Goodbyes and See You Laters

Well what an appropriate day to end my one week romance with Tasmania. Happy Valentine’s day! Tassie and I had our honey moon weekend at Party in The Paddock, I couldn’t have asked for a better farewell. I wish my whole life was a music festival; it’s like a big loving family camping trip. The Cali family basically adopted me. I was introduced to their friends as the girl they rescued from Facebook, who came from Canada/Sydney/Bali/Brazil? I don’t know where someone got Brazil from but I had corrected that part of the story a few times.

All those beautiful humans are who really made me fall in love in Tasmania. I’m sure I’ll be sharing the story with my great great great grand kids. They will tell their friends about their nomad OG-Ma who used Facebook to escape homelessness, saw Sticky Fingers last performance (pre hiatus...) and slept in vans with strangers.

The hardest goodbye was Sticky Fingers though. The whole set felt like a dream, one of those ones you wake up from and try to snap yourself back into. It was a heart breaking and beautiful end to the week. And I’m swearing by the word HIATUS. Paddy seemed so adamant in emphasising the word before the last song. Time shall tell I suppose. This was my 4^th time seeing them and if I see a 5^th before my 100^th birthday I’ll die the happiest women who ever existed on earth.

The love has just kept on following me since Tassie and I ended things. I flew back into Sydney at 11pm and booked the soonest Greyhound to Canberra which was 4am... so I was chilling like a villain around central station. Literally had cock roaches invade my space and people ask me if I needed food.

So I went where every almost homeless person goes at midnight. McDonalds! I sat and I sat for wayyyy to long, taking up way to many seats with all my bags.

This guy came over and asked if he could sit, so I had to pack up house and fit my 3 bags and I into an appropriate sized table. From my humble ketchup splattered abode I watched this fellow unpack his take out bag laying napkins, forks etc in perfect little rows. Then he took out the main course.. Pancakes!!

He obviously noticed I was watching him the whole time, he looked over at me and I asked him "why pancakes at midnight?" What a silly question. One simply does not need a reason to eat pancakes. He said he just bought a house on a hill for him and his dog Jean. So he’s working all hard to provide for the fam and "doesn’t always have time to enjoy pancakes at 12:30am." Before he left he gave me a hash brown and a ketchup from the end of the row. What a legend! Salutations my good man and enjoy your hilltop home!

From there I went to sit outside a club because eves’ dropping on drunken peoples conversations is better than talking to the cockroaches..Whilst sitting on a comfortable and conveniently positioned bench I met these 2 guys who were walking to get food, thought I was homeless and offered to get me something. I don’t know if it was just the Valentines love in the air but I was more flattered than worried about being mistaken as homeless again. They followed me on Instagram and continued their journey.

As did I with but an hour and a half until the bus came. I wandered, weary but not famished to the 7/11 closest to the bus stop. God bless 7/11 for being open 24 hours. Got me some yogurt aaannndd a valentine!

He was in line taking ages looking for the cheapest cigarettes. We started talking outside and like He’s one of those guys that just has this energy and charm. So naturally and genuinely. We talked about dance pants, castles, our travels and almost made plans to travel the world together.

The start of every good love story am I right? We had become best friends by the time the bus came around the corner, he helped me carry my bags, gave me his hat and beautiful hug. The hat was so random I said "I don’t even wear these types of hats" and he said "neither do I".. . I offered him some peanut butter, being the sweetheart he is he declined the offer with the reasoning "I would probably need it more". Goodbye/see you later was a pinky promise to meet again whenever, wherever. Until then I’ll remember him with every crunchy spoon full of skippy.

This has totally been the longest and Happiest Valentine’s day I’ve had. Since I departed from Tassie last night until now I’ve had 2 hours sleep, during the 4 hour bus ride to Canberra. Now I’m waiting to meet up with my friend Imogen, who I met in Bali. I’m sleeping at her place for a couple days than en route to Melbourne. Then my least favourite part... JOB HUNTING... Maybe all the love that has followed me will make me more employable. If not, hopefully I keep meeting beautiful strangers and sharing edible offers of love. <3