There will be a lot of disappointed people around us tonight. A lot just arrived today and it has rained most of the day. The typical noisy excitement of the first night will get many of them through to the morning in good spirits. But for some, the frustration of spending their leave in a tent in the rain will be too much to maintain the holiday attitude.
We’re lucky on two fronts. Firstly had a week of spectacular summery weather and all the trimmings. And we’re in our yurt, warm and dry. and I’m thinking again about expectations. How would I be feeling if the weather had been like this all along? How would I be feeling if my McTavish had got dinged last week and I’d been unable to ride it in the iconic conditions at Wategos? We remind each other of the ‘what happens happens’ part of our yurting mantra often, and I think it does help us to roll with the punches.
But how does that relate to expectations? Is it that we have really low expectations so we’re not disappointed? No. I think we have high expectations but we hold them loosely, AND we realise that the externals, the things outside our control are ultimately not the things that matter most. The things that matter most are our own internal peace, love and joy.
Last night, (presumably) some kids nicked a bag off the table under our awning. It was a loved (if cheap) bag, and only had a few bits of clothing and swimwear in it. They could have taken so much other more valuable stuff but must have needed a bag for some other things. Bummer. But glad the loss wasn’t too great.
We’ve lived most of our adult lives without material freedom. The vocation I chose meant we had to be really frugal ... we certainly weren't living in poverty, but compared with our peers we had very little disposable income. Perhaps that has helped us not to take the pleasures of life for granted. And by pleasures, I don’t mean just in the hedonistic sense. For me it includes owning things that work ... or if they’re busted, being able to get them fixed. Cars, clothes, kitchen equipment, surfboards. We deeply appreciate the simple pleasures each day offers us. Food, laughter, rain on the roof.
So, I’m hoping that those around us have bought inner peace with them on their leave. otherwise, given the forecast, it could be all kinds of ugly.