The message for the day was balance.
I walked up Pitt Street to Circular Quay and bought a ferry ticket to Manly Beach. Price $13.50. Senior citizens of Australia pay $2.50 per day for a ticket that will get them on any government ferry, bus or train. It's a great deal. A couple sitting beside me on the ferry use those tickets as their means of getting around.
Manly Beach was beautiful, of course. I walked in the sand and along the water's edge to let my feet come in contact with the Pacific Ocean. It was cold, but that didn't stop a few brave souls out there surfing. How do they do it?
I sat on the cement steps overlooking the beach and the ocean and had an orange and half an avocado. I got into a conversation with a lovely lady named May who was there with her little grandson, Jack. May lives in Manly. She immigrated to Australia from Scotland forty years ago. We spent about an hour together, talking non-stop. We walked over to Shelly Beach together and then back to Manly Beach. May is a retired nurse and interested in health and natural healing. We learned from each other. My lesson from May was to stay balanced in my life, including diet. I already try to do that by not making rules for myself. I don't make it a law to be 100% raw, or 100% vegetarian, or 100% vegan, because I reserve the right to decide when I want to eat something different. Balance is choosing to eat the foods that make for a better life. Stressing about not being 100% anything is not balance. Eating from addiction is not balance. Eating junk food or meat that is full of hormones and antibiotics or genetically modified foods is not balance. May and I parted with hugs and email addresses. She is coming to the states in May, and I am hoping she will put Arkansas on her list of places to visit.
I ate lunch at a Thai restaurant. I had the lightly steamed vegetables with rice.
On the ferry back to Sydney, the man next to me was in a series of phone conversations with people trying to find someone to distribute medications for him. He said to me, "Were you listening to my conversations?" I said, "Yes, I thought you must be a doctor". He started asking me questions about my travels and then? about Arkansas. "What is Arkansas famous for?", he asked. "Bill Clinton", I answered. He asked about my favorite cities....I couldn't pick one. He talked about 9/11. Then he said something important. I heard the same thing from Eve when I was in Melbourne. He said, "I've always liked Americans because of their confidence. They have a "give it a go" attitude".
I walked back down Pitt Street to the Pitt Street Mall and listened to the street musicians. One of the street performers was my second reminder to stay balanced. His act was a crazy, dangerous balancing act. He balanced on a sawhorse on top of two other saw horses and then on top of blocks on top of the highest sawhorse. He certainly knew how to balance.
In my case, balance will come from choosing freely and wisely...not from cravings and addictions and programming.
I bought some cashews from a street vendor and a salad from Subway. I went to the lounge at Sydney Central to get on the internet. I called David Fielder to find out about getting to his house on Sunday. I need to pre-book the airport shuttle on Sunday at Brisbane, but I can't get the phone number to work. I hope I can book it when I get to the airport. Otherwise, I'll have to fork over the money for a taxi.
I got a shower and washed my hair and the water was HOT! I'll be all clean for the opera tomorrow.
I ate my salad while I played games and uploaded my pictures. I wrote postcards to send home.
One last bit of balance....Today is the halfway point in my stay in Australia. I have been here 91 days, and I will be home in 91 more days.
To health and happiness.
I walked up Pitt Street to Circular Quay and bought a ferry ticket to Manly Beach. Price $13.50. Senior citizens of Australia pay $2.50 per day for a ticket that will get them on any government ferry, bus or train. It's a great deal. A couple sitting beside me on the ferry use those tickets as their means of getting around.
Manly Beach was beautiful, of course. I walked in the sand and along the water's edge to let my feet come in contact with the Pacific Ocean. It was cold, but that didn't stop a few brave souls out there surfing. How do they do it?
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| Manly Beach |
I sat on the cement steps overlooking the beach and the ocean and had an orange and half an avocado. I got into a conversation with a lovely lady named May who was there with her little grandson, Jack. May lives in Manly. She immigrated to Australia from Scotland forty years ago. We spent about an hour together, talking non-stop. We walked over to Shelly Beach together and then back to Manly Beach. May is a retired nurse and interested in health and natural healing. We learned from each other. My lesson from May was to stay balanced in my life, including diet. I already try to do that by not making rules for myself. I don't make it a law to be 100% raw, or 100% vegetarian, or 100% vegan, because I reserve the right to decide when I want to eat something different. Balance is choosing to eat the foods that make for a better life. Stressing about not being 100% anything is not balance. Eating from addiction is not balance. Eating junk food or meat that is full of hormones and antibiotics or genetically modified foods is not balance. May and I parted with hugs and email addresses. She is coming to the states in May, and I am hoping she will put Arkansas on her list of places to visit.
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| Here I am at Shelly Beach |
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| May and Jack at Manly Beach |
I ate lunch at a Thai restaurant. I had the lightly steamed vegetables with rice.
On the ferry back to Sydney, the man next to me was in a series of phone conversations with people trying to find someone to distribute medications for him. He said to me, "Were you listening to my conversations?" I said, "Yes, I thought you must be a doctor". He started asking me questions about my travels and then? about Arkansas. "What is Arkansas famous for?", he asked. "Bill Clinton", I answered. He asked about my favorite cities....I couldn't pick one. He talked about 9/11. Then he said something important. I heard the same thing from Eve when I was in Melbourne. He said, "I've always liked Americans because of their confidence. They have a "give it a go" attitude".
I walked back down Pitt Street to the Pitt Street Mall and listened to the street musicians. One of the street performers was my second reminder to stay balanced. His act was a crazy, dangerous balancing act. He balanced on a sawhorse on top of two other saw horses and then on top of blocks on top of the highest sawhorse. He certainly knew how to balance.
 |
| Balancing Act |
In my case, balance will come from choosing freely and wisely...not from cravings and addictions and programming.
I bought some cashews from a street vendor and a salad from Subway. I went to the lounge at Sydney Central to get on the internet. I called David Fielder to find out about getting to his house on Sunday. I need to pre-book the airport shuttle on Sunday at Brisbane, but I can't get the phone number to work. I hope I can book it when I get to the airport. Otherwise, I'll have to fork over the money for a taxi.
I got a shower and washed my hair and the water was HOT! I'll be all clean for the opera tomorrow.
I ate my salad while I played games and uploaded my pictures. I wrote postcards to send home.
One last bit of balance....Today is the halfway point in my stay in Australia. I have been here 91 days, and I will be home in 91 more days.
To health and happiness.
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