‘Straya
Still there, thankfully
I’ve been quiet here, partly due to ramping up with a pre-holiday workload in January, and then embarking on said holiday in February. I had two blissful weeks on the ground, traversing old and new haunts from the East to the West coasts of Australia. Top of my bucket list, (besides seeing friends and family of course) was to meet a Quokka — these adorable Marsupials that survive relatively predator free on the remote Rottnest Island (named by early Dutch explorers who mistook the Quokkas for Rats many moons ago). There are between 8,000–12,000 Quokkas hopping around on the island, they like to eat figs and other native grasses, and they’re not afraid to get close to tourists, sometimes posing for a selfie, showing off their adorable natural resting smiley face, which has also earned them the reputation of ‘happiest animal in the world’.
The other mission was to see how many beaches and bodies of water I could submerge myself in, sun, surf, salt, sand. The 4 S’ of wellness. Australia, in this regard, complies very nicely. The West Coast is particularly quiet, clean, clear and blue, with pristine beaches for snorkeling, surfing, diving, swimming, just about any water sport you can dream of. So. much. chill.
The adrenaline fueled world of New York City just melts away after a day of beach hopping, as a new kind of tiredness sets in, sunshine overload! And when it’s time to hit the hotel for the zzz’s Patrick the Peacock rolls out the welcome.
Now back in New York, the office population has grown by 1 x Kangaroo softie, and an educational session on the Tim Tam Slam.
It was so nice to be home for the first time in 2 years, it’s also so very nice to be at home in New York City too. Standing in various airports on my 30-hour journey back to the USA I felt the tear of two worlds. But even through the jet-lagged haze, I’m immensely grateful to inhabit this space — to move between the known and expand and grow into the unknown, if you know what I mean.
P.S. Tim Tams = Soft Power. I think these chocolate biscuits should accompany any kind of negotiation. They could save lives. Someone give President Trump one before he calls Malcolm Turnbull next time?
