Since returning from Russia approximately five weeks ago, my life has stepped up yet another gear.  The V8 Supercars is Australia’s premier motorsport and for the rest of 2014 is my main focus work wise.  This has its good and not so good elements; the good in that I love motorpsort, the bad, it is taking me away from my children even more.

This weekend we are in Winton, a country racetrack around seven hours drive from Sydney pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  On our drive down, my other team member and I were reminiscing about places we have lived, worked and how some of those places have had a profound effect on our psyche and emotional wellbeing.  Places that take us back to our childhood, that allow us to escape the day-to-day and make us feel ‘at home’.

Leura Gardens, Leura NSW

These moments in time are something everyone carries, some of us suppress them, and probably for good reasons, whilst some of us fight our memories to try and force them to come back.  Its like the taste of your favourite dessert that you cannot remember the name of.  Or seeing someone and knowing that they make you feel happy yet being unable to recall exactly why this is the case.  The emotions move through you like waves, even a raindrop on your face at the right time can take you to another place, another memory that makes your heart melt.

For me it is the Blue Mountains, located along the eastern coast of central NSW the Blue Mountains are what I call home.  As soon as I enter the region my whole body changes.  My mind becomes at ease, my awareness changes and my view on the world dilutes to being a passive enjoyer rather than a consumer.  Over the past five years I have purposely visited the mountains many times.  Not only because I enjoy the scenery but to escape, to help me through some darker days or times that I rather forget.  If I was here before I would wager that I lived or worked in those mountains.
For a man of 42 who is trying to find his spiritual home, all of these places and feelings slowly tap away at the mortar of my own emotional brick wall.  Every now and then a little bit of light makes it through and when it does it is so inspiring that you just want to take another bite!  Another breath of that air, or another raindrop on the forehead.  Those euphoric feelings that you wish would last forever, just like when you hold your child for the first time, or when you get one of those squeezy hugs from the one you love.

Blue Mountains

Write things down people, take lots of photos and touch (emotionally) as many people as you can in your world.  These may be the triggers you need later on to draw out those life changing moments when you most need them.  Despite all the things we do to ourselves and to each other, one thing remains a constant; change, learn to embrace it, learn to let go of your fears and let the rain touch your forehead, to capture those moments in time….

Cover photo by Steven Markham Photography;

https://www.facebook.com/steven.markham.94