A Defining Moment

Tanjung Benoa Peninsula - Early Morning

Today is the first day that I have had an opportunity to stop and reflect on my recent holiday to Bali.  We arrived home just over a week ago but only days after arriving home, my Mum arrived and we were off to Sydney for Ayla's latest ABR workshop.


For some reason whenever I think of Bali, I think of this little photo that I took early in the morning on day 3.  At first I thought it was because I was proud as punch of the photo but then I realised why I truly keep coming back to it.


I haven't shared with you some of the 'debacle' that was our holiday.  If you are friends with me on Facebook, you will know what happened.  For those of you that don't know.....long story, VERY short......the airline 'lost' Ayla's Chair (read 'her legs').  We had to carry a 20 kg child around in our arms for the first 5 days of our holiday while our airline played games.  It left us fairly well stuck within the vicinity of our hotel as 20kg is just a bit too heavy.


So this photo was taken in the early hours of Day 3.  I crept out of bed so that I could catch some quiet time and go for a walk along the beach.  It felt so good to be on the beach early, with the sun rising and chatting with the hard working people of Bali as they went about there job of raking up seaweed off the beach.  I felt good and happy too.  I reached the furthest point of the peninsula and walked out to the little hut set out off the shore, sat down and snapped this shot......... and then had a good ole blubber fest!  I was a little surprised at myself because I thought I was feeling really good and then all of sudden I felt completely overwhelmed with EVERYTHING!  And I mean EVERYTHING.


The loss of Ayla's chair, the treatment we received from the airline, the fact that the loss of her chair meant I was doing everything that I came on holidays to escape (the phone calls to people who didn't care, chasing people up, filling out paperwork, advocating for my child, trying to find help amongst family and friends, feeling completely stuck), the hours that I had been working leading up to the holiday, the fact that I was so exhausted.......seriously.....EVERYTHING!  I cried for at least half an hour.  And then I realised that I needed to pull myself together because it was a really long walk back to the hotel.  I stood up and dried my eyes and starting walking back.  I put one foot in front of the other all the way back and by the time I arrived I felt normal again and happy again.


What makes this a defining moment?  At first it just seemed like the story of my life, until I understood that what defined it was that I recognised that, no matter where in the world I am or what is going on, I have the strength to stand up, dust myself off and keep putting one foot in front of the other until I come out the other side..... and sometimes I even get a nice photo to prove it :).