January 24, 2010
G’day Mates! (I hope this email makes sense cause my head is about to fall on the keyboard)
I have been back in the states for 2 days now….Im not exactly sure what day it is actually. My internal clock is off kilter and Im sitting somewhere in between sleeping and awake; it kind of feels like I want to run while sleeping. No one wins…….
My last days in New Zealand…ahhhh, I remember it like it was 2 days ago. I made sure my last days were ones to remember. I kept it simple while taking in every ounce of the sun, sea and air that I could, knowing I would need that reserve for the harsh New England winters ahead. 🙂
I spent my second to last day splashing about in the cool ocean water enjoying the sound of silence while simultaneously feeling weightlessness. To swim is a gift. After the air cooled I spent an hour walking along the boardwalk watching the sun disappear behind the ocean line.
The view from the boardwalk made me take a step back and remind me that I am so trivial in this unbounded magnificent Earth: Small dark smooth pebbles blend together to mark the waters edge, while large continuous rolling waves crash down upon the shoreline. As the waves draw back in slowly my eyes gaze upon the captivating backdrop of mountains that are pressed against an infinite reflective sky. All of which is unified by shades of blue and grey, no stroke of my paintbrush could capture such beauty, this is a picture only God himself could engender. At that moment I heard the sound of peace; felt what it is to be whole and taste the meaning of life, if for only a fraction of a second. I was happy.
As I strolled slowly along the gardens, my attention turned to young couples teasing each-other with awkwardness passing by older wiser couples, an old man alone on a bench, adolescences playing rugby, a teenage boy with a dog the size of him with the same hair style and families giving up the dining room table for a blanket engaged in making memories. Although I came to New Zealand alone, I never felt lonely.
The people of New Zealand were caring, simple and happy. Not only do the landscapes straighten your furrowed brow, it was their way of life that captured my attention. The Kiwis clear the out the clutter we as a society tend to fill with unnecessary conceptions of what we think is of importance.
Sometimes we have to journey afar to see what is right in front of us.
Thank you all for being apart of my personal journey.
~Kaylee
Living The Free Life 