Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER.
Sometimes it is about being in a totally different environment in order to make life decisions which project you away from your ordinary routine. In this case it was a casino in Argentina. This country is famous for tango, beef and red wine, specifically Malbec, from the Mendoza region. So I thought it rather appropriate to grab a bottle of Malbec and work out my life plan for 2016 in a casino adjacent to my hotel. Travelling solo, security is paramount but also getting out and about exploring new places and meeting interesting people. A surprise for me on this journey was meeting myself!
I have carefully packed for my imminent departure back to reality in Melbourne and this is my last night in Mendoza. One of the treasured items in my backpack is a blue scarf given to me as a birthday gift from my best friend – light and functional as it can protect me from the sun as well as look glamorous in the evening. I team that with a sky blue top and black pants and my one pair of high heels and head out for the evening. It was either high heels or hiking boots or thongs. Such was my array of shoes for the South American adventure. I choose style over comfort this evening for a change! There was a door to the casino from my hotel foyer. The neon lights were calling. I step through the door into a world of gambling and numbers.
Once past the scanning machine like they have in airports, I ask the security guard if there is a restaurant in the casino in my fundamental yet enthusiastic Spanish. He looks at me quizzically and then declares there is a bar up the back and points vaguely past all of the brightly coloured gambling machines and people clustered around tables shouting sporadically and pointing to black and red squares. I head over to the bar, order a bottle of Malbec and begin to think about what I want from 2016.
I need some structure and a lot of spontaneity. I write out the days and months for December 2015 and January 2016. Why wait until 2016 to start my new life? It starts now! I have booked into a Gunnas’ Master Writing Class two days after I return. Hopefully the fuzzy head peculiar to jetlag has gone by then. Or maybe it will enhance my creativity! I have a job interview and various appointments I never seemed to find the time to do in my busy contract job before I left for my trip to South America. I am a people person and I am energised by people around me. It is hard for me to be single and forty plus at times. My amazing parents are there to meet me at the airport and welcome me home. My brother and sister call to check on how I feel after my trip. I schedule a couple of days for family time when I return and then a couple of days to catch up with friends with a writing class thrown into the mix.
What else can I plan? I have no job when I return to Melbourne. I see this as a blessing and an opening to new opportunities. I do have a mortgage to pay so I need to latch onto these new opportunities fairly quickly. I plan to write! I plan to start my small business in career counselling for refugees and new people to Australia.
I am already writing. I have started my small business. It is only two days after my return. I hiked for four days and three days to Macchu Picchu in Peru in the middle of November. It was tough both emotionally and physically. I perceive it as a feat of endurance and self-acceptance. I had sore feet afterwards too. I am ready for my new life.
It is now Saturday, 12th December. I have just finished the writing workshop and have the opportunity to get this piece published on Catherine Deveny’s website if I get it to her by 10pm this evening. I walked my dog Beau first in the sunshine at the local park. He needs his exercise and will distract me with his beseeching eyes and thump of the tail if I do not do this first. I love to walk outside in nature with him. Good for the body and soothing for the soul. It is 6:38pm and I have almost finished this piece.
Hard to believe that on Tuesday, 8th December I sat in a casino over a glass or three of red wine on the other side of the world planning my life for 2016. I even lost a day when I travelled from South America back to Australia. My new life has already begun and 2016 has not even started yet.
Life is a precious gamble and what better place to plan for it than a casino?
To engage with Kylie for future writing opportunities, please contact her at kylierossi@yahoo.com.