So much for my commitment to the weekly blog challenge! Nothing like a week’s holiday and time in nature to break the routine, good intentions and find my off-button. Thankfully, I arrived back in Brisbane feeling refreshed, energised and full of creative juice. Rather than berating myself for not meeting my challenge, I decided to use this experience as the inspiration for this post!
The main purpose of this trip was to visit my son-in-law who has recently taken up a position as a pilot with Kimberley Air Tours and to take a flight over the Bungle Bungles with him. As we needed to pass through Darwin to get to Kununurra, where he is based, and I had never been to Darwin, we planned some time in the Territory to explore the surrounding country on our way back home.
My challenge in life, as in art, has always been to know when to stop. Planning trips away are a little like painting, my ultimate challenge. It’s about finding the balance between figure and ground, and including sufficient content to convey a feeling, without over filling the canvas.
As some of you may have experienced, when you leave home you take your habits with you. But there is also a delightful thing that can happen when you find yourself in a different place and you can choose what you keep and what you leave behind.
This holiday itinerary, like most other holidays (and my life!) was packed tightly with lots to see and do. I also included my yoga mat, art materials and laptop, ensuring my commitment to my blog challenge and my life practices.
What I often don’t allow for is the space for spontaneity, surprise meetings and changes of plans.
I am sure you know how this story can end … you get back to work having done everything you planned but feeling utterly exhausted and needing a rest.
Well this time I did something a little different…
Upon reaching Darwin we were unexpectedly invited to stay with friends. This presented somewhat of a dilemma. We had hired a car with the intention of driving to Katherine Gorge over the next few days so the offer required a serious rethinking of our plans. But having seen some of the most breathtaking scenery during our flight over Lake Argyle and experiencing Emma Gorge and Zebedee thermal springs at El Questro, we were feeling entirely satiated.
Taking time to hang out with our friends in Darwin, enjoy delicious Asian food markets & stunning sunsets gave us time to digest what we had already tasted and savour the rest with enormous gratitude.
Sometimes, before you can know when to stop, you first need to recognise your fullness.
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