Such a great quality family time in the market at Tamborine!

Sunday 13 July, 2008

Today, before I tell you, who read my blog, about my undescribable wonderful excursion in Tamborine, I would like to share with you one of the passages I receive every day from Eknath Easwaran's foundation, who established Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.

"The more we have the less we own."
– Meister Eckhart
We have been ruthlessly conditioned to think we can find fulfillment in possessions, to love things rather than people – so much so, that when we feel an emptiness in our hearts, we go to shopping centers to fill it up.
I am all for living in reasonable comfort, but when I go to shopping centers, I cannot help getting alarmed. Not at the money that is being wasted – there is enough money in this country to waste. But there isn’t enough will to waste. There isn’t enough energy to waste. When we hear of the energy crisis, this is it. All our vitality, energy, and drive is sapped and undermined by the constant propaganda: go after this, go after that, and you’ll be happy. Things are not meant to be loved. They are meant only to be used. People are lovable and loving.

I wholeheartedly agree with the passage and the thought from Eknath. The more we have the less we own. However, if we all manage to live our life just the way it is and make everyday as it was our last, we will appreciate what is there before us even more. Many people do think that they still have many more years to live, in fact though, they have less time to spend with their loved ones because they think that their family will always be there for them. As it seems, family is like Seven Eleven. People would rather go to Woolworth's or Cole's than Seven Eleven since they know that it is always open 24/7! Convenient right? They will surely find no true love, but the love of himself and herself. If we can manage to live our life wisely, I am sure, the LESS TIME we have, the MORE LOVE we do gain.

Going back to the trip, off we went to Tamborine to a flea market up in the mountains. This market consists of a countless number of little shops of flowers, handcrafts, clothes,food vendors, and a miniature farm for kids. We had a coffee from McDonald's and homemade carrot, orange and puppy seeds muffins from "Tukie's." On the way to the market, we drove through the rain forest and you could literally smell the freshness of the air, dirt and trees there. All the going up and down the hills with some bikers on the other side of the traffic reminded me of the old days I used to take my bike in the countryside of Maryland. We rode for at least 20 miles on that trip..such a accomplishment then. Anyway, the captivating scenery must have taken away my car sickness from those ups and downs; I felt great and loved the life and the surroundings that I had with me at the moment. Life has so much to offer!

Once we reached the market, I was totally speechless of how different it was from our markets in Thailand. It must be the organization, the cleanliness, and another life style, I suppose, that makes it different. The market reminded me of Rice's Market in Pennsylvania. I loved it there as well. Tamborine Country Market is the same; however, I noticed that it's more family oriented kind of atmosphere. There were lots of families with Dad, Mom and kids spending their precious time together. Seeing some dads riding on go-carts with their little ones or taking photos of their little girls patting the rabbits and cuddling baby animals, moms feeding food to their boys, or grandparents pushing their grandchildren's strollers made me feel that this was something that money can't buy...happiness and a sense of real family! "More is less" is surely true and perhaps is something that many of us can't avoid. However, if we can utilize the less time we have with our family wisely, the LESS time we have will become the MORE love we gain within the family and with the loved ones. At that moment, I thought of my own family back home! We usually take things for granted especially those that are near us. We don't value them as much, not until we start to realize that we don't have them anymore. Being away from my home makes me appreciate my family even more and think of the great times we had. From now on or when I return home to Thailand. I would try to live my life in balance more and try to manage my career life and family life wisely. It's only that I never know if I would ever see them (or my loved ones)again when I wake up in the morning.

After walking for some time, we had our brunch in the market. There were so many interesting thing to choose from-they even had Alabama pancakes! I had mini pancakes and of course another cup of coffee! Then, I got a gift for my sister-in-law. Then, we hit the road back to the little town in Tamborine. On the way, we stopped at the lookout where adventurers like to jump off for hang gliding. It also reminded me of the place where I spent the time during my visit at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
People like to go hang gliding there as well. The outlook offers such a captivating view of the landscaping down below. I felt as if I had been on top of the world!

I loved the town so much I forgot to think of lunch until we approached the Fudge store. I guess this is one of the best part when you go traveling-tasting different kinds of food. An indulgence to a scoop of Macadamia ice-cream cone would not harm my arteries much, I thought. There were many cute antiques and souvenir shops. There were also many beautiful houses. Anyway, after wandering in town for a while, I found some gifts for my friends in the States. Then, we decided to go for late lunch on the way home. We stopped for lunch at Yatala Pies, which is claimed to serve the most famous pies in Queensland. I had Spinach with Feta Cheese Pie; it was great!

My day would not have been great like the way it was without the Collyers. They have been spoiling me rotten! I really appreciated their generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness, genuine, and friendship so much that I am not certain if I do deserve all these. They have made me feel like at HOME! There is another thing that money can't buy...Friendship! Good friends are hard to find and even harder to forget!