It’s 5.30am and I’m writing this from my little room in Pormpuraaw’s only guest house. Pormpuraaw is an Indigenous community on the West coast of Cape York, in Far North Queensland. Almost at the very top of Australia. So far removed from the hip surf town of Byron Bay or the fast, modern pace of Sydney or Melbourne.
It’s hard to imagine who else might be staying here. The community is hours away (like 8) from any major town, and we’re surrounded by nothing but bush & ocean. Kate & I are here for the next two days to teach water safety & environmental education on SUP’s to the local Indigenous kids. We’re feeling a little nervous. Everywhere we look, and everyone we speak to, we’re reminded that our biggest challenges in this place are crocodiles. Saltwater in the ocean & freshwater in the river. There’s a cartoon croc on the side of our rented truck, but I’m pretty sure the real ones aren’t that cute.
Last night we ventured to the pub for some dinner. It felt a little surreal. A few heads turned as we walked in the door. Two white girls in an Indigenous community. The bar is caged in, and you get breathalysed at the door. It’s a different world, yet we only flew for 2 hours in a rickety old plane from Cairns.
Before we left yesterday we sat in a rad little cafe and had about an hour to do any work online before heading here. We might be lucky and sneak some WiFi time at the council office later today, so we can upload some pics & send some emails, but it’s likely the next few days will be mostly unplugged. I love it.
I’m feeling a little tired, to be honest. I only had a day and a half between landing back in Australia from Thailand (and Singapore before that) and leaving for this trip. We fly back to Cairns on Thursday night and leave for our next adventure on Saturday morning. On that one we’ll travel by road, four wheel driving up through Cape York, to re-visit two beautiful communities that we went to last year and go SUP’ing with more incredible, beautiful kids.
Then it’s a couple of days in Aus before flying to Bali for 10 days to surf & work. I already know that the next 3 weeks will fly by. You lose track of days and flights easily when you move around this much. But you never lose track of just how lucky you are to be doing this. How grateful I feel to be going on these kinds of adventures.
Last night, Kate & I watched Finding Joe. I’ve watched it a zillion times (and it’s pretty much compulsory for my Super Stoked clients to watch it) but I adore it, and every time I see it, another lightbulb switches on in my head. For those of you that don’t know, Finding Joe is a documentary about Joseph Campbell and The Heros’ Journey. It’s an amazing film. There was one Joseph Campbell quote that I saw last night that pretty much encapsulates all the adventures that I’m experiencing right now (and the reason why I’m writing this post today).
Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls
You see, it would be easy for you to read this and think ‘huh, she’s so lucky….. I wish I could go on a trip like that/do work like that/be location independent…. but the reality is that this has nothing to do with luck. Behind the scenes, the workload has (and continues to be) immense. The commitment to juggling this freelance work, running my own business and saying yes to some incredible collaborations is real. It involves blood, sweat and tears (and really, really good systems haha).
Sure, doors have opened where there were once only walls. Things have unfolded in ways I could not have imagined. But it hasn’t been pure coincidence.
Often people mistake Campbell’s words ‘Follow your bliss’ to mean that you should just do the fun stuff. But in reality, the fun stuff and the stuff that lights you up can look quite different. Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a great time, but following your bliss is not always the easiest option. It is, quite often, the scariest option. The option that requires immense courage.
And following your call to adventure is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in life. You will be tested again and again. You will have moments when you question absolutely everything and wish you could go back to your safe, normal life. But somewhere deep down, you know that it would never satisfy you again.
It’s ok to be scared.
But you need to remember this: You create your own destiny. I know that might sound a bit woo-woo, but it’s the truth. The world you are experiencing right now? You created it. You said yes to it. Which means, if it isn’t making you happy or isn’t ultimately leading you down a path you want to go, you have the ability to change direction.
These moments. These adventures. Where I feel about as far from home as I can imagine. Where I am filled with excitement and trepidation for what the day will bring. Where it is impossible to be anything but 100% present, and in the moment. This is living.
Am I scared? Hell yes. Do I know what my future holds? No freaking idea.
But I have enough faith in the universe (and in myself) that if I keep walking down the road of trials, slaying dragons when they show up on my path (most of them internal), and following my bliss, doors will continue to open where there were once walls.
I invite you to do the same.