Things have changed so quickly that it feels like I am not just starting a new chapter in my life but a whole new book. I have moved from my house and my island home where I have lived for the last 17 years. I have put everything in storage, started a new live-in job, and instead of getting a permanent residence, I will be exploring the natural beauty of Vancouver Island on my days off. I will be a gypsy.
Fortunately the timing was perfect as a group of my girlfriends and I had previously booked a few days retreat at Chahayis on Chesterman Beach in Tofino. A group of my long-time friends traditionally get together to have a 'Cougar Camp', were us 'mature' women get together to talk, surf, drink and eat good food.
My first weekend of being a gypsy and I will be staying at a luxury waterfront home and listening to the surf as I go to sleep. My friends and I spend our time playing in the ocean or walking its shores. We all take turns making meals for each other to enjoy around the table that overlooks the surf and the constant changing view of the sea and sky. It is magical!
Coming from different directions we met at an ideal location, Goat on the Roof, in Coombs. We eat, stock up on groceries and hit the road, meeting up at the next destination only 15 minutes down the road. Right on the highway is Cathedral Grove where there are monstrous trees in an old growth forest. The next leg of the journey from Cathedral Grove to Tofino takes longer, about 2 hours, giving us time to catch-up, making the time and distance fly by.
Arriving at our destination I suggested everyone share the first experience of seeing the ocean. My husband, Robin and I always had the tradition of experiencing the first glance of the ocean together. It is such a contrasting sight from the forested terrain we travelled through to get to the West Coast and the first sight of the ocean always takes my breath away, I think it should be experienced with others.
When we arrived at Chahayis we all made our way to the front of the house looking town at the path, with the roar of the waves accompanying our steps until we could look up at the ocean together. Some of our group had never been here and were blown away that this was going to be our accommodation for the weekend. Even though I have been here numerous times, the exhilaration I feel on that first glance never fades. I am sure my friends get tired of me saying, "oh isn't it so beautiful ", but then again they were saying the same thing so I am sure they didn't mind.
Gazing out on water and its constant change from calm to rough I feel the waters peacefulness and strength. It is my greatest love and my greatest fear. It always amazes me how something so peaceful looking, can kill so fiercely. But I am prepared for my experience and am always cautious and safe, (my many years of life guarding help). I am a good swimmer; I know what to do if I get caught in a current; I tell my friends when I go out in the water; plus I have the right equipment to keep me warm. I have a thick wet suit that enables me to stay out for long periods of time without getting cold.
For me there is nothing better than putting on my wetsuit, with the help of my friends and immersing myself fully into the experience of the ocean, not just looking at the water but being in the water. Not that ... being in the ocean is better than looking at the ocean .... but I experience it from a totally different perspective.
When I tell people I am going surfing usually that means bougie boarding. It is so easy and I don't have to work so hard. One day I'll be able to surf better but for now I go the easy route.
With my bougie board in hand I wade into the water to where the waves are breaking which is no higher than my waste. I judge the perfect spot to stand to catch the waves, watching where they break. The strength of some waves almost push me off my feet as I head out, some waves I jump through, others crash against my body. Arriving at the right spot I see a good wave and attempt to jump in but I was too late. I have to jump in at the right time. There are the waves that look so perfect as they roll towards me but they break ahead or behind me. Timing is everything!
Most of the time I am waiting, watching for a good wave. It doesn't have to be perfect because I will be back out again and again, catching wave after wave. You think I would grow impatient when the right wave doesn't come along but I don't. I find that it is just as much fun watching the waves and the sky and the passing birds or letting myself float with the current as I wait or jumping into waves that go no where at all.
Then I get the timing right and I ride a wave to the shore, it feels so amazing, I am sure my smile can't get any bigger. I enjoy every single second of the experience. Some waves don't take me all the way into shore and last for only a few seconds, some I can ride right into the shore until my belly rubs on the sand.
As I watch the waves it looks like the water in the wave travelled from a far distance ending at the shore. Being on the extreme west coast the next land mass would be Hawaii or even Japan, I used to think the water came from there. I have learned that is not the way it works; it is strange as the ocean water moves up making a wave and then falls back into the immenseness of the ocean. It isn't new water with each wave it is same water that moves up and down. When I relax and float, it is the currents underneath that pull me in dangerous directions. When we took surf lessons last time they told us to have a mark on shore, doing this keeps us out of harms way. They told us to keep moving back and getting aligned to our focus on shore.
I am sure you can see all the parallels to life, the ocean conjures up in my mind. As I catch each wave, or float with the current or miss an opportunity with a wave, each moment is giving me a life lesson. The ocean speaks to me and tells me many stories. The roar of the ocean drowns out the voices of people within 10 feet of me but it whispers in my ear exactly what I need to hear.
The Messages the Ocean Teaches Me
Some people that enter my life will be there for a short period of time and they may leave early so enjoy every second I have with them.
I will have friends or family that last my whole life and they will be there right to the very end.
Some people will come in and out of my life and that is alright. Timing is everything.
Sometimes it is fun to just float with the current. But it is wise to live life with an intention or focus or a goal.
When I am floating it is wise to have a focus or an equilibrium that I can gauge where I am.
I am supported by many people who love me. Even if I don't feel the effects of their presences in my life they are like the ocean and are embracing me with their love all the time. Every once and awhile they will become like a wave and have a physical experience with me.
Life can be feared or loved! When I live cautiously and safely I am am better able to embrace the experience. The more prepared I am the more enjoyment I can have and the longer I can stay out in the ocean of life.
I can enjoy the time between experiences. There is beauty in everything. Waiting isn't even about being patient it is about revelling in the now.
Giving Thanks
I have wonderful amazing friends and family that roll in and out of my life. I am so thankful and feel very blessed. Some of these friends are waves that came here to Tofino with me right now:
Kim M and I have been friends with since Kindergarden and has been a constant in my life. Since she has known me since we were children, she keeps me grounded, reminding me who I am at my core. Kim is someone whom never judges and makes me and others always feel appreciated and accepted.
Kim H. and I worked together at our first jobs as lifeguards. I was a fixture in her home and feel like she is not just a friend but my family. We have stories together that make me feel young instantly and I act it when we are together. Kim is one of those amazing individuals whom you can always count on her strength and her constant friendship has never wavered even when I have been a huge pain in the arse.
Richelle and Melody I went to high school with and our relationships have been rekindled in the last few years, they both have an ability to make me feel excepted and loved exactly the way I am, they make me feel at peace through perpetual laughter. I look forward to many more encounters with them at future 'Cougar Camps' and Richelles wedding this summer.
Sharlene is a friend of Kim M. and it is always fun to see her at our traditional 'Cougar Camp'. Sharlene travels around the world on her own with ease and her lightness and adventurous spirit always inspire me. Plus she has the best laugh!
The people in my presence are not the only ones who make me feel the oneness we all share. So many people get frustrated with social media but I love it. It gives me a huge sense of connection. Each person I am connected with is a part of my ocean. I can't even express how nice it is to be in contact with family that live far away or old and new friends or with the many amazing souls that live across the globe whom I connected with when I walked the Camino. I guess what I am saying is ..... I feel the love!
This is the beginning of my new and exciting journey of being a gypsy. I have called it embracing the void, the void being change, but it doesn't seem accurate right now as this void feels so full of love. I feel so blessed to have these amazing woman in my life that I can laugh with, cry with, walk many many steps with, plus drink and eat GREAT food.
I look forward to my next weekend off and exploring Vancouver Island. My moms cousin is coming to town in a couple of weeks and this weekend I will be watching Xavier, my grandson, so we will be closer to Victoria.
Heading to the ocean was the best place to begin this new gypsy life style, not that a luxury waterfront accommodation sounds anything like a gypsy. I am realizing the thought of entering this change scared me more than the actual living of the experience. I think I am going to be pleased with my decision. Of course there are pros and cons within every situation in life but I think the pros will out weigh the cons being a gypsy for awhile.
I was surrounded by even more love as on my way back to work in Victoria as I stopped at my nephew Cody and his girlfriend Shania's house and held their precious new baby. Holding a sleeping baby fills my heart with just as much love as floating in the ocean.
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