A few months ago I took a life-changing trip to the outback, and spent 9 incredible days travelling between Alice Springs down to Uluru, camping under the stars, immersed in nature and surrounded by the most amazing women. I’m still integrating all the downloads I got whilst I was out there, but I was reminded of this particular morning…
I wake before dawn, the cool air making it’s way through a slight gap in my tent, rustling the fabric on its way in. I miss sleeping under the stars, but the dingoes are too bold here for me to risk having the fly off. I’m sure there’s a metaphor in here somewhere like fortune favours the brave, or something about being chicken shit, but alas, the tent fly is securely on for the rest of the trip. The dingoes win this round.
We’re about half-way through our little adventure, and it’s our first morning at Kings Creek Station, a very cute working station near Watarrka. I mentally remind myself not to call it cute if I come across the owners, just in case that’s not the vibe they were going for. The fact that this is our first campsite with phone reception, showers and, wait for it, toilets, is not lost on me. Whilst I relish in the luxury of having basic amenities again, I mourn the loss of intimacy from the landscape. The disconnection from mother nature is profound and I feel as though I’ve been tucked away in a secret bubble and now I’m hesitant to get back to the real world… kind of like that moment when you wake up just before you open your eyes and I am most certainly not ready to wake up.
Emerging from my tent, I notice the sweetest paw prints. So the dingoes did come to visit after all. Soft light filters around me and I look up. My tent opening is due east, a moment of foresight when choosing my location to set up, and I’m rewarded with yet another magical outback sunrise. The sun peeking through the sparse gum trees ahead of me is making my surroundings look like they’ve been cast with a filter. #instagramworthy. I sweep my eyes over the area. To my left, a few bunnies are making the most of the cool morning to forage, skittering out of the way for a 4WD drive that’s kicking dust up in it’s wake. To my right, I can hear the murmurings of other campsites beginning to awaken. But I’m drawn to the area directly in front of me, right between my tent and that glorious sunrise.
I’m reminded of yesterday afternoon on the drive into camp, where everything was a novelty. Oooh, it has a bar. Oooh, it has a gift shop. Oooh, it has camels and a donkey. But for me, I was like…
Oooh, it has a playground!
With a flying fox!!
I slowly make my way over to the beautifully crafted playground. The wood and dark metal blending into the landscape. I kick my thongs off, red dust swirling up, and I pad over to the donut swing. I don’t know why I call it a donut swing, or have any idea what the proper name for this swing is. Nonetheless, I perch myself on the edge of the swing and grip the ropes. I lean as far forward as I can without falling off, take a deep breath, and fling myself backwards. I lean back and forth, kicking my legs out and in, the momentum slowly building.
Out. In.
Out. In.
Finally, I can see over the swing frame. I’m high enough now for what I’ve been waiting to do. This time, when the swing reaches the limits of the pendulum, I lean back all the way, my back pressing uncomfortably into the woven rope. I fling my arms out wide. The wind whipping my hair all over the place. My stomach swooping like I’m on a rollercoaster.
There is a certain freedom that comes from letting go.
Letting go. My theme for this long-awaited outback adventure. To be immersed in the experience. Trusting the process. Appreciating the journey, and not just the milestones. Not holding things too tightly. Not just for this adventure, but for every aspect of my life, too.
Without my involvement spurring it higher, the swing slows. I repeat the process. Leaning as far forward as I can, then flinging myself back. Building the momentum once again until I’m high enough to let go. Savouring the thrill. Reaping the rewards of my efforts.
A mantra comes to me. I co-create my reality with the universe. I repeat it over and over again. It’s reaffirming to me that the energy and action I take is symbiotic with the laws of the universe. I trust that everything will work out because I am taking aligned action. I’m grateful for where I am, who I am, and the journey I’ve been on. I know that things will work out better than I could ever imagine.
“Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.”
– Terrence McKenna
