I’m lying in a swag, billions of stars gleaming across the Pilbara sky. A mosquito is buzzing loudly, I can’t catch him. I feel a moth flutter past my neck. Before getting in, I’d pulled the bedding off to make sure there were no snakes. We’d seen plenty over the past couple of days. In this country, the hills are alive.
I’ve spent the past seven days hiking up creek lines, scrambling up and down boulders. Hating the heat then loving the heat. Hating the wind then being thankful for its breeze. Wishing for my own bed, now wishing to never leave. Its beautiful.
I’m almost content. “Almost?” I imagine the response. One of my least favourite emotions surfaces at times. Envy. This emotion makes my skin crawl, the one that I just want to shake off me, yuck, get it away. But like any emotion, the more you fight it the greater the hold. So I sit with this emotion, let the waves of it wash over me.
The thought of what ive missed out on over these past couple of listless years. What will I miss out on in the coming years? Whats everyone else doing and how do i stack up? Will i be left behind? I feel my heart beat pound. And then, I look up. I see the transparent cloth of the milkyway thrown across the sky. The dark emu lies down above me.
Trekking up and down the Pilbara looked something like this.
I think of my story, the life of me. What will it say? I realise that at this very moment it will tell of the opportunity I had to immerse myself in one of the most unique environments in the world. It will tell of how “she spent weeks under the Pilbara sky” and how “the day she walked up and down the rocky gorges for an unsuccessful whim was challenging”. It will describe the metamorphosis of my legs from jelly on day one to concrete on day seven, and that “she certainly doubted her ability to adapt to the conditions”. Maybe it will note that on the final day she realised that she could do it with ease, and that all her worries at the start were inconsequential. It will say another layer was peeled back that day, and that she became closer to feeling content.
Top left to bottom right: Unknown, spinifex pigeon (Geophaps plumifera), diamond dove (Geopelia cuneata), galah (Eolophus roseicapillus), grey shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica). But a fraction of the plethora of birds on display throughout the Pilbara.
With a long exhale i close my eyes. I listen to the insects chirping away, honing in on their melody rather than the drone of the generator. Another winged insect flies overhead but I’m safe here underneath my mesh. Once more, gratitude washes over me and I feel silly for not being grateful for what’s in front of me right now. After slapping the mosquito that just drew blood, I pull the sheet over me. It’s too warm for the quilt. I roll onto my side and near instantly, float away into the dreamscape. Goodnight Pilbara, I think to myself. I’ll see you tomorrow.
restlessbrowneyes 