Sometimes I only get a sliver of ya...

Tonight Havah asked if I wanted to go home early and spend time with Tikvah and the children (instead of cleaning up in the cafe, which I ended up doing at the house anyway, but that is the life of community -and it's especially encouraging to be able to do it with a willing heart.) As I walked out the door of the cafe and across the road I caught sight of a gorgeous white crescent hanging in the evening sky. I ran back to invite my friends to enjoy it as well, parading them from the kitchen out the front door grabbing people along the way as we went. Out under a few twinkling stars, (and jupiter) Caleb recalled the night when he was young that he first grasped the concept of the moon as a sphere. As he encouraged Havah to notice the shadows from the dark side of the moon, I imagined what it would look like through Jock's telescope. I was reminded of my childhood moon experiences and the wonderful books that I loved so much, Goodnight Moon, Owl Moon and my all time favorite to read with Mimi: Papa, Bring The Moon for Me. I slipped into the memory of snuggling up in Papa's lounge chair with all the lights off except the one shining behind his beautiful stained glass in the living room. Those days had to have been the best of my life.

As I walked home on the right side of the road, against traffic for only a short time longer, I tried to keep the moon in sight. It was as if we were walking home together, side by side. The curiosity came up again of whether everyone sees the same moon- though it wouldn't be at the same time. I quietly sang one of my favorite songs, thinking of home and the quickening progression of days until my time here is up. Today I was considering if I would regret staying with the community until I fly but I realized in order to have regret I would need to be deciding between two choices. As far as I've thought ahead, I don't really want to be anywhere else because I'm so engaged in what I'm doing here. It's like I've already moved on from Australia and I'm in a totally different realm in between my transition home. I do realize I could experience and enjoy the benefits of this life in many different places around the world and the work would be the same. All I know is that I'm happy and safe with wonderful friends, learning incredible things about myself and the human condition and I don't want to be anywhere else but here right now.

On my trek, I stopped occasionally to adjust my eyes to the dark from the street lights and admire the bright sphere in the sky, it's entire circumference of a shadow prominent against the sky. I admired the changing colors of the sunset from the orange on the horizon, fading to yellows and greens, into the many layers of blue up through to the deep darkness of the universe surrounding the white sliver in the night. Not fully dark, the sillouttes of many Australian trees painted the landscape against the colorful background of day's end. Nature is such an incredible thing and I'm in such an amazing place to experience it! At lunch we talked about a time when the world didn't have cities but was focused on surviving the wild and creating enduring relationships. It was a simpler time, we imagined, and we wished to live that way- out of the demands of modern technology and trends and a push for going faster, harder, stronger, more! The life they live here attempts release from those demands and encourages deep relationships with the strife of life being primarily internal, within a safe environment of constant support and love. Nish barah told me today (after a conversation we had about getting stressed and overwhelmed over cafe things) that I am here to help her. As a different person with a different perspective, we need each other to learn and grow. It's so amazing that we can truly be support to each other without debt or expectation except to love. Somehow they've come to trust me and it's like my dad said, even though I'm not be joining them, they've still accepted me as Part of them. I really desire their way of life. The simplicity of it, the foundation for increasing one's self, the relationships of true friendship and love and the attempts to be as natural as possible, honoring the earth and the gifts provided. I love their life but I don't have their faith. I'm so eager to continue learning from them though. They're an amazing people with a beautiful vision and they've all found their purpose in life and I admire them for that. I'll continue to contemplate my own as I strive to work through my inequities and become the best person I can be!

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Oh what a beautiful morning... Today instead of a teaching, Israel encouraged everyone to head to the garden and do a big weed push! It was a gorgeous way to start the day. In the fresh air, all together in the shade of the trees (where the cockatoos were screeching!) twenty men, women and children squatted, kneeled and hunched over the beds filled with tomatoes, rocket, silverbeet (chard), basil, lettuces of all sorts and kale! I very much enjoyed reaching deep within the tomato beds, my nose filled with the sweet scent of basil. I bid good morning to each little lady bug and squealed at the shock of grabbing a slug! We worked until cafe duty called and then some of the sisters and I ran inside to wash the dirt from under our nails, leaving the rest of the community to finish the job. Today I'm heading to the farm for a few days until the tribal gathering this weekend! I'm looking forward to talking with more people, making new friends and strengthening beautiful relationships. I'm so happy to be really alive and experiencing this gorgeous day!

(Fun fact: rubbing on the juice from a lemon wedge is an awesome natural deodorant!)