High energy throughout the day. Laughter everywhere. Waking up to bad dreams: flying to Tasmania. Some sort of WWOOF farm. Fire. Quickly approaching.
Got up to go to the bathroom. Called home. Only Dad, Erin and Aidan home. Glad to talk to Dad. Filled him in. More ease, confidence in speaking. Pancake breakfast. Wandering time on the internet. Able to upload 5 photos. Leaving just after 11, heading from Woodend to Candle Bark School. Up forested side-streets. Rolling hills. A right turn and the steepest hill of the trip. Granny gear all the way. So close to hyperventilating. Birds at the top. Short tails, yellow on their rear. The school, in amidst so many trees, built 3-4 years ago by John Marsden - former children's author. Alternative ideas. Making the "strange," the "edge" the norm. Lunch made by the teachers. Couscous salad, lentils, veggies, greek yogurt and seedy blueberries. Cheese, bread. Talking to Jess, 4 weeks into student teaching here. Our performance, Meg as Mother Earth Sista - hilarious, perfect. "Better make sure that all goes down." "No no, Careless, please, don't flush it turd time." "Please, no, not a turd time." "Oh yes, I'm going to flush it a turd time."
Q & A at the end. making it through without peeing my pants. A tour of the classrooms lead by the children. A fairy-tree room in the 'preps' (kindergarten) area. Art and the children's ability to speak so gently, so confidently. Empowering youth. Giving them responsibility. So much free time. Three hours there - my mind and heart filled - so many possibilities. Change, compassion, things so out of the ordinary becoming regular. I want a school like that. Wwoofing there - its an opportunity. Kyra, 11 years old, though by body size I would have guessed she was younger. Telling me about her family, her pets. Opening her arms, so easily, expectedly. Leaning in, hugging her tiny frame. By far in the top 3 highlights of my day. Such a simple thing. The things I want in my life, from my life. this tour has brought them all to the surface.
Community, verbal and physical expression of care, creativity. Such a settling feeling - kids and connecting and I'm so lucky, this is what I want to be doing. A trampoline, several, on the property. A young boy, trying to teach me how to ride that 2-wheeled skateboard thing. I couldn't get it. But he was so patient.
Also gave Dylan a go, he got it right away. Jumping, flipping on that trampoline. The way life could be. Will be. Is being. Riding down steep, slippery gravel hills. With Dylan, Libby, Meg and Bindy. Goofy singing. Imagination. "We're not down with granny gear!" Stopping along the way, blackberries we later found out may have been recently sprayed. Poison - for you and me. The others attempting some strange massive hill, roll upwards, then
to Hanging Rock. The energy depletion was already underway, so I headed back to Woodend alone. Zooming trucks. Too close to me. Yet, no other place I wanted to be. In Australia. Possibilities, opportunities, they keep opening their arms for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment