Following Improbable Desires & Snorkelling in Turquoise Lagoons
A few years ago my gorgeous step-daughter, Skye, shouted Andrew and I a trip to Lady Elliot Island, at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef where she works. We snorkelled in the blue lagoon and ocean every day. I was mesmerised, as I always am, by the turtles, fish and colours that dazzled and darted in front of my mask and snorkel. The feeling of being buoyant and surrounded by turquoise water fills my heart with childlike wonder.
At the time we were going through unforeseen stresses and I noticed how much more relaxed my body felt, gliding through what they call the ‘coral gardens’ on the western side of the island. After a couple of hours of landing, I felt a lightness and relief around my shoulders, and a peace in my heart I expected would take weeks of regular massage and yoga to achieve.Plus, I felt an inquisitiveness about my surroundings that took me back to when my family lived on a boat when I was twelve and we visited neighbouring Lady Musgrave Island.
We spent three glorious days filled with with a mixture of delicious food, sunset drinks, snorkelling, scuba diving, beach combing and a guided tour of the island at night to see what the birds and animals got up to after dark (lots of things, as it turns out!)
Close to the end of our stay, during our final snorkel and while surrounded by a multitude of tropical fish, I asked myself “How can I share this incredible place with others? Perhaps I could host painting retreats here…”
It felt like a far off desire, without much practical application right away. I wanted to have the experience of hosting retreats with less logistics involved before launching myself into figuring out how to arrange painting supplies to be delivered to a tropical island. And although we lived on the Sunshine Coast then, snorkelling with a mostly plain sandy bottom and only occasional fish didn’t compare with the diverse colour and life found off Lady Elliot Island. So I continued to ponder the question, “How can I share that incredible experience with others?”
A short while later, we moved to Tamworth with Andrew’s work contract, and I felt totally removed from the ocean. It was the furthest I’d ever lived away from the coast in my life. For our anniversary we thought we’d go for a drive to a nearby lake for a touch of respite in such a dry climate, only to find it smelt like cow manure as the vegetation rotted underfoot and the lake’s weed infested edge was covered with hordes of black flies. It wasn’t a highlight moment, that’s for sure.
Still, I asked, “How can I share Lady Elliot Island with others?” and I remembered the feeling in my body of floating through the coral gardens.
We celebrated our wedding anniversary again the other weekend, and what a stark contrast it was to one year ago. We sat on the back of our yacht Day Dream, surrounded by Sydney Harbour, with weekend boaters anchored all around us and people diving into the blue water. An ice-cream boat came around (much like an ice-cream truck!) and we bought a Golden Gaytime each as a treat.
When we first visited the island with Skye, I had no idea we would soon live on a sail boat, Andrew would finish his contract, and life would look so radically different.
Now, after asking myself the question for over two years about how I could share Lady Elliot Island with others, I’m very excited, because in February I’ll be hosting my first private painting retreat on that magical island.
My VIP client and I have always had fun together painting in my studio, and this year we’re breaking new territory, painting outdoors. We’ll go snorkelling in the stunning lagoon together and translate our impressions from the coral, fish and ocean back into paintings on shore. I can hardly wait.
Neither can she.
Lady Elliot Island has since been awarded the gold Queensland Tourism Award for Ecotourism and was voted Experience Oz & NZ’s top #1 Island Destination in 2017 (a very cool achievement and well deserved!).
I’ve been lucky to visit, and in some cases live on, a number of Australia’s islands. Lady Elliot blends a special mix of eco-friendly resort facilities and pristine diving, with an abundance of sea life which is simply thriving in the surrounding coral reef.
The island owners, Peter and Julie Gash, have worked hard to protect and restore the natural habitat after the island was used for mining years ago. The changes have been incredible and seeing the vegetation and coral come back heartens my soul with the power of the earth to restore herself, when given the right conditions.
What we long for doesn’t always seem practical or attainable. However, what I love is how those seeds of desire can and will flourish if we keep asking ‘How can I’ questions, rather than shutting down and saying ‘I’d like to, but…’
Desires are like little gems, very precious, and worth taking notice of. They add so much beauty and delight to your life when you include them in your sense of wonder and possibility. Ask yourself “How can I…?” and ponder the improbable dreams of your heart.
Your mind will then be on the look out to find an answer, and you never know where it might lead.
What have you longed for in the past and been delighted to have come to life? How do you like to keep your desires in the forefront of your heart and mind? I’d love you to share with me!
Wishing you a beautiful week.
~ Nicola
PS. And if you’d like to come on a VIP retreat on Lady Elliot Island, you’re so very welcome. I’m also looking into hosting a group retreat too, as a lower-priced option, so if you’d be interested in that please let me know by jumping on the interest list so I can gauge how much interest there is. Painting and snorkelling together on the island would be so much fun!