Manic evenings & magic mornings,

Tuesday, September 9^th

I have had the most incredible late nights this week that it’s shaping up to be one of my favourites – and it’s only Tuesday!

Sunday evening was a celebrated end to one of the craziest weekends at work (Father’s Day! Might I just note that I think its so cool that I have experienced a Mother’s/Father’s Day in 3 separate countries in the last 4 months!). It is sushi and Australian craft beers, two foreigners to Australia coming together over sandalwood candles and whiskey on the rocks, old vinyl classics and some pretty fantastic 2am conversation.

Monday is the most exciting yoga class to date where my instructor guided (and partially assisted!) me into scorpion pose, something I have never achieved before! I’m not sure what it looked like, but the upside down feeling of my back slowly hallowing out, my toes slowly dropping down over my head from behind, my shoulders feeling more sturdy than ever before, the round of applause from the rest of the class (haha!) – it was such a proud moment, and that makes it brag-worthy! I’m certain it will be only a few more months before I can stick it on my own – stay tuned for those photos ;)

Still buzzing off that energetic high, I met my surf instructor for a late night run around city beach. Figure 8-ing the lighthouses, swapping book titles and juice recipes and past romantic fall-outs, we catch our breath and stretch it out at north beach. It is the final Supermoon, completing the trio of Supermoons that began in July. It was said to be the brightest moon of the year.

And so perhaps in the spirit of it being such a gorgeous night, we are approached by a young man asking if I would take a photo of him and his lady with the ocean in the background. ‘Of course!’ And so I jump up and take his phone and his instructions (it was not an iPhone, which soon after this moment sent me into a quick panic…) and he wandered back towards her, patiently waiting, slowly wandering. They are finally both in my photo frame, I wait the natural nanosecond for them to casually, naturally embrace into a regular coupley pose, and then! Wouldn’t you know it! He turns to her, and takes her hands, and drops to one knee!! (!!!!!!!!!!) I literally gasped, my hand went to my mouth, my brain forced my hand not to drop this man’s phone as I swiftly switched it onto video mode and we all stood around in awe for the next minute or so.

Wow! And I don’t know why sharing this moment with these complete strangers had such an impact on me, but it did! Perhaps it’s just because I have never seen a real live proposal before! Maybe it was just because she was crying and weddings and everything related always makes me cry! Probably it was the Supermoon, doing crazy funny things to all of us :) It was fantastic, and while we congratulated them and they thanked us and continued their walk down the beach, Azza and I are left completely speechless. Yew what a night!

And tonight, the most bizarre of nights, I continued my late night exercises with even more stranger interaction! I only ever train after dark because I know and love the privacy of an empty pier and beach pavilion. I had no such luck for that tonight, but some interesting exchanges came to be noteworthy just the same…

There were the two 20-something guys who decided to choose the one park bench (of maybe a dozen) right where I had situated myself for my 5 sets of mountain climbs. They’re just sitting there..  eating their untimely late night meal.. Unnoticed until I was finishing up my second set and the one guy’s foot is literally 10 inches from my plank. Awkward.  

There was the older man who tapped me on the shoulder mid-jump-squat, handing me a business card, speaking in mime as I’ve still got my earphones in. Unplugged, I catch on to something about a photography class, and sure enough I look up to find half a dozen people standing in a line a couple meters from my 2^nd choice exercise area, fully equipped with tripods and massive Nikons dangling around their necks. It is their ‘After Dark week!’ And they are pleading a silent case to have a non-inanimate object for their subject. So I said yes, and I continue with walking lunges and flashes go off and I officially feel like I’m being followed by paparazzi. Haha, cheers.

I am exhausted and I am ready for my final yoga practice (stretching, posing, pushing my limits now that I’m completely loose and limber). But alas, even that came without peace or seclusion. In my 3^rd (third!) location, I am balancing deeper into dancer’s pose, deeper than I’ve been able to hold before, and my peripherals are interrupted by another young guy, early 20s, apparently the keenest guy in the world to learn how to stretch. And there are headlights not too far off in the car park behind Le Vendi, and this is all clearly an egg-on by mates waiting watching, and I am so awkwardly trying to tell him that I really don’t know how to teach him how to stretch (‘I just sort of… practice…’) but eventually I crack and I talk him through some poses. A few minutes go by and I’m in such a fit of laughter at this poor guy, trying so hard, anything from headstands to full wheels, just trying and failing one after the other. Bless him, that boy earned my phone number (lol, I’m still chuckling).

…and all of this after 9 pm, people! Whaaaat a night. Now I’m exhausted! And I’ve got a 6am practice on the break wall planned for myself.

Wednesday, September 10^th

This morning was phenomenal. I had about a million and one things floating through my head during my whole solo sunrise practice, but now that I’ve returned home, I just want to marinate in it. I just want to leave it be what it was and hold tight to this feeling that it was simply wonderful. It was wet and sandy and salty and unpredictable and strong and liberating. It was a beautiful post-stormy morning.

Just think of how many gorgeous sunrises we sleep through – all of that fresh, brand new morning ocean air just ready to fill our new day’s lungs. So many of these magical moments remain nonexistent for most of us, taking that extra half hour under the covers instead of out in the world before the early morning quiet is chased off by the rest of our busy lives. I have vowed to give myself more of these mornings; more of these opportunities to give thanks to yet another absolutely free day.  

Namaste.