Ecstasy, and then the laundry

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I don’t know how kiwis can live with one pair of eyeballs and still remain sane. Since I started roaming this blessed land, my heart itches from the lack of spare body parts I could use to take it all in. A schedule with two shifts; I could night and day smell, see, hear, touch, feel, marvel.

New Zealand’s beauty is beyond what my soul could fathom. Its endless curves, its generous people, its emerald fields, its lush fern wonderlands, its rolling turquoise waves, its hidden paradise-like hot springs, its rainbow-coloured geysers, its bird symphonies are just a few of the flying carpets which sweep me away every day.

We have been very busy enamouring ourselves with Aotearoa, hence the lack of blogging. We have been twirling like dervishes in a vortex of synchronicities and awe of the land.

We tramped in the wind of high summits, climbed rocks, petted lambs, learned about the different families of sheep, biked through steaming blue-green sulphur banks, had a try at the Maori poi dance and warrior tongue exercise, saw Taiwanese Zorbing, tasted kiwi fruit wine, carved our own cow bone Maori fish hooks, spent hours in museums, ascended the slopes of a kiwi version of Mount Fuji, wondered at boiling mud pools and finally washed lots, lots of dishes…

We are currently WWOOFing at a spiritual retreat near the Great Lake Taupo (also due to erupt any day soon). It is our second spiritual retreat in a very short time. The first, a Buddhist retreat in Thich Nhat Hanh’s tradition (…).

My friends, I have here to take a pause for there are no words powerful enough to describe our experience there. I look at the screen and a dam of emotions opens up and I would like to share this precious intensity with each one of you individually. I would like to take you by the hand and bring you in Dharma Gaya’s garden, in silence, so we could hear our hearts beat in unison with the birds. Over 10 days we further discovered our inner beauty, the world’s and the light in the people that surrounds us. We looked openly, without judgment, at darker clouds in our skies and it felt really, really good.

The participants of the retreat were inspired by Marc and I respect for one another and contagious love. One of them, a lovely man looking very much like Felix Leclerc, fulfilled one of my wildest dreams: he spontaneously manifested a ceremony for us in the lush rainforest, where we exchanged loving words and greenstone “mala beads” bracelets as a symbol of deep respect of the other. Wow. I had a bouquet of purple flowers made by lovely Kate and hiding my blushing into it, I listened to Marc’s lovely words in front of a small assembly of beautiful people, seated in semi-circle under the canopy. Then I told him, with starry eyes, that I was happy to be on this road in his company. Our friends read poems, gave us cards, chocolate, tips and we even received a honey moon voucher to stay at one of the participants’ place in Hamilton! Just amazing.

Today, in between washing dishes and eating cake, I marvelled at the beauty of a tiny bird. Legs smaller than a toothpick and a body round, round like babies’ eyes. Another moment of ecstasy in this grand place. I really wonder how New Zealanders go about their daily routine. I have to try it for myself; tomorrow morning is laundry time.

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