Happy Thanksgiving, Family!

It is so weird to be here when I know that all of America is celebrating today. It is hard to imagine that it is the fall and winter season back home when everything is bursting into bloom here. I am enjoying the sunny and warm weather, but I can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness knowing that I’m missing the chance to sit comfortably next to my family on the couch with the warmth of the fire pushing away the chilly weather outside, preparing to share the meal together. Neal and I are WWOOFing at a charming Bed and Breakfast between Nelson and Motueka on the South island of New Zealand, and we did have a Thanksgiving meal of sorts with our gracious hosts and two guests last night (since yesterday was Thursday here). We had forgotten until just a few moments before dinner that it even was Thanksgiving, assuming it was next week, so it was a bit of a shock to us when the calendar told us otherwise (what are the odds of our hosts having an American calendar on their wall? Very strange). Nonetheless, we made the most of it and ended up spending a lovely evening talking about families and children and spirituality, eating delicious green curry with rice, sweet salad with flower petals in it, and slices of fresh pineapple for dessert.

I have been keeping a list of things I am grateful for since our trip began, as a method of allaying fears and keeping the peace and many “goodnesses” within my mind along our journey. Here are a few things on that list:

• We arrived safely and on time with all of our luggage
• We have never been overly hungry or cold
• We have been outside nearly every day
• We did NOT get food poisoning from the restaurant with a mouse turd in the roti
• I got in to New Zealand (though we are still waiting on my work visa…)
• Oranges
• Chocolate
• Animals (including goats, cats, magpies, and dogs-- not including roosters at 5am)
• WWOOFing and CouchSurfing hospitality
• The beach
• Cultivation and newness
• Random kindnesses and good advice
• Good books
• Philosophical discussions
• Pie
• Meditation rooms and music
• I have an amazing travelling companion—resourceful, engaged, sociable, good with directions, and adaptable!
• I am ALIVE and here to experience it!

Yes, life is good at the moment. Currently we are enjoying spending time with our hosts Guruvati and Harideva at their Bed and Breakfast, talking about family, food, and the PROUT social theory in between planting potatoes. Neal is reading PROUT books like crazy, getting all riled up about our current political and economic situation. I am reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and I am so engrossed by it that I read 300 pages in 2 days. I had to stop myself after awhile because my eyes were crossing. I am also excited to bake with Guruvati—she is an amazing vegetarian cook, and she owned a pie making business famous in Nelson for ten years, so there is a lot of wonderful stuff for me to learn! We look forward to what else life has in store for us and are constantly amazed by how seemingly miraculously everything is falling into place for us along the way. Keep that positive energy flowing, and remember all that there is to be thankful for!