There’s a good spirit here in Bellingen at Camp Creative, despite the soggy state of the district. There were microscopic patches of blue sky today and only patchy precipitation, although I hear rain falling tonight.
The campgrounds were flooded on Monday night, and when people had to relocate, the locals opened up their homes.
Queensland townspeople are suffering loss of life and homes, and Brisbane will be even more massively flooded than it is now by tomorrow morning, with five evacuation centres filling up. My impression is that Aussies are good at dealing with calamities and taking care of each other in their communities, maybe better than in the U.S. where I am from – where rugged individualism and competition are applauded. I keep thinking of the terrible flooding of Hurricane Katrina.
Communities hold and sustain us, give meaning to our lives. Living in Australia as an ex-pat with no blood family here, it has meant everything to me to be included in yoga community. And to have the privilege of extending and contributing to the community.
We’ve been told in my writing course this week that you can reduce all story writing down to just one story to write and that is the one about belonging. What do you think?