in a starless sky…

Brief moments in chaos that cause us to stop and appreciate if only for a moment, the delightful happenstance of life.

The turn of dusk on a summer’s day is almost hypnotic in its tranquillity. A violet horizon gives a certain grace to the sun and makes it even more golden and radiant in its descent than it was in its first glory. The dance of gathering insects charms the ascending moon as they lightly step mid air and with the last final remnants of light upon the tips of their wings, shine like iridescent half-moons upon a backdrop of glorious colour.

It is a rare occasion that I can partake in the beauty of such an event for generally my day progresses more steadily into night and my drive home sees nothing of this miraculous awakening that occurs on a summer’s evening. Tonight however, granted me one such occasion where, with a gentle breeze caressing my thoughts, I went for a long walk down by the lake. Its waters were turned violet by the gazing beauty of the heavens above and ducks swam silently through swaying reeds as though the whole world had become a stage set just for them. A small snake retreated across my path as I walked, tumbleweeds frolicked at the water’s edge, the bayonet wings of dragon flies were lifted gently on the currents of the air, the broad faces of golden-collared sunflowers bowed their heads in homage to daylights’ passing and the air whispered of a silence that was almost inconceivable in the concentrated light of mid-afternoon. So captivated was I by this beautiful transition of day that my short leisurely stroll turned into a two hour walk exchanging glances with the gentle flow of the river and inhaling the fresh vitality of summer’s beckoning.

For a few short hours, the task list was set aside despite impending deadlines and I indulged myself in a bit of ‘life’, the summer breeze inaugurated my thoughts with peace, and nature inclined towards me her perfective beauty to instill inspired creativity and joy. Though I could be inclined to grieve the few hours of “productivity” that were sacrificed, my thoughts are more happily contented with the realisation that a few hours of “life” were gained.

Monday mornings are generally embraced with lackluster enthusiasm as the daunting awareness of a full working week weighs groggily on our minds. This morning however changed the routine of mundane as I took my brother out for breakfast in the city before work. Black suits and laptops occupied the oaken tables, the gentle aroma of summer was captured in the delicate violet of draping bougainvillea, and the early morning sun seeped through vine covered trellis like a warm and welcome friend.

The city has an almost groggy pacifity about it at 7:00 in the morning… it is almost as though it too is savouring the last lingering memory of the weekend in its wake. Over a beautiful gourmet breakfast and the enchanting aroma of Arabic coffee, Stephen and I savoured a few moments of relaxed conversation before launching the bellowing sails of our fast-approaching work day. What a peaceful way to start a morning.

Nature has a powerful synchronicity with life that we often overlook. Consider these beautiful engaging flowers… only a few weeks ago the tender tree on which they grow was tainted with a wash of brown and stooped over helplessly in surrender to the ravages of drought. This morning however I walked outside to find the small tree erect, its leaves green and lustrous and its delicate frame brimming with pride as it showed off the beauty of its creation that sprang forth after the rain.

As true as it is with nature, sometimes near-death is simply the vehicle for a new resurrection, we have to relinquish things and allow friendships, circumstances, hopes and dreams to whither in order that they may blossom forth anew with strong tender shoots of life.

Cooking is such a simple diversion that almost provides a therapeutic element to its art. I love browsing the international food isles at the supermarket and musing over Moroccan spices, Thai sauces and spicy African condiments or picking up unknown herbs and vegetables which could add a creative element to my cooking. It is amazing what we can create when we’re not afraid to try new things, to experiment and refuse to open the pages of a cook book – for what fun is it in simply copying someone else’s great idea?

I love cooking because every time you stand over a clean bench top there is no limit to your imagination. I am not a precision-chef, I do not watch the hot plates with a timer or contemplate the technicalities of braising a rack of lamb – I just love the experimentation of cooking; of mixing foods that one would never even imagine could compliment one another, of adding spices that produce exotic flavors to otherwise bland foods, of mixing finely chopped herbs to produce a bold brazen aroma or finding some unopened jar in the cupboard and thinking ‘why not?’

In the whirlwind of mind-numbing methodologies, tedious processes and formulated decisions… it is a wonderful diversion to be able to wield a knife, heat up a pan and indulge one’s creative genius in the conception of a culinary masterpiece.

There are some moments in our lives when we are assailed by such a gentle yet persuading sense of peace that all anxieties fade into insignificance. Like the calm golden beauty after the storm… life caresses our thoughts and beautifies our hearts with such warmness of spirit that we cannot help but feel touched by the sun itself. True peace and true rest come however, only when we have rendered ourselves vulnerable to the eye of the storm. When we have lifted our eyes to the darkened realm of a stormy heaven and in a courageous act of boldness, declared ourselves to be superior to circumstances, declared our hearts to be resilient to battering winds and declared our voice to reign its poetic melody strongly over the clamour of disturbance and unrest.

Tonight is one night of no real significance, the stars enliven the sky with their delicate forms and on the earth there prevails the lingering lifelessness of a city that sleeps. It is a day that can boast of nothing of great consequence… no heroic acts, no life-changing revelations, no happenings of profound importance or heartfelt expose’ excepting one beautifully understated facet of life – the comfort of peace. I know not what the future holds in all its intricate detail nor do I have scientific evidence to prove that the sun will rise on my life tomorrow or any day thereafter… what I do know however is that in this very moment, beneath this half-masked luminescent moon, a beautiful clarity of peace prevails upon my life… what more perfect a way to salute the dreams of bygone days and embrace the mysteries of the future.

Nature always has a calming and almost hypnotic presence… it indulges our thoughts in beauty and stirs our hearts with renewed perspective. I woke early this morning to go for a walk among the mountains. After a light morning rain, the air was fragranced with fresh vitality and light mists cloaked the valley with a soft translucent sheath of white.

I love the light that comes after the rain… its crystal clarity seems to make the world more vivid in colour – the grass becomes a rich organic green and even the weathered trees radiate with hues of burnt orange, russet and golden caramel. As I walked through the dense scrub, kangaroos looked my way inquisitively and kookaburras observed in silent repose the path that I forged through their native bush. For a few short hours before life resumed its hectic pace with another day at the office… I found the peace that I sought with a beautiful vista of mist-cloaked mountains.