Ice-cream for Breakfast 🍦

Dear Reader, 

This month, I have listened to a lot of podcasts. Even for a podcast producer. 

Something that everyone keeps talking about: AI. 

It’s a tool we have to utilise, it’s going to replace us, it’s taking our jobs, it uses so much water… Blablabla…

I am so bored of the fear mongering.

But something stuck with me recently.

There is a 10% chance that humans won’t be around in 10 years…

Okay, so that is wildly pessimistic and I am not massively convinced… as there is a 90% chance it won’t happen. Statistics were never my strong point, but that sounds alright to me.

But that little 10% is niggling at my subconscious more than I would like it to. Lingering there like a quiet mental fart- silent but deadly.

Now that I have responsibility for more than just myself, I think about things more deeply. There is slightly more risk analysis factored into my decisions.

                                                         

So what do we do if this is true? 

Me with my remote job, having been living my dream life, knowing that I will soon be a victim of AI redundancy.

                                          

The next generation, who will have to make the mind boggling choice of what job to do in a world where people are less and less required.

So, do we stop having babies? Stop studying? Stop dreaming? 

Some people may.

Certainly not my attitude. 

Nope.

If we have limited time, then do everything now! 

Say yes to the slice of cake.

Of course, keep doing the smart things as you currently do to protect that 90%. Save, exercise, work hard.

But your dreams and special goals- find a way to make them happen. 

And make sure you’re really living.

If you get the chance to eat ice-cream for breakfast or ride in a convertible, forget the diet and embrace the crazy hair. Do it before you crave the ice-cream and wonder what it would be like as Thelma and Louise.

                                                  

Like my fellow Badass above.  

                                   

Listen to the old people’s stories before they are too old to tell them. 

Book the trip to India, and go by yourself if no one will join you- I did it! 

                                                    

And wear the saree!

Visit the countries you want to see before war or natural disasters make it impossible 🌏

Express your undying love for that person before they meet someone else.

Tell your family how much you appreciate them (If it’s true 🙈).

Hold your baby in your arms and cherish every second, before they’re running off to fulfill their own dreams 💫

So if the world ends in 10 years, you can say, “Huh. That was a great decade though”. 

And if it doesn’t end, but we keep living like we have only a few years left, then we will look back and say, “Huh. That was a great life though”.

Or something more profound.

Happy Gallivanting ✨

My second home.

Belly Ventures ✨

Dear Reader, 

Two years ago I wouldn’t have expected to be living in Mauritius last year, my image being used on socials to promote belly dancing on the island…

Then this time last year I was, as my Gili Air comrades would say, « watching a banana dance like Michael Jackson » 🍌

I was galavanting down the streets of Paris, trying to find an alternative fromagerie, as my favourite place was closed for the holidays 🧀

I was making new memories with old friends and reminiscing fond moments with new friends 💞

I was catching up with as many members of my Europe Crew as possible. 

And finally, having been left behind on two previous occasions, I made it to Venice. The place everyone says is too packed and overly touristy. Well, I just went ahead and loved it anyway 🎭

It really is hard to imagine that has been a whole year ago. And on the other hand, quite a bit has happened this year indeed…

From advertising belly dancing 💃 to baby wearing 🐥 

So my career may be suffering with my extended break.

Perhaps my role is elsewhere… after all, a remote job is best enjoyed when one fully adopts the digital nomadic lifestyle… though expat is an acceptable second… then again balancing family life is a pretty great perk for some people too…

As we have concluded in my recent ramblings, Dear Reader, we just don’t really know where the heck we are going to be a year from now.

Ecstatic Dances with my People 🪄Out of Nowhere

So as I rapidly approach Jesus’s age, I wonder whimsically where I will be this time next year. 

I hope to travel again 🌏

Belly dance 💃

Hike 🏔️

All I know is that it will never be like Réunion again… at least, not for a long while. Solitude is something I will always treasure. But the extrovert shall be nurtured for many years to come.

…

I am happy to have finally been swimming again, albeit briefly, this time at my neighbour’s villa, where there is a glorious pool.

And each time I walk by the ocean, I find things to appreciate…

Little red fody chicks chirpily enjoying their breakfast…

A butterfly fluttering by my path…🦋

The delicate reflection of coconut trees in the blue waters 🌴

The vibrancy of the sky, juxtaposed with the mellow mountains dwelling in the distance ⛰️

All the way back then

Magical moments on my mat, few and far between. But the mystic morcels nourish my soul for days.

And my body breathes.

Yes.

Happiness is found in the most unlikely of scenarios.

When the mind wanders through all corners, the body dispenses gold, the spirit dances in the wind

At every smile.

And all the babbles.

For each moment we share.

The Garden of Persephone 🌺

Dear Reader, 

How are you? How are you feeling? 

I invite you to take a moment to close your eyes and stay still.

Sit back, relax.

What images come to you? How do they make you feel? 

I come to you from a hot, sunny day... in Winter.

Yep. Winter.

For many of you Dear Readers, you are experiencing a hot Summer. 

In my home county, many dark days in the year fly by, where people long for the sun, when they can wear bright clothes and have a drink outside to close a full day 🍹

And then the nice weather comes and after a sweet spot lasting about 48 hours, people start complaining that it’s too warm.

After some unfortunate sunburn incidents in my life, the sun and I learned to love each other.

An excuse for ice-cream, long, shiny days where people go swimming and eat outside.

Eventually, my feelings changed completely, so that when I adopted a nomadic lifestyle, I vowed to avoid Winters. And I did. It was awesome and I shocked everyone who knew me by turning caramel. And not just because my freckles all merged.

Then somehow, the Universe used her gravitational pull to lure me back into Winters after all. However, experiencing it in hot countries is entirely different… 

Again, Winter.

The thing is, whatever we plan, life flies its own path.

I thought I’d avoid Winters and then I found a way to appreciate them.

I thought I’d always be scared of heights, then I realised I was pretty high up in the Himalayas and was just fine, I needed only to adjust my perspective. 

So I crossed an enormous rope bridge in Portugal. And it felt pretty cool.

Oh and I jumped out of a flying plane.

Now that was cool.

I used to think that I would travel the world forever and then realised I missed human relationships that last longer than a single day trip.

I thought I’d keep exploring anyway but ended up falling in love with a little African island in the middle of the Indian ocean.

And here I am, almost two years after first arriving in my Melting Pot, no longer flying around the world, but across the night sky, with the soft feathers nestled under my wings.

💙

🌞 So if you are pluviophile, challenge yourself to a walk in the sun. 

☔ If you are a heliophile, try dancing in the rain. 

🐦 And if you only like the cold, dark days, go to a park in Summer and listen to the birds singing and the bees buzzing.

Just like the walks in Persephone's garden, which changed her whole view of the Underworld, leading to rest, regrowth and abundance.

Question what you think you know about yourself.

Confront what you think you fear in the world.

The Universe will do with you as She pleases anyway...

You may as well enjoy the flight.

A Soft Sunday Morning 🌤️

Dear Reader,

I come to you from a soft Sunday morning. 

The firm breeze is gliding along the coconut trees outside 🌴

The sunlight is reflecting off the leaves. Golden hues among bright green. Every one of them unique 💛

Like each moment of our lives…

When I hadn’t a clue

My little Sunshine is keeping me warm on my chest and I feel completely at ease, thankful for having had a wonderful, overdue, full yoga session this morning 🪷

My beats. My mat. My breath.

A perfect package for a good practice.

I wrote recently of sleepless nights. 

Of reminiscing about waterfalls from all those years ago. 

And soon, Dear Reader, I will recount those days. But with the detail it deserves.

Everything happens for a reason.

And so I deleted my post (albeit by accident), but it worked out for the best.

💝

Little by little I move more, open more and receive more. I feel the pleasures of celebrating new special days in this new stage of my life. 

Yes.

I find myself in the happy side of the wheel.

June has been a month of milestones- smiles and unblurred vision.

Chats with friends, outings with the family and quality time, notably with my mum, whom I missed so very much. 

And visits from special family, all the way from Lake Macquarie 🌞

And hey, the football World Cup is on, which is always fun. Reminds me or when I was young- omelettes in Majorca, German fans shouting in Menorca, Converse with white dresses, nightclubs in London…

And in the future, it will remind me of Now, these precious moments where birds are chirping on sunny mornings and my family is together ♥️

Being reunited with my favourite ocean 🌊

Where I am finding butterflies around me once more…🦋

And where days blend to night, forming one long adventure.

Combining strong smells with emotive sounds and bright smiles with soft touches.

My body intentional, my mind at ease.

My soul enjoying an overwhelming sense of nourishment.

A feeling of utter harmony and belonging…

Because now, even when there will be darkness, I will always have Eternal Sunshine in my life.

Welcome 💐💙

Dear Reader, 

I come to you from a different place. Let me show you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The stars are different. Telling.

The night sky has a mystical presence. Swirls of clouds among the constellations, telling stories not yet written…

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Rest does not come. The cogs in the wheel are turning ever so slowly.

Each orbit bringing sinister anticipation. 

The warmth of a soothing voice.

A calming hand and a moment of true love.

It is time.

The Power of Now pulsates through my body. Every beat like a flash of lightning. Growing stronger. With a purpose. 

We are moving. 

Dark images pass by.

Familiar places, but different.

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

***

More electricity. 

Steady rhythms through intense heat.

A choice to delve further.

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Staring into the abyss, I search for the familiar ripples.

Breath in…

The light is fading.

The little sparkles glittering in the distance remind me of a choice that is already made.

No more pain. No more fear. Life. Now. 

Like the waves from that night long ago.

And so the light flows back towards me, growing brighter and brighter each second…

Until white and green splash across the canvas.

Unfamiliar noise fills my ears and strange faces line the edges of the forest.

Sharp thorns turn blunt and no longer penetrate my wings.

Breathe out.

…

A sound as sweet as the proudest bird. 

The image of summer pouring through the windows at dawn.

The softness of velvety petals caressing my soul.

The loving scent of a thousand frangipanis…

A taste of unwavering serenity brushes my lips.

Nothing matters. Everything matters.

… 

Day turns to night, turns to day.

Time is no more

As there is no longer darkness in the meadow. 

Only everlasting sunshine 🌞☀️

Welcome to the World 💐

Nexus

Dear Reader, 

I hope this letter finds you well. 

Maybe you are nourishing the buds of Spring 🌱

Watching the dewy leaves as the highly anticipated rays of sunshine prepare to make their grand entrance 💧

Or maybe, you are basking in the cooler night breezes. Embracing the slight chill in the water. 

Change is coming. 

It makes me reflect on the turning points of our lives. 

Can you, Dear Reader, remember them in your own life? 

Maybe your mind is drawn to an unexpected event, a big choice you had to make. Perhaps it is a person or place you think of…

***

When I first travelled to Asia 4 (shocking) years ago, I underwent a change. As most basic white girls do when they head to that part of the world 🤸‍♀️

I try to think, was it summiting a peak in the Himalayas? Was it touching an elephant for the first time? Watching the stars from the remote jungle? 

Maybe it was taking myself off on secret adventures. 

Or nearly dying (sorry mum) a million times over. 

I know when I started to see the change. But the turning point happened slowly. 

Noticing a problem. Then accepting it. Then choosing whether I could live with that problem. Then deciding that I could not. 

And so I left. 

And I have never regretted it. 

And as I watched the ripples in my Favourite Ocean, in the middle or nowhere, alone on a tiny island, I saw my reflection. 

Not the person I was. But who I was to become. 

I saw fearlessness. Bright colours. Connection. 

***

This time 4 years ago, I was undergoing the most physical and regimented physical routine of my life (apart from a couple of fairly challenging days in Nepal, and post surfing accident in Sri Lanka).

10 hours of yoga per day. 25 days.

Minimal food. Minimal anything else. Except for some daily swimming. 

Hours of sweat, endurance and breakthroughs. It was incredible.

The magic of course came from the extended discipline that followed. But that itself was a physical turning point. 

And though there was an unprecedented amount of needless squabbling (in which I was not involved), it was nice to spend so much time with a big group consisting predominantly of women. 

And fundamentally yogis (although some of them were terribly mean to each other). 

I realise now that it was something that led to me wanting to return to Ubud one day, just for yoga 🪷

Which, any of you avid Gallivantress Letter Readers will know, is something I did end up doing. It came about in the weirdest of ways…

But would I have ended up there if my Nepalese yoga course had not been cancelled post-covid? 

Had I not ended up in Bali, had I not fallen from the scooter, returned to Sri Lanka… fallen in love? 💞

I wouldn’t have searched for that remote job. 

Nor would I have done all of the things that have led me to this exact moment. 

***

The stardust is forming its own little sun, ready to shine any day now. 

Of course, when those first few rays hit your skin, it gives you a beautiful feeling of life and warmth ☀️

This time, it will be like no other. 

So I invite you, Dear Reader, to reflect on which turning points led to where you are today. 

Close your eyes…

Look carefully at the ripples of water… what things do you see? And what do you feel? 

Can you learn anything from that? 

Maybe you feel a little warmth as you reflect. Realising what little spouts of magic have secretly paved your way 🧚‍♂️

Ethereality🍃

Dear Reader, 

💙

Having you ever experienced weightlessness? 

Maybe you have been in one of those air tanks where you end up floating from the force of the wind. That’s not what I meant. 

Rather that feeling where you’re lurched on a styrofoam noodle, bobbing across the water as the wind gentle guides you. 

Or when you have a surprise beach trip and spend so much time in the beautiful shallows that you emerge with hands like a senior citizen.

Perhaps you have had it in your mind as well. Usually when you take a moment to realise that your physical body is in such a state of impermanent bliss, that you become fully present for a few seconds. 

Feeling every cell on your skin. 

Aware of each beat of your heart and its destination. 

The corners of your mind being filled with the breath from your lungs. Each endorphin being water for the first time since a drought. 

Like biting into a warm cookie

It is these moments which I seek in life. 

That reassurance that I am. Connected. Being. Living. 

When we live in a world where everything can feel heavy, seeking out these experiences is not merely whimsical, it’s necessary. 

Because they only last seconds. Then comes the wasps in the pool, a big hack of slimy seaweed at your feet or the squawk of a bird to draw your attention away from the precious moments. 

And off you go on your cycle once again. Following the wheel as it turns itself over and brings you to the challenges and choices that line our paths. 

Like which move to make

Over the next few weeks, I intend to practice that stillness. 

Hold on to the feeling of nothing and everything all at once. 

Stop. Listen. Notice. Breathe. Be.

Before the next chapter begins.

Do you feel that stardust? 

See you very soon 🌹