Bali as Home

Now I can understand how living in Bali in 2007 turned my life around.
In every aspect. Love. Career. Life lessons. Sorrow. Independence.
I still do not know now, if I made the right decision to live there so soon in my life.
Bali is Balance. And power. and Karma. Living there has it's price.
To have a lifestyle so filled with freedom, tests the soul respectively.
Bali is the core of ying and yang.
There is such a magic that marries the mystical and rawness of the island.
And Bali never fails to lure you into it's wondrous spell of bliss and abandonment.
It is a secret love affair.
It is one I care not to discuss casually and I find myself often making excuses to justify my coyness on the subject.
It is my time out and an awakening all wrapped up in padi fields, impulsive bike rides with the wind in my hair, visiting sacred lands, making magical friendships and feeling exhilaration like you've never felt before.
As I deepened myself in that cocoon.
Living the life like I dreamed, the rest of the world faded from my memory.
Nothing else mattered and all I knew was Bali.
Day after day, sunset walks ,mountain trails and the long drives through the countryside as well as, a few drunken nights I would crawled into bed trashed.
Those lovely beach walks calmed my mind everyday and I developed an inner peace which I still use in much needed situations today.
Bali makes one take the time to understand people. You do things that make you or whoever you are in Bali with, happy. You share everything. You steal nothing.

The thing is, I look at my pictures from back then... and I can see the change in my gaze, and the warming of my skin tone. It's the Bali blessing I guess.
I think it was because Bali helped me develop spiritually, I spent my 30th bday there and I still believe up to this day.. that something shifted in me that day.
It was an extremely intense and confronting time for me and Bali seemed to cushion my fall and was the rock I so needed at that point in time.
I know that I will always be bonded to Bali by some magical silver cord because when I think of Bali today,
my heart still flutters. I am still curious. I still want a little bit more.
Like a love affair, like a drug.
I crave it. And when it stings, it scars me.
But every time I leave it, it burns a wee bit more.

So Bali... I love our love affair.
Til we meet again....