Island life – surrounded by water

So I’m on an island. A very beautiful, windswept island at that.

I’ve never lived on an island before unless you count the mainland of Australia as a very large island I suppose. To be surrounded by the sea with all the elements the waters can generate is a refreshing experience. The smell of salt in the air, the breezes and winds that come from all directions and the limited, hardy plant life clinging to the battered shore give the place an exotic feel. My island could either be seen as a place of refuge against those relentless elements or as a place to let go, set my face into the wind and laugh at the experiences that life on the edge may bring. I’m becoming partial to the wind it seems.

My island is famous for penguins and motorcycle races. That’s probably a good reflection of what most of life’s about… the natural that exists despite our intervention and the cultural, created by us to sometimes distract us from what is already there. Just last week we were invaded by 100,000 fans of motorcycle racing who brought with them a carnival atmosphere to our otherwise sleepy lifestyle. Traffic jams in a rural setting, queues in the shops and the constant hum of countless bikes gave me a taste of the city life I’d recently escaped. A good taste too. It was great to see how good natured large groups of people can be, even those who are by choice enthusiastic about speed and noise. And the island coped, or maybe even flourished under the strain. After the crowds departured those natural elements that make this such a wonderful place are still here doing what they’ve done for countless years. The wind is still blowing, the surf still rolls in and the penguins are still cute. I’m somehow comforted in the knowledge that creation puts on a show that outlasts and often outshines anything we can manufacture or design.

And so for me now, the pleasures of sand, sea and writing are consuming my time. I don’t see myself as clinging to my island as a way to shelter from the elements but rather as an opportunity to put myself out there, test the waters and see what life throws up.