Comparing apples and oranges, beaches and bears
There's so many good things, just waiting to be noticed, but no sensible way to weigh up flowers and mountains, lakes and oceans
A month ago a black bear strolled past when I was having dinner. It paused to sniff the bins, contemplated tipping one over for a rummage and a snack, then disappeared into the woods. From safe inside at the table, it looked smaller than I imagined – a Great-Dane-sized wombat rather than a terrifying grizzly – but its visit rounded off my Canadian tick list.
I’d crammed a lot into my weeklong visit to Squamish, BC. Quality time with mates. Running up all three peaks of The Chief, the rocky mountain forming the fake-looking backdrop to town. Swimming and SUPing through silky freshwater lakes surrounded by forest, decorated with rope swims and floating logs perfect for sunbaking. Hiking up to lakes of glacial blue, next to pointy mountains wearing caps of ice.
I got back and told James (10) all about it. ‘We don’t have anything cool like that here’, he said, which led into a conversation about Sydney’s amazing beaches and sailing and the bush all around us. About hot summers and swimming and sharks and whales and dolphins. About long walks and camping and waking up to chortling magpies.
Later, I went for a run through local bushland and paid attention to what I saw. A glossy red waratah glowing against the green. Thousands of tiny spring flowers, from yellow fluffballs of wattle to spidery things and delicate bells. Bounding wallabies, families of black cockatoos that screeched like creaky doors and the bright streaks of flying rosellas.
It wasn’t Canada – not even close. It was entirely different, and also amazing.
It made me think of returning home to Canberra, aged 19, after my first year living in the UK. All I could see was what was missing: the sense of history, the gorgeous little towns and characterful pubs. The open landscape, made grand by views, weather and a comprehensible scale.
It took another stint or two overseas before I appreciated the freedom of Australia, the joy of all this space. To realise that I hadn’t somehow been missing the good beaches everywhere I went, from Thai islands to Spain and the south of France, but that the NSW south coast is exceptional.
Anywhere and everywhere you go there will be amazing things (beaches!) and stuff you don’t like (Cooleman Court). And all of this is subjective, and depends a lot on your interests, your age and stage. The Melbourne I lived in in my mid-20s was an entirely different place to where I lived with three tiny kids, even though the two were separated physically by only a few kilometres.
Bears and beaches are easy to notice; the smaller good things are harder. You’ve got to take the time to notice them (whatever they are), as well as to realise that for whatever reason, they appeal to you. And that’s only the start, of following curiosity and shine to dig a bit deeper, to do a bit more, right on out to wherever that takes you.
Sydney workshop
On Wednesday 22 October I’ll be running my first workshop in Brookvale, Sydney. This small, supportive workshop will be all about life craft: the art of following joy and purpose to build a more beautiful, meaningful existence that then ripples on out into the world. It’ll be full of good things: mild woo woo (guided visualisations!), usefulness (lists and tools), and fun (lovely people, food and conversation).
Join me! More information here.
When: Wednesday 22 October, 6.30-9
Where: Valentine’s (Charlton Lane, Brookvale)
Price: the princely sum of $30 (includes substantial snacks)
Great article, Meg! True indeed, true indeed. And thanks for introducing me to that waterfall! I keep coming back to the word 'revelation', as many times as I've been around the Dam on a mountain bike. Shame on me.