9/28

Slow Mother Blog

The dawn chorus is ringing in my ears. I can hear at least 15 different bird calls echoing from all directions – joyous, present, alive. It fills me up like some empty container – more than enough life energy to last through the day.

It has been over a week since our big ‘Living the Good Life’ festival here and we’re still recovering from the effort! You will soon be able to see some of the images on the website: www.livingthegoodlife.com Luckily it was a successful event, with lots of people, lots of fun, some learning and a great result in fundraising for a school playground. The support from family and friends (as far as from Tasmania, Michael and Japan, Minami) has been truly amazing - like a heart beat – keeping the vision alive! Pacha and Yani seem to be proud that their Mum is so involved with the school and have been coping beautifully with the extra stress in the household. And our horse Ollie has now been elevated to the title of my personal therapist and physical trainer along with his role as our ‘ride on’ lawn mower and garden manure producer.

Many people who didn’t think the festival would succeed have apologised for
not believing it was possible to do something like this in Iluka and almost everyone who went has commented positively about the concept and the general good 'vibe' around the festival. Even the harshest critics admitted that the egetarian hut (with food served on ‘sterilised’ banana leaves) was great.

So, little by little I hope this contributes to a culture shift in our area, where ‘sustainability’ is not regarded as a dirty word and that people start to realise how lucky they are to live in this part of the world and feel inspired to cherish it, restore it and protect it for future generations.

In just over a week I’ll be back in Japan. I keep looking at the days in my diary and wonder how I will be ready in time. Then again I think part of the ‘homework’ preparation is just staying open to being present. There will be important ‘issues’ to present: new threats in Ecuador, continuing forest destruction and peaceful protests by the Penan in Sarawak and even continuing logging in Tasmania – despite the recent success of the Gunns timber company pulling out of native forests…it’s like a giant machine that takes time to stop even after the engine has been switched off.

Yet the message: to remember we are part of the Earth – is clear. Our collective intention to heal our separation with the planet and each other and extend our sense of self has the power to topple the monolith of old thinking that is causing so much suffering.

I look so much forward to sharing with my friends in Japan again. While I
haven’t written any ‘new’ songs, music is always with us here, in the spontaneous song with Pacha and Yani any moment in the day or night, in the tapestry of the beauty always around us. See you next week!