Blue Bus Journey Cafe

We had such a great time this weekend in Marlo, Victoria selling Coffee, Chai and Hot Chocolate… We collaborated with Yvonne Illume and Sophie Luchetta selling Paintings, Etchings, Pillows and other crafts… Check out the goodness below…

Safe to say, we are living the dream. 

  
   

 

   

 

 
  

    

 

   

 

  

   

    

     
Lots of love, 

Alyce, Paul and Banjo 

Love…

So, on a rainy day sitting in front of the warm glowing fire… I was watching a Youtube clip, it was about how people see love. One sweet darling lady said ‘without love you are empty’ SIGH. What a statement.. Truth be told, what this darling lady had expressed suddenly opened up so much compassion within me for others, and I want to tell you why. The word LOVE…. Yup, that old chestnut. Sigh.

  

So, for me personally, when I am doing something that I love, like writing, sewing, painting, dancing, connecting with others, swimming in the ocean, traveling etc (there are lots of things that I love, lol) I really do feel an overwhelming sense of happiness and fullness. Sometimes it takes me to a euphoric place that it literally feels like it fills my whole being with love. Those moments when I’m listening to a beat, moving my brush on the canvas, watching something being created from nothing, I am simply so connected and in the zone, its pure bliss, I am happy, I am love in these moments. 

  
When I am with my family or my closest friends, just being in their presence makes me feel safe and at home (wherever we are). I am a part of something bigger then myself, I have people who care about me and love me as I am. This of course also brings on a sense of fulfilment. This is ultimately what I believe to be the true source of everyone’s life path, is to find love and to find fulfilment with in that.

  

That empty feeling…

Then when I think about feeling unaccepted by someone, my stomach turns and I feel sick… EMPTY. When I thinking about not looking good enough, not being skinny enough, not being educated enough, not having enough money, not saying the right thing, not being the right person, feeling judged, being around uncomfortable unconnected energy I feel empty and I feel anxious. My life is without a doubt full of these in-between moments of love and anxiety. Which I’m sure most people do.

  
My next thought to all of this emptiness that surrounds our world, and our society is simply, HOW DO WE FILL THIS EMPTINESS UP? Seriously. From my personal experience, feeling empty and anxious is horrible, like seriously heart aching, sickening and just YUCK. I am realistic, you can not unless you are some god sent human have the euphoric feeling of love all the time. There are situations in life that are difficult, like loosing a job, a breakup or a death etc. Although what I am curious by, is how can we align our self’s back to the feeling of love without having the focus be by something external (for me painting/family etc)
  
 

I have been deeply upset by so many people who have chosen the life of drugs, in particular, ICE. Up until this lady who said “Without love, you are empty’ I felt very judgmental towards so many people who had chosen the path to destruction. I just never understood, WHY take a drug when you know that the outcome is so dangerous and WILL wreck some many aspects of your life? How could you do so much damage to your community? How can you be so deceitful to your friends, family, and colleges? Where has your self-respect gone? THEN I REALISED… that word… e.m.p.t.y. They are empty. I have tears welling up in my eyes right now, my heart is racing and I am feeling so shameful for being so judgmental…. I need and must show love and compassion to people of all walks of life. By sitting here judging and being negative towards other life choices, is just causing myself harm and then I am energetically putting that back to the world. I need to stop. I need to refocus my thoughts and also to be compassionate.

  
I understand. I have had the empty feeling before, the heart wrenching, heart thumping, spinning mind and sick feeling of being EMPTY. I feel, we all have. Some different to others, yet we are human, and we all experience emotions. When someone has no love to warm their hearts, and emptiness surrounds them, I understand how filling that empty must be important to enjoy life. Drugs, food, sex, addictions and exercise are ways to fill that space, and sadly if this place isn’t fulfilled, suicide seems to be the next best thing.

CAN WE…

  

-Next time we hear that someone has taken ice and done something socially ‘unacceptable’, can we give them love and compassion?

-Next time we feel empty, can we focus on loving ourselves?

-Next time you hear abuse, see abuse, are being abusive can we stop and change it to love?

-Next time you are feeling down, be mindful about the decisions you make to fill the empty space.

  

I HOPE…

I hope that through this ice epidemic, the rising number of suicide, the increasing number of mental health issues, obesity and domestic violence we can create awareness that love is what we are all searching for, when we give love to others, we receive love within us. By doing what we love, loving others and loving ourselves we immediately eliminate so many destructive emptiness fillers.

Show love to yourself and your community.

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

I am honestly and not proudly quiet judgmental towards others, and this is something that I am going to change and shift. Its not how I want to be living my life judging other people, Id rather be focusing on the things that I love and doing things that are positive for my life and the community. Next time I hear of someone I know gone of the rails by drugs or an addiction, I will show support and love. As that’s all they are searching for. Love.

How will you show love?
Sending you all love.

Alyce Procter

  

Hollyburton farm

Hoooray, Alyce Procter and Paul Shaw are traveling around Australia in a newly renovated 35ft Blue Bus, ohhh yeahhhhh! They will be interviewing people who are interesting, Places to go, Things to try and Experiences that they have. They will be selling scrumptious coffee from the bottom of their bus & Alyce’s art as they travel to make some coin. This blog is about honest and raw expressions from how Alyce and Paul see the world that they live in. Enjoy and be apart of the journey by following their blog.

 

We have been staying at a beautiful farm just out of Melbourne called Hollyburton. I have made my 1st ever video, Ekkk… I know its really basic, although I’m pretty stoked about it considering YouTube has been my teacher and I feel it gets the message across. I hope you enjoy my interview that I have with Maddy.

If you would like to read more about Hollyburton farm, check out this website… Hollyburton farm link

Being 25

Right now I am sitting in a beautiful hotel in Hobart that my dad has surprised me on, a trip for my birthday… (So thoughtful and lovely)

I’m in bed reflecting on the fact that I have made it through 1 whole year of being “25”… Yup… I’ve made it…. All 365 days of it… The year that has confronted me to my core… In oh so many ways… As I am feeling reflective, I’d like to explore my experiences with you… I also understand that this is absolutely NOT the case for all 25 year olds, just me…

So, when I was 17 years and 56 days old, I would count the days until I turned 18, until I could drive, until I could legally drink at the pub, make my own choices, be my own person, go places… Just do whatever I wanted… And it felt like FOREVER!! I kid you not, during that period time must have slowwwwwwwwwweeeeeddddd down…  Then suddenly, boom…. I’m 26.. Just like that…. Twenty six 

I guess for me, I haven’t really followed a traditional method of education or life choices…. Although I didn’t really care until I turned 25… Always in the back of my mind I thought “I have so much time, I’m only 21, 22, 23, 24 etc…” Now that excuse, and I call it an excuse as it’s been an opportunity for me to not step up and embrace being an adult… That’s the truth… I don’t want to grow up, yet I want the freedom of it… Although the day I turned 25 was like a big slap in the face and my inner guide telling me “step up, take responsibility and stop mucking around” … So I have.

Friendships. 

Sadly yet positively I have parted with a lot of friends who I had out grown or they out grew me, or we just weren’t vibing as we once were. The concept of “friends forever” has to high expectations which places a lot of pressure on me. realistically, I believe we share moments with people, sometimes we have more moments with certain people stretched over a long period of time yet they are all just moments…. Relationships and dynamics change, and boy am i thankful… Make the moments count. 

I don’t want to fit in your mould…. 

As a youngster, I really concerned myself with wanting people to “like” me, trying to be hot, being cool, sexy and what I thought others wanted me to be… Now, when I meet someone new (and reflecting on relationships I have also) and if I decide that I’d like to develop a friendship with them, I ask myself, 1stly do I like them? Then ; 

•  Is this person respectful?
• Are they interesting?
• Do we vibe well?
• Do they inspire me?

Plus a million more although I’m sure you get the hint… I’m not about impressing or being socially chillin with the “right” people, I want to have heart-felt connects that challenge me in a supportive way. I have good friends who are in their 60s and who are 4 years old…. The people in my life now, who i have attracted, are people who align to who I am…. That is powerful… And of course I have those relationships that are there due to circumstance, although I’m less concerned with forcing something that isn’t there…. You are who you are and I am who i am. 

Money

  Shitttttttttt!!!!!  How much money should I be making? Should I own a house? Have a new car? I should have worked my way up some social ladder by now surly?…. Well Nup… I am not financially well off, I don’t particularly want to work in the area that I have studied in and my car is old and I live in a bus…You know what though… Money doesn’t buy anything of real value…

Children.

 Most of my friends have children, which they had when they were very young, I have had 2 pregnancies and they never came to life (obviously). Having a child when your well in to your 30’s is the done thing at the moment although that is not how I imagined I’d do it, I want Minimal risks and to be young with my grommets. Butttttttt, it’s such a massive commitment, in every way. No more being selfish and doing whatever. Yet gaining a chance to raise a child.  This choice to have a child just confronts me in every way

• Where do I want to give birth? Home birth? water birth? Do i get private health care cover now?
• Home school? Public? Private?
• Co-sleeping? Cot?
• Names?
• Money?
• What if? ? ? ? ? ? *head spins*

Have I over thought this? ? lol… I just want to be the best person I can be for my future children. 

Career

Career. sigh. I have had sooooo many jobs, and as much as I try, I can not handle spending my days working in some mundane and mindless job, just so I can pay for my bread and butter… Although catch 22 is that I unfortunately don’t have all the skills/education/experience I need to change a culture and create amazing things (which is what I want to do)… so I have to stick at these jobs where i feel like my skills are completely wasted until i can build a future that i dream off, which i assure that I WILL, I’m way to ambitious to settle for anything less than what i was born to do… Which i am STILL unsure of, Another stress of early 20’s WHAT CAREER DO I DO?… when I do know, You just wait… Its going to be EPIC.

Education

I have spent years studying Visual arts, Art Therapy, Teaching and Health….Education is a gift that i cherish everyday… Weather I learn from educating myself, Uni or experience… any focused education that I do is such an investment. Engaging my mind in things that are positive for my soul is essential to my happiness. WHY did i wag so many classes when i was younger? DOH! oh, how age changes perspective.

I also strongly believe that education about the outside world is equally important to education about the inner aspects of who I am. Inner and outer world education are equal. 

Love

You know all those american movies about love, well they are far from reality. I love my man, incredibly, Although sometimes being in a relationship is challenging, frustrating and its a constant effort to maintain it. Love long-term isn’t about the long stares and whispering sweet nothings in to each others ear, being with the hottest guy, getting butterflies or always being swept off your feet. Reality is that, the bins need to go out, dinner needs to be cooked and all that boring mundane stuff, I have learnt that being in love and maintaining a relationship is about being with your best friend who you can simply just enjoy life with, working as a team, growing together and confronting things when you feel they are not good. It’s a challenge that is the most rewarding thing i have experienced.

Parents…

My Mum and Dad are more like my friends now. The whole relationship dynamic has completely changed. I have so much respect for them both, for everything they have done for me and still do. Thank you 

Trusting yourself..

In terms of my spirituality, I have really focused a lot of time and energy to question allot about our existence.

• What does death mean?
• what is the purpose of our existence?
• what is my body trying to tell me when i feel….
• why did i attract this person in to my life?  etc etc etc

The beliefs i have are quiet personal, although one thing that i do feel comfortable with sharing is about the importance to TRUST yourself. We all have a regulator in our body that alarms us when things don’t feel right. Trust it and life will flow. Intuition is a powerful thing. Listen

Manifesting

Simply, the law of attraction is a powerful tool.

Health…

I have no interest what so ever is running around the block, or doing one of those epic runs, I just don’t see the reward from it other then a badly designed circle metal… the whole thing just doesn’t make sense to me. Gyms are the most outrageous things invented, think about it, RIGHT NOW there would be millions of people just running in one spot using energy that could be going to something really useful, like… Planting a tree, Walking/playing with a animal, Building something, picking up rubbish, creating etc. I just DONT GET IT!! Given all of that, I am over weight and I need to focus on being kinder and more loving to my body. I need to fuel it with food that will support me in feeling good and maintaining optuim health, I need to figure out ways that i can move my body purposefully.

Body image…

Body image is something that i am constantly confronted with… My goal is to love every inch of myself. Just as I am. Media has really F!%#ed with my mind about what it means to be beautiful. I am a human, seriously though, I AM HUMAN.

Its the simple things…

Its the simple things in life that are most beautiful.

Just be who you are.

I could write so much more although It’s my birthday and I’m keen to celebrate being 26! 

Lots of love x 

Alyce procter 

Portfairy

Hooray, I am travelling Australia in my newly renovated bus with my beautiful partner Paul and dog Banjo. We will be interviewing people who are interesting, places we go and experiences that we have… As we sell coffee and art #shareourblog #followus @ #bluebusjourney… To see how we renovated our bus, click here

For the last few months we have been living in a small coastal town on the west coast of Victoria called Port fairy..

 

Port fairy is an old fishing village that has all of a sudden become the place to be, lots of stunning beaches and welcoming cafes, high end fashion and art galleries surrounding…

It has great surf and a really humble grounding vibe. I found people really friendly and really chilled… Love it here.

     

Coffee lovers…

Best coffee without a doubt was down a little lane way called “farmers wife” which was buzzing and the staff were awesome, The chick in there REMEMBERED what coffee we drank after only being in there ONCE, like what the hec, that’s what I call service. They use Two Seasons coffee which is yummo. Check it out

Sausage dogs? 

One of the most classic things we did here was see a annual “sausage dog race” yup, you heard, sausage dogs race… Haha. People from all over Australia came to enter there much loved sausage dogs in various races, the funniest one was the jumping race, mainly as they have the most teeny tiny legs and could barely Jump. Hahaha. The turn out was huge, like MASSIVE… Thousand of people with cute sausage dogs cruising the streets. Just classic. Enter your doggy here Watch a video of it all here Watch this   (its linked to my facebook)    

Shopping (love a good shop)

Clothing…

My favourite shop for clothes was without fail was called Evolve. Truly stunning clothes, it’s a must go to place. Check it out here

For art, interior and a assortment of amazingness screaming class is Penny and Reiby, one of the most stunning stores I’ve ever been to. Julia the owner is a stylist and has a gift to making colours work in the most harmonious  ways, her partner James is a builder and makes most of the furniture which is so special to see a couple working so well together producing their life passions. It’s a shop oozing with love…  Check out all the beautiful products here              

WORST… 

I’m not one to bag out stores, in fact this is my 1st time, but this place, WOW… The worst by far was the hardware store, like what the actual hec is going on there, it’s like everyone has been working in the store for way to long and are completely bored out of their mind. Every time we ordered building supplies, they would muck it up or it would take FOREVER! The visual merchandise makes me want to renovate the whole store not inspire me to renovate to buy my own stuff. The frustrating thing about country living is that you just have to deal with what is in your town as its too far to drive somewhere else. Someone retrain the staff and improve it PLEASE!

Where’s the bus parked? 

   

   

We parked the bus just out of town on a dairy farm with a beautiful family who now feel like our own. We cruised around on a 4 wheeler helping with the cows and went on many adventures…. Ahhh the adventures. I finally got to tick off one of my bucket lists and help in a dairy farm, which I loved. It was messy and cold and loud and repetitive and fun.

Hannah and I, (the girl who’s property we were staying at) we went on adventures through the farm on the 4 wheeler, WHICH WAS AWESOMEEEEEEE…. we painted and did photography of landscapes and the cows, was truly magical. I was so humbled by how generous the family was and how they welcomed us in to their life’s. Gosh, we lucked out meeting them.

         

Surf… 

The surf was awesome, of course freezing being in the middle of winter, brrrr. Paul was brave and went for it anyways and it was so beautiful to see him get back in the water after being in the city for so long and to finally enjoy life on the road.

        

Coffee machine… 

While we were here it gave us such a great chance to get the coffee machine set up. . We made a table out of recycled timber and then placed it on a hydronic table that slides out of the under carriage for easy access. We will soon be selling fair trade coffee at markets and festivals,, whoo hoooo!

        

Change in the pace of life… 

Being out on the farm was a massive  adjustment for me as I was used to living such a busy life in Melbourne, working so many jobs and having a very active social life with my family and friends… It really took me awhile to get back in to the flow of not having everything at my finger tips. I got back into the routine of planning what I need in advance and getting used to spending allot of time in isolation. I questioned allot about what I want to do as I travel, Why was I doing it and who i am? sometime really shifts when you turn 25, most of my friends have experienced the same thing.  Allot of self growth happened and did allot of accessing of what I need. It certainly was challenging. When the busyness stops and you finally have some time to shift through whats going on in your head, its certainly interesting what comes up. After I found a flow and got used to the quietness and my mind settled I really found love in the simple things that surrounded me.

 Paul and I had to adjust massively as allot of the time I wouldn’t see anyone else apart from him. We have had many testing times and have learnt to communicate what we need in order to create balance in our new pace of life.         

Ship wrecked

The west coast has so much history of Ship wrecks and convicts. We went to see the flagstaff hill show in warrnambool where our best friend Sam’s dad does the tours (which he rocked it). It was such an mind blowing experience to see what it was like for people many moons ago coming to Australia to have a new life in Australia. I have such an appreciation for all the brave souls who made the journey to country they knew nothing about. Book your ticket here

Dad visited… 

As I went though moments of being very home sick it was such a relief when my dad came to visit. As he works on the rigs and is away for long periods of time is always so special to be able to hang out . We went and looked at art galleries together and enjoyed the beaches.

  Dad and I went  to get my eyes tested as my eyes have been playing up,  turns out that one eye is circle shaped in mint condition and the other is oval shaped, weird lol. So I am now apart of the 4 eyed community .. So glad dad was there to help me choose my new specs…. Check em. Everything is so much more crisp.

 I loved …. 

What I loved most about being back in the country was the experience to relaxxxxxx, take time to enjoy a cup of tea with my neighbors, to listen to the waves crash as I fell asleep and to be given the opportunity to be with myself and paul…

        Port fairy is a must…  Lots of love, x 

Blue bus coffee

Whoo hooo…We have just finished putting in a coffee machine to sell at markets, festivals, road sides and happening places!!!!  All ethically sourced and fair trade…

If you see us on the road, come get a coffee!!

Lots of love,

Alyce, Paul and Banjo

Celebrate Pride

We are ALL sexual beings, all of us… What turns us on is different and that’s perfect…

If you are gay, straight, bi, trans or just confused, awesome…. Your just human, having a human experience and as long as your sexual experiences are not hurting anyone then embrace it… There are no rules, be free and trust what is right for you… A label is just a label… Love is just love…

And anyone who feels uncomfortable about other peoples sexuality, I encourage you to explore your own and find acceptance and understanding…

Advertise with us…

Need experienced travel bloggers to get the word out about your destination, event, product or service? 

Why Should You Sponsor the Blue Bus Journey Blog?

Blue Bus Journey blog is a travel blog site that has a focus on interesting people, places to go, creations, dreams,  experiences and tiny home/bus renovations and spreading the world to encourage change and success.

About us… 

 

We are an Aussie couple (Alyce and Paul with our dog Banjo) who have just finished renovating a 35ft bus, See our renovation journey here. We plan on traveling around Australia for the next 5-10 years… (Whoo hoo) We have set up a coffee machine in the under carriage of our bus and will be selling coffee and art at markets, festivals, beaches and happening places. Paul is a plumber by trade. Alyce is a Photographer, Artist, Art teacher, Art therapist, Swimming teacher and retail manager and most importantly a blog writer and Banjo is a super chiller.

 

inside of our bus

 

The famous blue bus

 

How can we support YOU? 

We want to get out in to the world

• Amazing people who are doing things to make the world a better place
• Helpful, practical and beautiful  products
• Cool things to do in Australia
• Different ways of living the life you dream
• Local businesses
• View points that needs awareness raised (those touchy subjects that need to be said)

By sponsoring us you will be establishing a connection with readers who are looking to get inspired and want to experience an authentic view point.

How does it work? 

Business…  Invite us to your business, show us around, give us a tour and what you have to offer… I’ll bring my camera and take photos of our experience. Following up, I will write a review of where you are located, what we did and how our experience was with professional photos that I captured on the day See my photography here
Amazing people… Let’s hang out, tell me what your about, what your doing and the message you are sending to the world. I’ll take photos of your products and of your amazing self… Following I will write a blog about you and our experience. See my photography here and Meet an amazing couple here

 

Products…  Have you got a design that you need to promote? Send us a sample so we can play and experience it… I’ll take photos and write a blog reviewing your product

Please know that all reviews will be honest. Our readers come first, and it is always our intention to provide them with the best information and honest feedback possible…

How to be apart of our blog? 

Contact Alyce on 0490148402 or email me at sketch.to.discover@outlook.com

Photography… Capturing YOU…

Hooray, I am traveling Australia in my newly renovated bus with my beautiful partner Paul and dog Banjo. We will be interviewing people who are interesting, places we go and experiences that we have… To check out our bus… Read about the bus journey here The Bus renovation Journey #shareourblog #followus

Instagram – bluebusjourney

Facebook – BlueBusJourney

Guess what… I love photography…

 

Why do I LOVE taking Taking photos? Well… 

I love capturing a “MOMENT” that is authentic, real, honest and beautiful.

 How do I do it?

I’m not about making you look like a super model (super models don’t even look like themselves) I am about capturing YOU, capturing a moment that you have in your life, doing what you love, when you are NATURALLY happy in your element. That it what is beautiful, that is whats REAL. They are the moments in life that I believe are worth keeping…

 

yes, its a selfy .. lol

 

A bit of background…

When I look back at photos of myself as a child that my parents took, my favourite photos are of me doing the things that I love, not your classic smiling ones, The ones where I am so in the moment, present to what I am doing. That is real, it’s authentic and it’s the truth about who I was, at that time in my life. It gives me a honest perspective of looking back at my life in a way that I actually remember. I want to create these images for YOU.

HOW DOES IT ALL WORK?

Well, it’s so important that you feel relaxed and comfortable with me, so hanging out and chilling is a massive part (one of my favourite bits, I hope you like Chia and banana bread… “yum”) … and chucking on some of your favourite tunes ect…  I want to explore with you;

• Who you are
• What you are passionate about
• What makes you smile
• Things that are important to who you are
• Your day to day life and the joy you find in it
• Or if it’s a day of an occasion that’s symbolic, then let’s explore that

For a day, or a couple, or an hour or whatever (I like to go with the flow regarding time) I want to capture moments of you in places that have meaning to you, to explore and discover aspects of you, all of you, not just those pretty posed pictures where you smile and looking like life is a breeze, cause it’s not (always). Life has so many different layers, just like YOU. I want to capture that. You, as your authentic self, which I believe whole heartly to be BEAUTIFUL…. Yup, I said it, your the most beautiful when your natural, when your just being YOU.

In short….(well kinda)

1. Documentry to me means capturing moments as it happens NATURALLY, in an environment that you feel safe and connected to, whether it’s at home, at work or at a place that you love…
2. I will capture your essence, your real personality, who you are… Doing the things you love with me, Show me items that are important, Talk to me about what you care about and what makes you feel
3. I will capture the details that surround you, things that are important, things that have a personal meaning to you.
4. I will create a story of who you are to keep as a legacy

My experience…

I have studied Visual Art and Design which has given me a great foundation to explore how to use my eye. When I look at life, I am constantly seeing it as an art work, the colours, the shapes, the textures, the way the light beams on objects, the different angles etc etc… I LOVE IT! What an amazing world we live in. I am self taught in photography as I learn best from experiencing and playing… (which i have done ALLOT of, like HEAPS, my camera is attached to me)

I don’t use any high tec photography programs, just basic lighting apps. I will NOT be altering anything about who you are, as being natural and using my creative eye is what I am passionate about (keepin it REAL and old school)

Examples

Portraits 

 

  

  

 

Children

 

 

 

Surfing

  

Animals

Wedding

Pregnancy 

Would LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to do some child birth photos also.

Others… 👌

  

    

WHAT DO YOU RECEIVE?

You will get a USB with a heap of photos on it to do what you wish. They will be of top quality as I have invested in a very beautiful camera (my little baby .. lol)… For those intetested, I have a canon 70d 😍

These photos will be for you to treasure for the rest of your life and future generations (showing them, the authentic you)

YOU WANT YOUR PHOTOS DONE? (of course)

You can call me 0490148402 or email me sketch.to.discover@outlook.com to talk about a having an experience together.

Love Alyce Sophia Procter

 

Surfing Through life…

Surfing through life… 

  

I am traveling around Australia in a Big Blue Bus (Whoo hooo) I have just finished renovating it with my partner Paul and dog Banjo. As we travel I will be interviewing people I find interesting, places we go and experiences that we have. To check out what the bus looks like, and how we renovated it, check out … The Bus Renovation #shareit #followus

 

Follow us on…

Instagram – bluebusjourney

Facebook – BlueBusJourney

So, When I think about surfing and the process of it, I feel that it has so much to teach me about life, to teach US all. I am going to explore the soul aspects of what surfing is to me, which I believe is relevant to everyone. Everything about the process of surfing is related to life. In every single way. I’m going to break it down for you, and hope that you can make some time to reflect on your own life and how you surf through it.

The journey of the surfer Vs The Journey of the man on land. (please note that the colour change is for when I am exploring both concepts, Blue = surfer… Black = Man.

After waking up from hopefully a nice restful sleep, the events of a surfer and the events of man on land take place… (this is obviously generalised to make a point lol)

You pick the best break Vs you pick the best spot/location to live

You wait for the best set Vs you wait for life’s opportunities

You observe the waves making a choice on which wave to ride Vs you look at the opportunities that life has presented you

You make a choice to catch a wave and paddle fast and hard, so you can catch it Vs you make a choice to commit to something in your life and give it all you’ve got

Catching the wave can be an experience of different things (from my observations and exploration with surfers) I have rounded them up to 3 varied ideas.

Exercise 

Lets do a quick visualization… Find somewhere comfortable, Make a cup of tea (chai is where its at) and relaxxxxxxx… take a deep Breath and imagine that you are out in the ocean, sitting on your board, waiting for a set to come in, watching the sun as it beams on the top of the water and you can feel the sun kiss your face, the air smells fresh, the sounds are peaceful and grounding, it’s just you and mother nature, exploring each other.

                                                                                                                                                       

1. As the set comes in you see a wave and you catch it, you move with it, you rip it, you shred it, you move in ways you didn’t realize that you could, you flow with it, YOU ARE ONE WITH THE WAVE, YOU ARE DANCING ON YOUR BOARD, it finishes smoothly, effortlessly and you jump off your board in to the perfect dive and then paddle out to do it again feeling a million bucks.                                                         .                                                     . 
2. As the set comes in you see a wave and you catch it, it starts off going pretty good, do a few cut backs, then it dies off and it’s a bit of a let down, so you drive off hoping for a better wave                   .      .
3. As the set comes in you see a wave and you catch it, it’s so powerful, so strong, so intense that your whole being is being shaken up although you have been training hard for this and you believe you can do it… that you try hard to keep your balance, although you just cant, you fall off your board, you take a deep breath, and wave literally sucks you under the water, your body is powerless. The wave takes you on an adventure that gives you no control, the force is so big and strong. You kick as hard as you can you reach the surface of the water so you can breathe. Once you make the way to the top, another wave comes crashing down on you, once again you are left feeling out of control completely surrendered by mother nature. The set finishes FINALLY and its thankfully given you some time to regroup and get back on your board, to take a moment, to catch your breath, then start the process again… Where is the next wave?

Now lets visualize that you just finished a degree in I dunno, ummm… Business, (which to clarify, I haven’t done it🙈) 

so, It’s a month after you have graduated and you are busy sending out resumes to gain experience in the work force before you choose to bridge out and create something of your own.

1. THE IDEAL… The 1^st place you apply for accepts you, you LOVE it, everyday you are stoked to wake up, you stay extra hours because you are on such a role and feel so much passion for what you do. BONUS, the boss is a champion and you develope a relationship that is so solid that he invests a lot of time in developing your skills… together as a team, you make HEAPS of money (Chaaaa Ching) you love what you do, you travel a lot of the time to the most beautiful destinations of the world, you marry an amazing person, have 2 healthy kids and a dog named Rex. Your life is happy, easy, fulfilled and full of love (so much love) ❤️ . 
2. THE EXPLORATION OF TRUTH… You get accepted in to a well-known organisation that gives you promising opportunities, You are so excited to dive in and get started. As you start and find your groove to how the company works, you realize that deep in your heart, this is not for you, it’s not what you believe in or what you value. You make a hard choice to leave and search for something else     .  … 
3. THE CHALLENGE…You get your perfect job, straight up, you know you don’t have the experience although, it is what you want, so why not just jump in to it and give it your all. You go, and your excited about everything that’s going on, after all, you’ve worked so hard for this. Once the excitement goes, and you settle in to the routine and the reality of the position, you start to feel really overwhelmed and completely out of your depth. You try to stay strong, yet your emotions take over and its becoming really hard to keep your cool. Soon, little things seem massive and everything in your being is feeling stressed and under so much anxiety that it is physically unbearable. You leave and unable to cope with your emotions as you have ‘been taken on a ride to rock bottom’  …. 

Then the process starts over again, life is like a set of waves, a set of opportunities with time to reflect in-between. Every wave is a gamble, as is every life choice you make. They can take you on so many different experiences and explorations… Like with surfing, there is no half arseing it, you must paddle your hardest and use everything you have to stay balanced and to keep your head above water (literally) lol

And Another thing… The Line up, there are so many guys out, who all want the best waves, who are hungry for it, who don’t care what anyone else is doing, they have their mind on the goal and a willing to do whatever it takes to get on the wave… To get that adelenine rush, to get that sense of freedom, to express themselves and to ride a beautiful wave that mother earth has created…. Which is the same in life, people are naturally selfish, we are all driving to achieving a sense of forfillment, so if you want the wave, if you want the opportunity then you need to step up, be strong, and paddle as hard as you can to get it. No one is going to give it to you, no one is going to welcome you in and one by one rip the perfect wave and everyone give you a massive round of appualuse. This is real, this is the reality of life and of surfing.

This is something that I feel like surfing can teach us… Its full of sets of waves that give so many opportunites, and no wave is the same EVER, just like no opportunity is ever the same. There are lines ups of surfers fighting their way to get a wave, and there are waves where there is no one, just waiting to be riden. Same with life. Move where feels good, travel and dance to places that are unseen, that’s where the soulful peaceful opportunities lie…

MY QUESTIONS TO YOU…..

  
What type of wave are you riding at the moment in terms of your relationships? Your career? Your health? Your wealth? Your family?

  
What opportunities keep rolling in on past you? And why have you chosen not to take them?

  
Why did you choose to catch a certain wave? How is it feeling?

  

Where is the best surf break for you? Are you in the right spot? 

 

What are your tools to be able to cope with being taken for a ride to rock bottom?

  
When you have time in-between sets, what are you reflecting about?

  
Thank you for taking the time to explore surfing through life with me, I have Interviewed a number of surfer to explore what surfing means to them… So stay tunes for my next upcoming blog…

Also, all the photos on this blog have been taken by myself, If you would like to have some photos done, please contact me for a quote.

Sending you love, Alyce xx