Day #341

I'm pretty sure what I'm doing at the moment is borderline between illegal and very irrespective behaviour. I'm currently sitting at the International Airport in Melbourne - been sitting there for the past six hours, truly - on one of those wanna-be-comfy massaging chairs, that sometimes you see in airport lounges or shopping malls, without actually using the massaging part of it but thoroughly exploiting the leathery ass-dynamic half of the deal. Do I feel guilty about it? I probably would, if the only available socket weren't right here where the set of chairs is powered!
This is how I came to be defending my spot for the past few hours. Can you believe that I couldn't find any other open socket on the whole departure floor? I don't know what they expect our laptops to run on!

Okay, I am totally diverging from the topic of today's post; but bear with me, I've been awake for the past 21 hours!

So, today I had my last surfing lesson and it was, easily, the best one yet! We had two of the instructors we had the previous days, Jimbo and Jackson, who already knew how badly I sucked at it. Imagine everyone's surprise when I actually managed to ride a wave! (Spoiler alert: I was the most surprised.) I don't know HOW I did that, I guess the instincts just clicked, but I do know that THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING EVER!!!!
I was so happy with myself, afterwards, that even if nobody was watching to acknowledge what I did, I was floating with happiness and giggling like a little girl! I wasn't a desperate case, after all!
As the day went on, it only got better! I swear, I couldn't leave Australia in a better way!

Oh, yes. I'm at the airport because in some 5 hours I'll be flying to New Zealand. My Australian adventure has come to its end and I have this thing in my belly that makes me feel sad, and anxious, and grateful, and excited, and more and more, all at the same time.

This has been a wonderful year for me, with its ups and downs, naturally; mostly, though, I have just a lot and many people on my path to be grateful for.
So, thank you!
Thank you for when you smiled back,
for when you shared your story,
for that time you had me under your roof,
for what you taught me,
for when you listened,
for your book recommendation,
for the toast with expensive French Champagne,
for when you were close
and when you weren't.

And from Australia, in its last gift to me of theese three splendid days of surfing, I will take home two things: the Ocean, in my heart and red soil, under my feet. 
(That's just for the sake of being poetic. Since most of the time I've been going barefoot, the red soil is more under my toenails than anywhere else, but that doesn't sound just as good. Sounds a little gross, to be honest.)