I had so much fun with the last one...and so much more to share...that I had to do it again. Enjoy!
What I Will Miss about Living in Bali:
#10 -Sharing my room with all my four legged gecko friends as they scatter about on the ceiling and walls...and also having totally become accustomed to other little nature creatures coming and going as they please. (Given how we as humans on this planet are out numbered, by I'm sure something like a trillion of them to one of us, I have come to realize how normal and natural it is for them to be present absolutely anywhere....makes me laugh at the thought of how our mentality in the States is to freak out if a single ant or spider is in 'our' home.)
#9 -Using my bicycle as my sole transportation source, easily riding my bicycle everywhere I need to go in town.
#8-Tabloids? Celebrity gossip? What do those words mean? I don't recall.
#7 -Spending my morning sitting on my balcony and eating the fresh papaya that is brought to me every morning by the family whom I rent my room from while enjoying my sweeping view of bright green rice paddies, swaying palm trees, and three towering volcanoes in the distance....and spending my evenings watching all the glowing green fire flies dance around in the sky...now this is truly a slice of paradise.
#6-Being reminded on a daily basis of the inherent abundance of nature and of the universe...the amount of green foliage that grows in this town is astounding. I bet if humans were to abandon this town for just a few weeks, it would become completely overgrown and overtaken by Nature's abundance.
#5 -Observing the daily diligence and devotion of the locals working the rice fields...and being awed at at the joyful simplicity with which they live.
#4.5 - (I had so much on my list...had to just fit a few extras in. :-) Having my teeth cleaned at a perfectly clean and respectable place for $30; Seeing a very respectably trained doctor for under $50. No insurance needed.
#4 - Being able to enjoy the tropical rain storms while wearing my shorts and a tank top, confident that the sun will soon be shining again in an hour or two.
#3.5 - (yep, had to fit this one in too :-) Listening to the local boys who live next door to me play their guitars and sing with all their hearts LaBamba, and the exact same Rolling Stones, and Led Zepplin tunes in perfect English (although they don't speak English) at least 2-3 nights a week. (The first night I heard this, I wondered to myself if there was a concert going on somewhere.) (Well, to be fair, there have been many a nights in which this one would fit in the other top ten list...:-)
#3 - Walking by and saying hello on a daily basis to the countless local woman who make a habit of carrying all of their shopping, food, bags, sticks, plants, gigantic jugs of water, baskets of crafts or local snacks for sale....gracefully on top of their head. (I have yet to see a single elderly woman who walks hunched over. No matter if they are 80 or 90, they have beautifully straight spines.)
#2 - Paying a local $1 to chop the top off of a freshly fallen coconut as I proceed to stick a straw in it, savor the tasty juice, and then scoop out and eat the yummy coconut flesh....and having this be the norm over buying a latte at Starbucks.... I'm totally serious.
#1-Being able to ponder on a DAiLY basis if I am in the mood for yet another fantastic hour long massage...for $8! Yes, $8! After having this be my reality for the past 18 months, this is going to be a tough one to live without!
Why I am Excited to Come Home!
#10 - To no longer have to pick up the tiny gecko poops so lovingly left on my floor. To be able to hear myself think at night as I fall asleep since I will no longer be sleeping in a room located next to the thousands of frogs who love to croak and croak all night long.
#9 -To be able to entertain the possibility of attending my 3rd Burning Man Festival in Nevada this August!?!
#8 - Fresh wild Alaskan King Salmon! On the grill!
#7 - Going to the movies! and seeing a movie in English!
#6 - Being able to rendezvous in Vancouver BC with two of the coolest people I met while living in Bali who happen to live in Calgary!
#5 - Flying Apron Bakery in Fremont! ...gluten and sugar free, whole food and natural ingredients, and still the best damn tasting treats around!
#4 - Summertime in Seattle....the best and only time to be in Seattle!
#3 - Hiking along the glorious trails and the breathtaking scenery afforded by the spectacular mountains of the Pacific NW.
#2 - To no longer have to play the explain-yourself game... "I'm from Seattle. Worked in Thailand last year. Here since Christmas time. Writing a book. And you?" To be in the company of friends and family whom have known me for so long that without even having to speak, they know exactly what I'm saying.
#1 - To not just sleep in a bed, but in a home. To relax on my mom's couch and have my heart filled with her company as much as I know her heart will be filled with mine.
...Sending my love to you all, here from my desk that I am sitting at, at my 3 week health resort gig! (...Doing exactly what I did in Thailand, to fill in for a woman who wanted to take 3 weeks off to go to Europe, that I serendipitously landed after just happening to meet and chat with her in town!... a nice bit of extra cash before I leave town!)
Touch down in Seattle is June 14!
Love and hugs from Bali!
Jody :-)
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