My first week in Bali has now rolled into week 2. So, how's it going? Well, pretty much everything I had imagined it would be has not come to pass. For one, the weather has been unsettled and very unseasonably wet, so my image of lizarding by the swimming pool, doing a spot of sunbathing and swimming, sleeping and reading hasn't happened. I've managed to do that for maybe two hours in total in the 10 days I’ve been here. The rest of the time it's been pretty wet, and you can't really do a lot when it's pouring with rain, so it's been forced rest inside which is good in one respect but a bit frustrating on the other.
“And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
Haruki Murakami
I’m still curious as to my feelings of ambivalence. Neither excited, nor disappointed, just here, in the moment. The only thing that’s changed, is me. I'm not interested in the shopping (been there done that countless times), I’m loving the food and have now had my first servings of my favourites – nasi goreng, chicken satay, and gado gado. And of course, loving the massages!
I have spent time with my dear friends Rick and Lita Pursell at Heaven in Bali. For those who have read my book Silent Warrior – Transformation, you can watch my new video of Heaven here and then you'll see exactly what I talk about in the book. It was also wonderful to hand a copy of my book to Rick in person, especially since he wrote such a fantastic review for me which I published on the back cover. And then he gifted me his latest book, Oracle of Consciousness - Interpretation which is based on his weekly blog inspiration. A special gifting from one friend to another, and one author to another.
And of course, no visit is complete without me taking a bottle of Tequila to Heaven where we share Rick's secret frozen Margilita's (margarita with a Lita spin LOL)!! I didn't realise we were colour-coordinated till I looked at the pic ;)
Heading into Ubud central from quiet Sanur, and Rick and Lita's mountain sanctuary, I've been hit with a sensory overload. And I don't like it. It's busy. Tourists everywhere. The markets leave me feeling drained. You can't browse without being hounded by the stall holders. And I get it. I feel for them, they are just trying to make a living. But they are ALL selling the same stuff. All of them. I'm done with it. I suppose it's because I've done it countelss times before, the shine has definitely gone off.
I'm now feeling this trip is for closure. Closure on a massive chapter of my life that was spent here, where I grew like never before. People and places come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Bali will be in heart for a lifetime, but I feel its part in my transformation is now complete, and a new season of change coming. At least, that’s how I’m feeling after 10 days.
But there’s still much to explore, and I’ll be in other places along the way, so let’s just see what unfolds. Plus, I’m still recalibrating from the manic pace of the first half of 2023, the publishing of my book, and just the crazy busy time before leaving. It's hard to actually STOP after all that busy-ness. So, we’ll see how my feelings progress from here.
In the past 24 hours I've learnt of a new birth, and a death, back in New Zealand... nothing stays the same, the cycle of life continues...
I’ll leave you with further images from my time at Rick and Lita’s Heaven in Bali.
And Ubud...
#followyourdreams #keepgoing #warriorspirit #silentwarrior #baliwisdom