Listening to: Maduk & Dennis Pedersen – Miles Apart (ft. Ella Noël & Rino)
I’d plan to cruise down south for two nights and when I heard the Super Blood Moon was happening at the same time, I was so excited. How’s that for timing?
Sometimes no plans are good plans
I hardly stop for a break when I drive south but I was feeling rebellious and made a quick detour to Maccas. I continued on with tunes pumped and a smooth black coffee, and the excitement began to bubble inside. Okkkk. I admit it. I sang at the top of my voice and sounded like a dying cat. But it certainly made the drive a lot more enjoyable!
As soon as I arrived I made myself lunch; warmed kale, tuna, feta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, chillies, drizzle of olive oil and some pink salt. Delish! I couldn’t wait to head down to the beach to tan and walk. I wanted to make the most of the afternoon before the Super Blue Blood Moon.
Laying on the beach relaxing, I grabbed out my phone to take photos. All of a sudden a thought popped into my head, “You’re at the beach, put your phone away – just enjoy being“. With that, I put my phone away and lay there staring out into vast glistening ocean. A short while later I saw a fin rising to the surface and thought it was a shark but it was a few dolphins diving in and out of the shallows. I jumped up and ran over to watch, also grabbing my phone to capture them. As I was filming, that same little thought popped into my mind again, “just watch and enjoy.” So I put away my phone. As I sat there, not a person around, just me and a couple of dolphins (oh, and seagulls ‘coz they just can’t get enough!) – I started thinking about what dolphins represent. I’ve heard they symbolize protection and right there, I felt this serenity – I am safe.
At the time, being a new season of life with plenty of unknowns, this concept of being safe really spoke to me and a sense of calm filtered through my spirit.
And that’s the thing about phones and technology sometimes – they may disrupt an important introspective moment if we aren’t mindful of how we are using them. While we’re busy looking at life through our phones, we might be missing messages that life is waving right in front of our eyes!
Just something to ponder…
Super Blue Blood Moon, Busselton Jetty
Later on, I made my way to the Busselton Jetty to meet a friend. A few volley ball games were on and there was an energetic hustle and bustle of people awaiting the sunset. In the background, pink tones of a sky ready to settle.
We laid out a blanket on the beach and chilled while we waited for the supermoon. A vibrant spirited woman walked past us devouring a colourful ice cream cone and said “Isn’t this wonderful? All here together watching this?”. “Yeh,” I said, “As a community.” She agreed, wandering off in a jolly spirit and it made me smile. On a Wednesday night, people from all over were together relaxing at the beach, waiting for a truly memorable and epic moment to happen. And it was all up to nature to put on this show.
Throughout the evening we took tonnes of photos and moved around to different spots. We joked about being rookies as we watched the pro’s with there telescopic lenses and tripods perfectly positioned. It was a funny sight to see! The colours of the sky were nothing less than expected in the south – radiant pinks, yellows, oranges, purples against the turquoise water.
As the sky turned dark, that’s when things became spooky. There was this surreal moment when the moon was right above the Busselton Jetty Museum reflecting on the water. It looked like something from a werewolf movie. After a few hours, we moved to the Jetty to await the blood moon. We’d never taken photos at night with our cameras and had no idea what settings to use. We literally googled “night photography” and “settings to capture the moon”. People around us watched as we fiddled with our settings. It was hilarious. We’d take a few shots and excitedly yell – “wohhhhh can you see it!” Truly. Rookie. Styles.
As I was driving home I realised the entire night I had nothing on my mind – in a good way. I was totally immersed in the atmosphere, the people, conversations, nature, the moon and laughing. I felt so light hearted, content and happy.
Dwelup Beach, Dunsborough
The next day, we had breakfast and set off beach hunting in Dunsborough. I wanted to source some different beaches out for my return. Being midday the weather was peak heat. We almost didn’t go and I’m so glad we did. As we got closer to Dweelup beach, I felt myself getting all giddy. It reminded me so much of Burleigh Heads on the Goldcoast, one of my favourite places to hang when I lived there.
In between the car park and beach is a big grassed area with surrounded by forest trees. My friend chilled on a blanket under the trees while I walked down to the beach to capture the coastline and walk on the rocks. We ended up chilling here for a while chatting. It was such a hot day and you wouldn’t even know it because of the shade! I wanted to explore the area before we headed back so we went for a drive and she showed me different beaches. One beach in particular – I was totally hooked from the minute I got there.
Photos of me trying not to face plant on the slippery rocks; taken by @paperfootsteps
After a long exhausting yet incredibly beautiful day, it was time to chill out with a hot cocoa. I knew I had to drive back to Perth in the morning. It was tempting to stay longer but I was going to India in a week and wanted to get organised. It’s amazing how spending a day and a half away can be filled with incredible, spontaneous and beautiful things.
Final Thoughts
There is an evident shift in the world with technology and the internet but also this fast paced living. It’s important to keep an open conversation in our community about how this may affect us mentally and spiritually. But also about how to create balance with these mediums. I have been endeavoring to be conscious of creating boundaries between being offline and online. But also, with photography, understanding that I don’t have to capture every single moment.
I can’t explain the feeling I get in nature and photography – I feel so alive. I want to share that feeling and joy with others. But there are times when I recognise the importance of keeping some things sacred – for my souls evolution and self-discovery.
Part of why I love spontaneous nature adventures (even if they are only for a day or so) is they bring me back to my centre. They remind us of the power of nature, in-person community and being present. They remind us of what’s truly important and what’s fleeting.
If we’re going to coexist with our phones and social media, and we want to experience life in full, we need to be mindful of our technology habits. We need to remember that deep connection with nature and people requires conscious attention and being present.
There may just be moments intended for you and you only. Your phone won’t mind hanging out in your bag while you breathe in a magical moment that may never come again.