not all who wander are lost.

Friday, February 28, 2014

Joe + Caroline

Joe was a serious looking man, super jacked, with lots of tattoos. To be honest, he scared me a bit. He paddled out into the lineup on his short board and then made a comment to me about having a lot of balls to have a longboard out at Rams. He was quiet, serious and didn't seem excited to have ANYONE joining him at the peak, let alone a little girl on a longboard. Then he saw me have a wave and his face lit up (though he tried to hide his delight) and he grunted a comment like "yeah, that was an alright wave"....and we've been friends ever since. Joe may look tough, and he may put it out there like he's a hardass, but inside he's just a sweet softie (but don't tell anyone that, or let Joe know that I know...!). We got to talking in the water and he said that he'd been really sick with a wicked cold for a few days. So after the surf I dropped off a healing care package of: oregano oil, colloidal silver, echinacea, vitamin c and zinc tablets, and some fresh ginger, along with instructions for how to take it. Well don't you know, he felt better after a day, and was cured after two days. As a thank you he invited me to dinner at his house, and that's when I met his "missus", Caroline- who is the sweetest, most darling, loving human being!! Of course, she is the Yin to Joes Yang, the softness to balance any of his hardness, and the Queen to his King. Dinner that night was a blast, and we've been eating dinner together nearly every night for the past two weeks. Caroline has the sweetest British accent, and a wicked sense of humor- which when combined (she says "what would happen if the whole world farted at the same time?!") is a recipe for intense laughter. Also, she's a brilliant belly dancer and teaches back home, so we have been meeting up in the afternoons, alternating between yoga with me and belly dancing via her. It's been a great way to break up the day, do some exercise and have a bit of "girl time"- because, as I'm sure you've seen from the photos, I've been surrounded by lots of men --not that I'm complaining ;)

Joe has been coming to Sri Lanka for about 25 years now, and I love to hear his stories! I am so incredibly in love with this country, so I find all of his exciting tales of how wild it was truly fascinating. Also, Joe was here for the tsunami. The building collapsed on him, he was washed to the railroad where he was tangled in debris, almost drowned and was later found unconscious. He was in the hospital here for 6 weeks before he was able to walk and move about. He surfed Rams every day for 5 weeks, no one out. He helped rebuild this town with his bare hands, and every year would come with money from the UK to distribute amongst the locals. He taught all of the local boys how to surf and (along with a few other expats) outfitted them with boards, fins and leashes. He is a beloved part of this community, with all of the locals treating him as family. He was here throughout Sri Lankas civil war, and now he's here through Sri Lankas growing popularity- as the breaks get crowded, the beaches fill up, and the prices rise. And as grumpy as he gets about this growth, I think he'll continue to come back- because just like he was willing to brave the Tamil Tigers and natural disasters, I think his love for this country runs so deep that nothing will ever turn him away.

So happy for the time that I've had with Joe and Caroline. They, too, feel like family, which is so nice to have when one is so far away.

Living, Dying and Perfection

Well, it has been one full year (almost to date) and I finally finished reading "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche. I cannot stress enough the importance of reading this book and understanding reality as being "unbroken wholeness in flowing movement". As Sogyal Rinpoche says...To see death, then, through realized eyes, is to see death in the context of this wholeness, and as part, and only part, of this beginningless and endless movement.

When Buddha lay dying in a forest grove, surrounded by 500 of his disciples, he said to them with his last breath:

****"It is in the nature of all things that take form to dissolve again. Strive with your whole being to attain perfection."******

Perfection, I find, is a word that gets misused. People have an idea of the "perfect body", the "perfect life", the "perfect job" or the "perfect partner". I have none of these by social standards, but for me and from my perspective- I am perfect and am always actively working towards perfection. Because perfection to me is pure, is honest, is authentic and content. I strive to be perfect, not by starving my body or working some bullshit job that I don't like to buy things that I don't need-- but I am perfect because I am moving from a place of purity...pure love and pure devotion. One of my (Indian)teachers last year was amazed by my spiritual practice and he said to me, "Why? Why do you do all of this?". And I responded, "Because I want to be pure." I didn't hesitate with my response, and I didn't think about it. It was my truth. And that's my hope. To keep moving through this life with grace, motivated by truth and honesty and love and hard-work and a deep understanding of all things, especially of myself.

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying says....To learn how to die is to learn how to live; to learn how to live is to learn how to act not only in this life, but in the lives to come. To transform yourself truly and learn how to be reborn as a transformed being to help others is really to help the world in the most powerful way of all.

Thomas Merton wrote: "What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless but disastrous."

We need to wake up to the urgency of the need for spiritual transformation, and the urgency of the need to be responsible for ourselves and others.

Thank you Sogyal Rinpoche for this beautiful exploration of life and death! It has so inspired me and I hope that it helps all of you as well.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Always, All Ways.

Thank God for great friends that keep us in check!! Last night I talked to Julia, and this morning with Kelly and Bridget....my three best friends. All of them know me inside and out, and it was so great to check in with them about where I'm at and where I hope to go. I get anxious some times about what's next, and Kell's response was perfect, "What do u really NEED to live?? Not much. So who gives a fuck. Go balls out. Worst case you know you can come home and massage, cook, teach, surf anyway." Duh. Well said. Fear...gone. But it was the end of our conversation that really hit home. She said "God is with you always. All ways." Amen sista. And on that note I'm going to begin my powerful and amazing day...!

Run for Fun!

I came out of the womb with a very intense hatred for running. I have never, ever "enjoyed" it, and found it hard enough to tolerate the bit that they made us do back when I played school sports. I had asthma as a kid and suffer from joint pain now, and this combination has further reinforced the dislike and insecurity that surrounds the most natural form of exercise known to man.

Well, I stand corrected. Because now, I enjoy running and I look forward to my relationship with running and the growth that's to come. It's very similar to yoga and spirituality in many ways....
-If done improperly, you can hurt yourself. If done properly, it heals and strengthens the body.
-With a great teacher, anything is possible.
-Start out small!!! Just as you wouldn't start a meditation practice by sitting for an hour, you don't start running by pushing your body to the breaking point or running 5k!
-Slowly, Slowly. Shanti, Shanti.
-It's about having FUN and feeling GOOD
-It is a tool to help move past the conversations and chaos of the mind, and to tune into our highest Self.

And since Fredrik was such a great sport about being open to my spirituality ramblings, I figured that it was only fair to become a bit more open to his passion for running. As he phrased it, "I don't want to teach you to run, I want to teach you to LOVE to run!". He said, "You run so long as you're happy and enjoying it. But you never run farther than you enjoy. When you finish you want to feel content and excited for running the next day". And so, my running career has begun. We practiced a few laps on the beach, and he critiqued my style so that I wouldnt be hurting my joints or exhausting my body. He gave small but precise instructions that made an instant difference in how my body was feeling and helped me to transform twenty six years of anger towards this form of exercise. The lesson was 20 minutes in total and it was spot.on.

A bit that I took away from my lesson was...Run because it's easy and simple and fun. Don't push yourself. Put your running shoes in the bin. Embrace bare feet. Feel your toes extend and grip the earth beneath them. Feel a softness in your knees and calves. Keep your chest lifted and neck long, with your shoulders down and back. Use your arms to your advantage by keeping your elbows tucked in tight towards the body and move the arms (up and down, not side to side) without moving the upper body. Short steps as you glide along your path, landing with your foot underneath of your body, not in front of it. Most importantly, run with a smile on your face. Because life is good. Running is fun. And your feet can take you to the most beautiful places that you could never have imagined.


Cailin Callahan
www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

This is rocking my world right now. My mantra.

Care Packages in Ceylon....

Fredrik made me the sweetest "care package" for me, that still moves me to tears of happiness and gratitude. He decorated a bottle with local flowers and foliage and in the care package were incredibly thoughtful gifts that were all connected to conversations that we'd had this trip. In my package was:

-a birthday card for me, not to be opened until march 3rd
-a detailed "folding for dummies" guide (inside joke- I made a card for Fredrik looked like it was folded by an inebriated child)
-a bar of wax that was melted a reshaped into a heart with "forever in my heart" engraved in it
-a "go surf" sticker with the reminder to put somewhere I see often (Fredrik often motivated me to surf when I didn't want to...)
-local Sri Lankan Ayurvedic balm
-a candle with the note "you light up my life"
-stickers, markers and scissors for my crafting/card making obsession
-chords for a Swedish song that Fredrik would play for me on guitar, along with a guide to pronouncing certain letters

Such a thoughtful farewell gift from a thoughtful person. I'm so touched :)

Farewell Midigama Family

What a bittersweet day! Last night we celebrated our final evening together! Ben, Ariane, and Elliott were heading to the North and Fredrik heads back to Sweden. We have been together all day, every day, for the past month- and they have quickly become my family. We had a super fun sunset swim last night followed by a big, delicious feast.

I'm so incredibly sad to say goodbye, but so incredibly happy that I met, loved and will forever call these crazy people my friends. Until next time...

Monday, February 24, 2014

Rice + Curry Birthday Celebrations!

I love love love Fredrik, so I wanted to make his 30th birthday super special. I organized a big rice and curry feast around the corner from us at the home that my friend Lindsay had stayed at. The family there is incredibly friendly and embody the gentleness and kindness of Buddhism (we call the man "the floating buddha"). Anywho, the Floating Buddha makes the best curry in Sri Lanka. It's light and refreshing, two words that aren't often associated with local food!! I came a few hours early to help him prepare the feast, and it was such an education! We snacked on some sweet Jackfruit, which is not easy to breakdown, extracting the edible goodness, and saving the seeds (for which I would learn later...). He uses all sorts of herbs and greens in his curries and cooking, which I thoroughly appreciate. He had me slicing and dicing, and stirring and simmering. He is very precise in how he does things, even having a very specific method for how he puts the cooked rice into the serving platter, and I appreciate every detail and ounce of love that he puts into purchasing, preparing and serving this countries staple meal. And best of all, he loves food more than ME, so he is over-the-moon to share his secrets with me and have me alongside in the kitchen. Alas, all of this excitement makes it sound like it was MY birthday. Back to the man of the hour...

I headed into Weligama in the afternoon, scouring the dirty streets in the hot, heavy heat that the mid-day has to offer. I was able to find a "Happy Birthday Banner", a badass party hat, those obnoxious noisy birthday bazooka things, and I went to the bakery and got a customized cake. Oh yeah, and I got lucky- not only finding birthday candles, but numbered ones!!! Hooray!! I headed to our neighbors house, decorating for the party and setting the table for dinner. I taped balloons around Fredriks chair and then was back in the kitchen to help the floating buddha....

Fredrik was so surprised when he walked in for dinner, and he must have thanked me 100 times. Apparently I'm still the hostess with the mostess and capable of throwing a proper dinner party, even on the opposite side of the world! The little birthday bazookas were a huge hit with our group and everyone left happy, healthy and full! So so so many blessings to my beautiful friend Fredrik for a wonderful year ahead!

Fredriks Birthday Rice + Curry:

-Red Rice
-Pol Sambol (coconut Sambol)
-Cucumber curry (yes, we cooked cucumbers and it was freaking delicious)
-Fish Curry
-Jack Fruit Seed curry (so this one is so crZy and so delicious!! If you have a sweet jackfruit, you save the seeds and can use them for up to two days. The hard, seemingly-inedible seeds are cooked in coconut milk and voila- a nutty, somewhat potato-texture jackfruit seed curry!!!! And did you know, two of these seeds have the same amount of protein as one egg??!!)
-Gotu kola sambal
-okra, oyster mushroom and cauliflower curry
-Dal

Dessert was chocolate cake, fresh pineapple and sweet jackfruit.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Fredrik!

Happy happy happy 30th birthday to my beautiful, loving, inspiring and incredibly handsome Swedish Iron Man, Fredrik! You bring so much joy into our lives! To celebrate he ran to Matara and back after dinner...which, as Fred out it, "only a marathon". Love you to the moon and back!

Friday, February 21, 2014

Late Night Loungin'

Well it's 2am, and I'm sitting in a sarong outside of my door, sipping a cup of hot tea. I've just peeled off my wet clothes and rinsed off the layer of sweat that covered my body. I'm so grateful for the kettle that I bought last week, for a cool $7.50, which allows me to make tea any time of day. Anywho, I'm winding down and enjoying this cuppa tea as I stare at the stars. I can't help but to contemplate my evening and the past few weeks here...and it simply fills me up. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Sri Lanka feels like home. It IS home....

Tonight was my friend Shaggy's birthday. He is one of the local surfers, and he's a good friend of mine. All of the local boys here in Sri Lanka are simply put- good people. The boys all have my back, hoot me into waves and are genuinely happy to share the lineup with me. Tonight we shared a feast and then all went out dancing together and I will have this damn smile on my face all week. We danced and danced and danced...and laughed and sweat, and then sweat a bit more. Life lived in bare feet and on the beach is as good as it gets. The boys have been super impressed with my (growing) Sinhalese vocabulary and my "perfect pronunciation". They say that next year I am a "full local" and that they will only speak Sinhala to me. Boom. Full power.

I'm bound for bed in a few minutes, my legs exhausted from a night on the dance floor (I even created a dance-off in the middle of the floor and busted a badass split in the middle whilst doing a crazy backbend....). Happy birthday to Shagga on this auspicious day and GOOD NIGHT.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Are You My Mate?

Are you my mate?

Did anyone read that children's book "Are You My Mother?", by PD Eastman? It is the story about a hatchling bird. His mother, thinking her egg will stay in her nest where she left it, leaves her egg alone and flies off to find food. The baby chick hatches. He does not understand where his mother is so he goes to look for her. In his search, he asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, and a cow if they are his mother... I ask because I had a laugh today as I compared myself to the baby bird....

I'm coming off of two really really challenging days. My world was rocked with some crazy insane sadness as I hit another pocket of grief concerning my dads passing. It was debilitating sadness that made it hard to get out of bed, and had me waking in the middle of the night, hysterically crying. I did heaps of journaling (thanks Ana Forrest) and listened to some insightful spiritual encounters (thanks Mom) from our psychic, both of which brought me some peace. Mom had gone to the psychic one year ago, not that long after my Dad passed, and id gone this summer. We both recorded our sessions and damn am I thankful for that! After listening to them both, I felt a very clear message from my Dad which was "I am proud of you. I love you. We both did the best that we could when all of this was happening. And there is a man coming for you, and I'm so excited." In both my moms reading and my reading my Dad kept referencing this amazing love that is coming my way, THE amazing love of my life, the missing puzzle piece. Im laughing because now I'm like that baby bird. Every man that I meet (and there are many, many beautiful, inspired, exciting men in this little town!) I think to myself "Are you my mate?". Hahahaha. I actually was laughing out loud to myself this morning in the surf as I had this thought pop in 4 separate times. It's so exciting to know that love is ahead for me! And even more exciting that my Dad plays a part in it, and that he loves this person who will love me and I'll love in return!

I'm heading to bed now, getting my "beauty sleep", so I can be ready....are you my mate?

Baja!

Come away with me to Rancho Las Cruces (Baja, Mexico)! April 20-25!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Elegance in Motion.

Elegant. 

el·e·gant
ˈeləgənt/
adjective
  1. 1.
    pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.

Last year I only surfed Lazy Left and Plantations because everyone told me that I couldn't surf Rams with a longboard...that Rams was too scary, too shallow, too fast and too full power for anything other than a short board. Well, I'm glad that this year I decided that I didn't want to listen to the fears of others, and to explore on my own. Because now I surf Rams twice a day. And without sounding too cocky, I own it on a longboard. I can hear my Dad hooting and hollering me into every fast, steep wave that breaks over the shallow reef. I can feel him beaming from ear to ear when I get covered up and when I hang my toes over the nose. The first few times I was out there I was given warnings and skeptic bits of advice to "be careful", by the boys. That was until they saw me catch a wave. And then they bit their tongues. Lazy Left and Plantations are fun, but they're easy. And you can't grow in your comfort zone. I love the adrenaline that this spot offers up, and the skill that it makes me tap into to surf it. I have been having a blast there, and I appreciate the respect that's been given my way. The guys in the line up have been very vocal about how much they enjoy having me out there, and the people on the beach have voiced how much their enjoy watching. A beautiful French woman came up to me the other day, just around sunrise, and told me that she was heading home but she wanted to thank me for sharing my "art" with her...that she had so enjoyed watching me every morning; that I was "elegance" in motion. It's had me smiling for days. Surfing IS my art and I am happy to share it with others. And "elegance" is such a fantastic word, one that I strive to incorporate into all aspects of my life. I hope to speak with elegance, write with elegance, teach with elegance, love with elegance and always be moving from a place of elegance. 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Surfing, Singing and Sunshine.

My days have been jam-packed with socializing, singing, surfing, sipping tea and sun worshiping. It's a busy schedule, but somebody's gotta do it. I have been meeting so many beautiful people and I am feeling so nourished and loved. Jai Ma!

(This photo was snapped by my Israeli friend Yanai! And the other was taken by me, a photo of Yanais best friend Asaf...he is an amazing musician!)

Sunday, February 16, 2014

GOLDEN BUDDHA YOGA.

Most of you are aware, but for those of you that aren't- IM GOLDEN BUDDHA YOGA. I started "branding" (that seems like an ugly word, but it is what it is) myself in an attempt to bring together my global community under one umbrella. I have stopped allowing fear to make decisions for me and I'm shitting myself as I make a huge transition. I won't be spending much time in Jersey anymore, but instead will be focusing on an international studio. I spent a bunch of money on a website, so please take a moment to check it out and if you don't mind share it with a friend (via fb, email or insta!). It's scary to move into your big dreams, but I'm incredibly excited to take that risk and dive into my Sva Dharma. www.goldenbuddhayoga.com has information about my teacher trainings, retreats and workshops. The site is still in its early stages, so keep checking back. What I'll be adding....
-a place to share with the rest of those Golden Boo's out there
-videos of (me) : flows, meditations and bits of inspiration
-recipes
-golden buddha merch

Hooray!!! Thank you to all of my Golden Boo's for the love and support! I carry you all in my heart!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Living and Dying

I cannot stress enough the importance of reading "The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche. We are so afraid of death, and we handle it with so much fear and so little grace. I think about death a lot anymore. I meditate on it and reflect back to my intimate experience with it, watching my dad slowly leave. Sogyal Rinpoche says that "There is no greater gift of charity you can give than helping a person to die well". And yes, there is such a thing as "dying well". Given the right care, 98 percent of patients can have a peaceful death. I so wish that I had read this book before my experience, but all I can do now is to apply my knowledge to future encounters, and to share it with all of you- so that we can become a more educated, compassionate caregiver. This is a book that isn't just about dying, but as a title states, it's about LIVING.

I have been reading this book for a year now, and I'm still only half way through. Some days I read a paragraph and I will sit with those few sentences for several weeks. Yesterday I finally got to Part Two: Dying. Chapter 11 is "Heart Advice on Helping the Dying". Needless to say, I have been quite weepy. This chapter helped me so much to understand the transition that my dad was moving through, and reading this has helped me to move through some serious grief and regret that I have been holding in my heart. I must share:

"When the dying person is finally communicating his or her most private feelings, do not interrupt, deny or diminish what the person is saying. The terminally ill or dying are in the most vulnerable situation of their lives and you will need all your skill and resources of sensitivity, and warmth, and loving compassion to enable them to reveal themselves. Learn to listen, and learn to receive in silence: an open, calm silence that makes the other person feel accepted.

No one wishes to be "rescued" with someone else's beliefs. Remember your task is not to convert anyone to anything, but to help the person in front of you get in touch with his or her own strength, confidence, faith and spirituality, whatever that may be. People will die as they have lived, as themselves.

People who are very sick long to be you had. A great deal of consolation can be given simply by touching their hands, looking into their eyes, gently massaging them or holding them in your arms, or breathing in the same rhythm gently with them. The body has it's own language of love: use it fearlessly.

Often we forget that the dying are losing their whole world: their house, their job, their relationships, their body, their mind- they're losing everything. All the losses we could possibly experience in life are joined together in one overwhelming loss when we die, so how could anyone dying not be sometimes sad, sometimes panicked, sometimes angry? Don't try to be too wise; don't always try to search for something profound to say. Just be there as fully as you can.

When you come to try and help the dying, you will need to examine your every reaction, since your reactions will be reflected in those of the person dying and will contribute a great deal to their help or detriment. Looking at your fears honestly will also help you in your own journey to maturity. Being aware of your own fears about dying will help you immeasurably to be aware of the fears of the dying person. Just imagine deeply what those might be: fear of increasing, uncontrolled pain, fear of suffering, fear of indignity, fear of dependence, fears that the lives we have led have been meaningless, fear of separation from all we love, fear of losing control, fear of losing respect; perhaps our greatest fear of all is of fear itself, which grows more and more powerful the more we evade it.

SAYING GOODBYE:

If you are attached and cling to the dying person, you can bring them a lot of unnecessary heartache and make it very hard for the person to let go and die peacefully.

Christine Longaker discovered that for such a person to be able to let go and die peacefully they need to hear two explicit verbal assurances from loved ones. First, they must give the person permission to die, and second they must reassure the person they will be all right after he or she is gone, and there is no need to worry about them. "I am here with you and I love you. You are dying, and that is completely natural; it happens to everyone. I wish you could stay here with me, but I don't want you to suffer any more. The time we have had together has been enough, and I shall always cherish it. Please now don't hold onto life any longer. Let go. I give you my full and heartfelt permission to die. You are not alone, now or ever, you have all my love."

(Many people who appear to be unconscious can in fact perceive what is going on. My mom have these exact verbal assurances to my Dad when he was unconscious, and he died within the hour.)

Some families resist letting their loved ones go, thinking that to do so is betrayal, and a sign that they don't love them enough. "Imagine that you are standing on the deck of an ocean liner, about to set sail. You look back on the shore and see all your family and friends waving goodbye. You have no choice about leaving, and the ship is already moving away. How would you want the people you loved to be saying goodbye to you? What would help you most on your journey?"

*THERE IS NO GREATER GIFT OF CHARITY YOU CAN GIVE THAN HELPING A PERSON TO DIE WELL*

God bless my Mom for her strength and compassion, Hospice for helping this peaceful transition at home, and my Dad for holding on for us until -we- were able to finally let him go.

Yay for Yoga!

I'm so excited for our 300hour teacher training in Mexico Jan 2015!!!!!

moving into love.

Valentines day was awesome!!! I had a kickass surf and then hung on the beach and played with my crew: Elliot, Ben, Fredrik, and Carla. We had an awesome afternoon and then took the shenanigans on the bus to our destination...Mirissa. We had a delicious fish BBQ on the beach and then danced all. night. long. Literally...I didn't get home until 3am and I was the first one home!! We were hot, incredibly sweaty messes...but we were owning the dance floor and moving into self love and a most epic form of self-expression. Yay! Love! Friends! Dancing! Paradise!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Nana.

Today my Nana passed away at age 92. We knew that this was coming and I take comfort in the fact that her and I had a great conversation together one week before I left New Jersey. She was sharp as tack when we'd spoken and we covered all the important stuff...and when I said goodbye I knew that it would be our last.

I'm not really sure how the afterlife works, but id like to think that my Dad and her are getting to be together somewhere in the cosmic scheme of things. My Dad was one of Glams TEN children, but I think that he was the one responsible for every gray hair on her head! Ha!

As I sit across the world, experiencing this loss through Facebook and online messages, I can't help but to have a heavy heart, but this sadness is for my Dad. And maybe, if I'm being honest, for myself. For my loss. It's been a year and a half since he's moved into his next phase of existence, but sometimes it still doesn't feel real. Does that make sense? Sometimes I still pick up the phone to call him...to ask his advice, or just to say hello.

And so, I'm feeling a bit sad. But that's the name of the game. Highs and lows. Happiness and sadness. This is life, no? Tonight I'm going to go to bed with the comforting thought of Nan and Dad, laughing it up in heaven, with Glam saying (in that way she always did), "oh Paul...."

***************************
"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things."

~ Mary Oliver ~


Meanwhile, the world goes on....

And so the goodbyes continue....

Tonight I had to say farewell to Karolin, who has been a dear friend to me here in Midigama. We have shared many rice and curries together and shared waves...but what I appreciate most is the afternoons that we shared together. Some times we would do some shanti, restorative yoga together, and other times we would just sit and talk. Sometimes we would cry. And sometimes we would just sit in silence. I like friendships like this. Farewell my fierce little dancing goddess! See you around...

They say...

They say that when you're having the most fun that you don't take pictures. This could explain the fact that I've only taken 12 since I've come away. Too much fun to stop and document. Last night I managed to take this one super shit photo of our epic night. You can't tell from this, but there was about 40 of us at my friend mysas place last night (coffee point), where me, Fabian (here, Switzerland) and Assef (Israel) played music into the late hours of evening. It was SO MUCH FUN. The music was amazing, the collaborations were amazing and the overall vibe was full power.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Sri Lankan Family.

I met Patu, Uthum and Sithu in Arugam Bay last year and we became instant friends. We surfed together in the mornings, played Carram together in the afternoons and are dinner together in the evenings. They took care of me like I was a sister, and not much has changed since I've been away. Patu drove an hour on his motorbike yesterday to pick me up, insisting that I needn't take the bus. When we arrived in their town, all the boys were there to meet me...Uthum, Sithu, Dami, and the rest of the family. Patu had invited me to his families home for a special rice and curry feast- prepared by his Ama and Aka (mom and aunt). We played Carram in the backyard until it was time for dinner and then we FEASTED. I played a few songs on guitar before saying goodbye, and then Sithu and Uthum drove me all the way back down south to Midigama in the tuktuk. I feel so incredibly loved and so incredibly grateful for this family that has taken me in. ❤️

Monday, February 10, 2014

Rani's Rice and Curry

So, what to report? Lots of surfing. Lots of yoga self-practice and time for self-exploration. Lots of down time with friends. And lots of rice and curry at Rani's. She's so beautiful. I love her...her smile that lights up when I fumble through my Sinhalese and her chuckle about my "one egg, tea no sugar" requests. I gotta be completely honest, I'm pretty proud of myself as far as conversation goes. I have gone from knowing a few basics in Sinhalese (which is still heaps more than most the travelers around here know), to now being able to form whole sentences and hold short (albeit simple) casual conversations. Rani doesn't speak much English, and of course, 90% of the local language that I know revolves around food (duh!), so it's been great practicing my (food-centered) Sinhalese with her. I go to Rani's at least once a day, but most days it's lunch and dinner. Her spread is vegan...lots of beets, leeks, carrots, jack fruit, dal, pumpkin, brown rice and so much more! Although I make a plate that's far too big, I leave feeling full but not fatigued. The food feels nourishing, fulfilling and it feels like fuel. Everything is cooked with turmeric, curry, and all sorts of other anti-inflammatory spices that I adore. And all of this for 200rs (which is about $1.75usd). There are some meals that I'm not even that hungry, but I still go anyways just for a small plate because I want to visit my girl. Yesterday I missed lunch there and she told me in the evening that she was worried for me. Ha! It feels good to have a little slice of home at Rani's, and a delicious plate of food!

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Family Adventures

I brought my little "family" to my secret swim hole here on the South Coast. Everybody loved it and it was a nice way to break up the day and cool down.

Saturday Morning Market in Midigama

I was pumped to be able to walk to the market this morning, which only happens once a week, for a few hours. I picked up papaya, limes, tea, ground turmeric and some fresh ginger. The locals stared at me, most with smiles, and giggled when I rattled off my little bit of Sinhalese. I also picked up some assorted fruits for Fabrizio...the Italian longboarder a who gifted me a screw for my fin that nearly was lost in the sea this morning!! I don't know what I would have done without him, so I expressed my gratitude with a fruit basket. Ha. Beautiful morning, Beautiful country.