Day 2

I was somewhat surprised to feel a small nudge within me this evening, to type, and to document my thoughts of the day - even after all the events of the day, even on this achingly slow computer of my Mums.

A relatively short musing, this Friday night at 10:15pm, on family.

My partner and I are moving to a seaside town. Our belongings left our current rural town on Monday, and we are to follow them tomorrow. In the meantime, we have been staying with my parents, whom I adore. Although, this week has reminded me of a quote I once heard; 'when you think you are enlightened, go and spend a week with your family'. I do not rush to claim the title of enlightenment, not at all - but I thought in these past three years of living with my partner, I had found more of a home within myself, aligned more closely to my own center.

But boy. If anything were to stir the inner cauldron of emotions, it's family. A rage so strong brewed inside me yesterday, over something so tiny I don't even remember, a brutal, ominous storm that my internal landscape hadn't seen in years. And yet, beyond that, as we begin to grasp the reality that our lives are changing, a love so deep emerges, one that should I attempt to put it into words would only glide across the mere surface of its oceanic proportions.

It's strange - in a world so connected, we still fumble at the thought of being far away from those near and dear. We can hear their voices, and even see their faces online, but it still aches to know that their presence will not be so readily felt.

How different our perceptions are of our forbearers! Two stories help put everything into perspective for me...that physical reality is not all there is when it comes to connection.

My grandmother, or Nonna as she is known, migrated to Australia in the 1960's, with her husband, a growing boy in her belly, and a fridge, of all things. They didn't even have the English language at their disposal, nor a destination, nor someone to call if things went wrong. They just went. Away, from everything they ever knew, from anyone they ever knew, to a strikingly foreign, young country. Here, they carved the way for blessed generations to come. And they did it all on their own. My grandparents didn't even get a phone until the 1990's - and yet, they kept their connection with loved ones alive through their memory, and a steady stream of letters.

The other story is not my own - yet it struck a strong chord within me when my teacher told it to our class. His brother was travelling with a tribe of Indigenous Australians, way in the outback. One day, after walking under the blistering Aussie sun, the group suddenly paused, conversing among themselves, and then a hunter was dispatched from the team. Unsure what was happening, their companion enquired - where is he going? To catch a kangaroo, of course. But how does he know where one is? The tribe looked at him quizzically. He's the kangaroo hunter. He knows where they are. The tribe continued walking in one direction, whilst the hunter took off in the other. They walked for about thirty minutes, when suddenly, an elder stopped and listened to the ground. A ripple of chatter moved through the group, and everyone turned around. Confused, again, the traveler asked for an explanation. What's happening? The hunter hurt his leg. We need to go help him. But how could you know that? The elder spoke to him, of course. How does the elder know he spoke to him? The tribe were dumbfounded. Well, who else would he be speaking to? And sure enough, after continuing their journey, they found the wounded hunter, right where he communicated he was.

The fact that I am reminded of these stories today is no coincidence. Humans, I believe, are capable of connecting with each other across the vastest of oceans. Energy does not remain fixed, in one place. Energy moves, with intention. A kiss sent on the wind will be felt by its beloved. Moving away from family needn't be a tragic event; even death needn't be tragic, when we begin to illuminate the truth that something greater than us all ties us together.

The ultimate bane for a lonely heart is to know that in this bond, we are never truly separated.

Thank-you, dear reader, for accompanying me to Day Two. I cannot promise anything majestic of day three - I can only promise to give myself, completely.