I just have to tell you about this trippy conversation I just had. I was sitting in an Asian foodfair here on the strip in Cairns, on a 4 seated table. I had my bag beside me. This older dude, probably in his late 40’s, walks up and sits in the chair across from me and begins eating his dinner. I’m thinking this is weird. There’s plenty of other tables with nobody. But he chooses to sit right in front of me.
We awkwardly eat our meals, trying not to make eye contact. I noticed that he has a piece of corn on his chin.
Out of nowhere, he says to me, “Pretty good eats, eh?” Aussies say “eh” a lot. I think more than Canadians, but that’s a matter to be discussed another time.
I go on to respond, “Ya, it is good.” Awkward silence again, until he brings up that most places he’s been in Australia gives you the same thing. The usual foodfair type places, McD’s, Hungry Jacks (their BK for some reason), KFC, and their type. I ask him where he’s from, and he’s from Gladstone (as in Joey from Full House. “Cut….it….out…Get outta here.”) which is just north of Brisbane. But he tells me there’s nothing keeping him rooted there. No work or anything to make him want to stay.
He goes on to get into a deep discussion about with no happiness or positive energy, his production skills and motivation become totally lacking. He says, “What doesn’t kill you, will make you stronger” as the Reverend Kanye West has recently reminded us of.
He still has this piece of corn on his chin, and everytime he talks with his heavy Aussie accent, he spits a little bit of honey glazed chicken or bbq beef out onto his plate. I try not to notice, yet continue to have this deep, psychological discussion with him.
He says you have to make sure you have the inner peace and happiness, and you will then be happy and productive. I ask him, “So how do you find this happiness??”
He answers, (this is almost exactly, as I quickly wrote it down after he left)
“You must head towards that Universal Creative Intelligence and it will lead you in the direction you need to go. Its like sitting in the car while driving, and then letting go of the stirring wheel. Sit back, and let life take you in whatever direction it will, just go along for the ride. With a sound mind and the right energy, you will have success.”
After a few more short comments, he tells me to enjoy my time in Australia, leaves two small chicken leg bones on his plate, and walks away. He took the piece of corn with him.
Travelling alone is weird.
R
posted Friday November xxxx