Day 92 Fitzroy Crossing

Distance Thursday 98km at 19km/hr average

TOTALS: Distance 6627km. Donations $8060.09. Days remaining 47. Deserts: Sturt Stony, Strzelecki, Tirari, Gibson, Great Victorian, Little Sandy Desert, Great Sandy Desert. Tracks: Birdsville Development Road, Birdsville Track, Oodnadatta Track, Red Centre Way, Great Central Road, Goldfields Highway, Wiluna North Road, Marble Bar Road, Great Northern Highway.

Note to new readers: I am travelling with my bike who’s name is Banjo. I often refer to ‘we’ meaning Banjo and I. ‘We’ have an amazing support team of family, friends, sponsors and folk we meet each day. But it’s still up to ‘us’ to face the challenge and tackle each day one peddle at a time.

It’s 7.11am on Saturday the 31 July 2021

I needed to go offline for Friday. What an interesting human experience. The ride into Fitzroy Crossing on Thursday was plagued by a deep need. I wasn’t even aware of it earlier on during the day, just that the mood and energy was low.

The day started all good as I packed up camp and was waved off by the local cows happy to have their lakeside spot back 🤣

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But by the time I was 25km out it was like hunger pains and I could feel a sense of ‘grasping.’ You know that feeling when your hungry that people call being ‘hangry.’ That’s the closest I can describe it. It didn’t help that Banjo got 2 flats in 25km, the last 1km out of town.

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Into the story comes ‘Indigo.’ Indigos the manager at the community radio station in town who’s a host on ‘warm showers.’ I texted him to say I was going to be a bit late and he offered to come out and pick us up.

We’ve spent the last couple of days sharing company in between my jobs and his work at Wangki Yupurnanpurru Radio 936am. It was what I hungered for. Like hanging out with a mate. Being able to be myself and pay attention and gain an understanding about the way the world works from another’s perspective. Caring and sharing in proximity is when those social neurones remind me that we’re pack animals first.

Indigo took me out to dinner Thursday night then I cooked last night. He’s played guitar since he was 6 and shared his talent while I cooked last night. What we have shared is a blessing. I have better insight into myself and the human condition.

Mostly I have better insight into the essential need to care about our humanity and environment with commitment that’s unconditional. It’s a way of respectful being that I deeply need to be part of and a relational process. There is no clock in/out of this space. I either care or I don’t. ‘There is no try’ as Yoda would say !! 🤣

This is such a significant part of the challenge. What do I need to continue to care as a well being? I know I need a sense of side by side solidarity, genuiness, respect, acceptance, and unconditional positive regard, In hindsight, I share a lot of this dynamic with Banjo. Our relationship is a big part of our day to day and it’s important for me to understand more about the ‘relational’ processes and their significance.

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Our relationship comes not with an expectation to be heard but with a responsibility to find the language to communicate what matters so I can be and be part of a nurturing Climate. It’s very humanistic with similarities to Carl Rogers ‘person centred’ perspectives.

I want to own our past and future and write the next chapters from what we’ve learnt. I know that cells cannot live without an environment and we humans are care takers of the our wonderful world. I share this outlook with my partner Dawn and we’re excited about building a day to day that encourages a hopeful perspective for Dylan.