Separation from the familiar

The wheels of our immanent departure from Melbourne were in motion. We got our pressing affairs in order, frantically packed our bags, turned the heater in the car on high and headed North toward the Victorian state border. The southern winter became increasingly less severe as we journeyed on through New South Wales. Nevertheless, we decided wearing summer attire in car was a good idea, with the heater going full blast and providing us with a promise of things to come we finally crossed the border into the promised land, otherwise known as Queensland

Our adult children who were all moving on with their own lives were frankly perplexed at the “oldies” rash and impulsive behavior. Although one of our sons who was already living in the Sunshine State quietly smiled at the thought of getting babysitters at a moment’s notice. Nice dream son! We soaked up the Gold Coast sun upon our arrival, pinching each other to make sure it was real. Our house sitting assignment was for a professional couple in need of a break. They simply required us to maintain the garden and feed the visiting native birds. A few months of rest and recreation. Bring it on!

Our sudden decision to step away from life as usual had one downside that was a slightly disconcerting especially to a worry wart like me. How were we going to fund this out of character spontaneity? We certainly seemed to be in the flow, but something had to come up in the area of finances. I had been self-employed most of my life but raising five kids doesn’t come cheaply so I was certainly not left at the finish line with a generous superannuation fund to draw upon. I was also six months away from qualifying for a less than adequate Government funded pension. After one week of housesitting, I left my nearest and dearest to take care of our new house-sitting responsibility while I returned to Melbourne to tie up the loose ends. One major loose end was our house. Fortunately, our eldest son put his hand up to rent the property from us for a short while until we were ready to sell. Box one checked.

 As much as house-sitting provides an economical way of reducing living costs, we still needed money for our day to day living expenses. Something will turn up I kept thinking. Positive thoughts like these in the face of a financial dilemma was new to me, but I couldn’t escape the feeling that everything would turn out fine. I sat up in bed one night before returning to the Gold Coast and stumbled across an article on the internet about a business that was disrupting the taxi industry worldwide. Uber, what an unusual name I thought to myself, but I read on. They were operating in five Australian capital cities… and what! They were one week off commencing operations on…you guessed it, the Gold Coast!  I was a self-employment expert. I had spent over 30 years self-employed. It took me 10 minutes to register., try to get to sleep and get the hell out of Melbourne as soon as possible. I was on my way within a week, loose ends tied up and most of the boxes checked. 

Mudgeeraba sits nestled into the lower reaches of the Gold Coast hinterland. The town centre has more a village feel about it rather than the upmarket and touristy vibe of Surfers Paradise or Broadbeach. The Wallaby Tavern is a popular watering hole for not just locals but also for those from further afar. A scenic meandering drive takes you up into the higher reaches and on to Springbrook. An idyllic little town surrounded by sub-tropical rainforest, waterfalls and lookouts that allow you to get a bird’s eye view of the region. This was the location of our first housesitting assignment. In fact, over the next 12 months, we would look after three homes in Mudgeeraba. I therefore became curious as to the meaning of the name Mudgeeraba. I assumed correctly that it was a name of indigenous origin, thinking it may mean, tranquil waters, or land of towering forests. Instead, I learned it could either mean low lying land, or alternatively, ‘place of infants excrement’. My mind ran wild as I imagined that what was now a sub-tropical paradise and leafy village was once a sh** hole. No disrespect intended!! I prefer the first suggested meaning, after all we were clearly lying low after our hectic exit from Melbourne.

One of the things I loved about our home that we left behind in the hinterland of Mount Dandenong near Melbourne were the tall forests of eucalyptus mixed with introduced English and European trees. Autumn is a special time of year when the area blazes with colour. Bush walking tracks abound in this area. Small cafes serving Devonshire teas and antique shops are dotted through the hills. I grew up on the southern slopes of Mount Dandenong as a child and returned to live on the opposite side of that part of the Great Dividing Range in my latter years. It is as though this mountain has always been a part of my life.

Our move to the Gold Coast bought us into a different world of sun, surf, and golden beaches. The so called “Glitter Strip” from Surfers Paradise to Coolangatta form the foreground. This area of the coast lures tourists from all over Australia and indeed the world. Fun, sun, and entertainment help form the culture of this City. House Sitting in Mudgeeraba has shown me a different side to the Gold Coast. This hinterland town sits at the foot of Springbrook Mountain, a place I have come to love no doubt because of the similarities with my place of origin. Unlike Mount Dandenong the sub-tropical rainforest and spectacular waterfalls add a new dimension to this area. This is no glitter strip of 5-star hotels and shopping malls but a natural environment that like my other mountain brings me into a place of peace and gratitude for the life that I have been given.

Disrupting the Status Quo

Life as I had known it  had  generally been about the status quo. This was entirely necessary for me as a family man but a serious hindrance to the life of a wanderer. Things had changed, and changed at breakneck speed.  The status quo is a mind set, and a very comfortable one, but at this point I realised that old habits were about to be seriously challenged. It was therefore very freeing and liberating to begin walking on a different path, a path that honored the previous journey for all the good things but was full of excitement and a bit of trepidation about the future.

The previous month had been  whirlwind. Whirlwinds can be either chaotic or exhilarating. I guess it depends upon your perspective. The taxi industry had experienced gale force winds in recent times. Here was a world wide business model that was very much a part of the status quo. They had been the main player in transporting passengers in their vehicles for almost a century. I needed to ask myself a serious question at this point. ‘Was I prepared to drive for Uber knowing that it would totally disrupt the status quo and maybe even put many out of business or employment? Good question, but the answer at this time was a bit easier for me to understand. The status quo can be maintained for long periods of time but change can happen suddenly. If you don’t prepare adequately for it you will end up in a very chaotic place. I remember thinking at the time I wonder how candle makers or gas lantern manufacturers survived their situation when the electric light was invented? Did they see the writing on the wall and make adjustments or did they dig in and organise protests trying to outlaw this new technology that could destroy their livelihoods.

We are all currently living in a very disruptive era where things are changing fast and many are totally unprepared. Like most things there is more than one side to the story. The other side of the coin is all about corporate greed and the rise of mass systems of persausion and control. Something also worthy of in-depth reflection.

I spent my first week back on the Gold Coast simply warming up again, after thre weeks in the deep south. I then hit the ground running. Uber like any good start up company were throwing incentives at their new drivers to encourage more drivers to join. I knew it would only last for so long and made the most of it. In saying that I still only needed to work 25 hours a week to make more than enough money. After all, housesitting was as cheap as chips and I was warm, with money in my pocket.

Becoming an Uber driver on the Gold Coast kept my days filled with interesting characters who provided plenty of laughs and good memories. Everything from airport runs to hotel, restaurant and tavern drop off’s and pick up’s. Good times and party culture is what drives the Gold Coast so it was not unusual to be keeping an eye on clients who had drank too much and on the verge of throwing up. I learned to be prepared for anything even trying to attempt to answer the questions of tourists and providing commentary as a tour guide. Memorably one 18 year old asked me for the meaning of life as I was dropping him off at a tavern at a time of back to back trip requests and surging fares. I wondered whether he was smoking weed, but he seemed quite lucid. The dilemma I had was,

I didn’t have time for this but I love talking about these existential topics. I had to try and nail it as quickly as possible.  ” Find your path and follow it”, I replied trying to emulate a wise old Sage.” Thank you sir”  he replied, “good advice. “Any time” I answered as I hit accept for the next high priced fare.

Our first house-sit introduced us to the the relaxed lifestyle of the Gold Coast. Unlike the Southern states where the weather was colder and life seemed much more intense and centred on productivity and rush. Over the following 14 months we would go on to complete another 10 house-sits in homes of various levels of comfort, from standard 3 bedroom dwellings to holiday and canal accommodation to luxury million dollar properties in the heart of the Gold Coast or bushland in the hinterland and mountains to the west.

Our time in the Currumbin Valley during a Queensland winter was simply delightful. Michael and Marlayne were the owners of this architect designed home situated on a remote block of over 15 acres. This stunning home situated in the high country overlooking Mount Tomewin and beyond as well as the broad valleys below. During the 3 months there we sold our own home in Melbourne with a minimum of fuss thanks to  a rising market and a good real estate agent. This became a time to dream of how our next year may unfold.

Wandering not lost

” A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving ”                                          Lao Tzu.

‘I need to have a serious talk with you Dad’, began our 22-year-old son, and last remaining child yet to fly the coop. His mother overheard his announcement and was by my side in a heartbeat. She had the same thought as me. ‘He’s got a girl pregnant’! ‘You guys are really going to be sad about what I have to tell you’, he began. We groaned under our breath, waiting for the worst. ‘I am going to leave home and travel overseas for a couple of years’. ‘Oh no’, we said in unison, ‘we will miss you terribly but are very happy for you’. ‘When do you plan to leave’? ‘In a couple of week’s time’, he replied. We congratulated him with long faces and wished him all the best. As soon as he left the room, we high fived each other, did a little Irish jig and started making plans for what would become the next chapter in our life.

It was around that time that my wife and I after many years of the constant routine of raising five children decided to separate. Not from each other, we were joined at the hip, but from the never-ending predictability of our everyday life. From all that was familiar and comfortable. From not only the daily monotony of trying to make a living, (whatever that means), because it doesn’t always feel like living! But also, the inner monotony of clinging to a fixed world view that keeps your life securely protected within an exceedingly small container. Up until this point it had in fact seemed like a lifetime spent raising kids and preparing them to be sent out into the big wide world. It was as though; however, we were expected to quietly retire and tend the garden for the next thirty plus years.

The predictable routines that most people in our culture embrace are necessary in the raising of families. Work and careers, building homes, educating children usually require high levels of stability. The question is, how easy is it to go from a sedentary and day to day existence, to the life of a wanderer, a traveller, a person of no fixed address? Someone who can move on at a moment’s notice and yet create new opportunities for personal growth that includes adventure, travel, worthwhile work that gives back, not just takes. A life that embraces uncertainty and change. A life that is comfortable in the presence of mystery and ambiguity, in fact thrives in the midst of it. I believe it is more than possible. Given the right timing it is only a decision away. Wandering I believe, in fact, is hard wired into every one of us, but is so often supressed due to the demands of life. Most decide at some point in their life that control, predictability, and the familiar are the safer options. Unfortunately for many the wheels of certitude and control just seem to spin faster and faster the older they get. Our patterns and habits eventually become our masters and ultimately our captors.

I have always loved tales of adventure and travel, particularly the great mythologies. Stories in which the hero loses all control only to discover new and hidden things. Where mysteries unfold and new light begins to shine in dark places, only to lead into further uncertainty, adventure, and mystery. The hero in these tales always returns changed, and able to achieve far more than what he or she ever could have earlier. One major hero of the ancient world was Ulysses, thrust into the darkness and chaos of the underworld. Female heroes are also very much a part of our western mythologies such as Helen of Troy and Joan of Arc. In a more peaceful vein, I think of Francis of Assisi and his merry band of mendicants and troubadours who wandered from village to village totally inebriated with the love of God and the natural world all around them. More recent heroes to arise in the imagination are the likes of Frodo Baggins of Lord of the Rings or Luke Skywalker of Star Wars fame. These stories are universal throughout all cultures and encourage us to step out like Frodo from the Shire to become the hero of our own story.

 I am fortunate enough to have journeyed with a wife who loves the idea of a simpler way of living and being in the world. She has never been one for wasting her time on trivia and the unnecessary. We determined some time ago to turn our simple ideas and desires into reality. To free ourselves of most of our physical and material possessions and responsibilities, such as a second car and eventually our house, that we were so close to owning. I was however not ready at that stage to emulate St. Francis by stripping off my apparel and walking out of my village with no more possessions than the day I was born. However, I was prepared to take the first step, in keeping with our wise mentors’ observation that ‘The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step’.  

Having no fixed plans doesn’t mean not having a plan, otherwise we would end up being blown around like leaves in the wind. I think what our ancient philosopher is saying here is that permanently attaching certain routines in our life is not always conducive to the life of a seasoned traveller. The point is not about arriving but about new experiences along the way. It is about being open to change both big and small. Something that I love the idea of but, have often been resistant to. In fact, I had a bit of a reputation within the family back then of often coming up with all sorts of plans but for one reason or another not getting them off the ground.

One dream I had entertained six months prior to our sons’ fateful announcement was the thought that we could house sit once the kids left home. Something that I had promptly forgotten about, particularly as the winter months sent me into a mild depression. However, it was because of those very circumstances and the random question of a close friend that propelled us out of our lethargy. Our friends had just returned from three years overseas and simply asked as we chatted, ‘do you think you will ever move interstate’? ‘Maybe in a year or two ‘, I replied and changed the subject. The comment was not however lost upon my dear companion and disrupter. She informed me that evening in her own inimitable fashion, as we were preparing for bed. ‘We won’t be leaving in two years; enough is enough we are leaving now’! ‘What do you mean now, are you crazy I replied’. ‘We still don’t own the house we have very little in the retirement fund, I am working part time and you think we can just relocate at a moment’s notice with no guarantee of work’? Why is it that some women remember every detail of what you have talked about for the last thirty years? She immediately replied, ‘You talked to me excitedly six months ago about house sitting and said that there were a few good house-sitting web sites that we could list our names on’. Why don’t you get cracking now and start registering’?

They say that once you take a step in the right direction the Universe conspires to bring it to pass. From that moment it was like being on a fast train to a destination yet to be revealed. It was like one of those mystery flights the airline companies offered years ago. Destination, unknown. Within five days a couple from the Gold Coast had read our resume and snapped up our services immediately. The house sitter they had organised months earlier had cancelled on them two weeks before they were due to fly out to England for almost three months. We were off and running. So much to do, so little time.

What I would like to explore as I set my musings, impressions, travel experiences, wanderings, and just downright confusion at times into words, is this notion of life as both journey and wandering. Maybe not so much in the traditional sense of the hero’s journey. But in the sense of the amazing array of perspectives that can be entered into and experienced, as one hits the road and separates from smaller but comfortable ways of living and being. I may at times speak through the lens of an amateur philosopher. I am also fascinated by the link between psychology and spirituality and the story that religion brings to the table. All these disciplines inform the way I think and hopefully I can tell a few stories that will cause a shift that will be helpful to some.