205 – Phoenix Rising In The Clouds.

The Move

Back in December 2015, my then partner, Dori, had decided to return home to her country of origin. The U.S.A.

She had moved to Australia to be an Assistant Dean at a local university.  I always knew she would one day return.

We had discussed her returning for a number of years. She asked me in 2011 if I wanted to come and I immediately said yes. It felt like the right choice.

It meant getting rid of 90% of my possessions in Australia and moving to a country with no plan or idea for the future.

It’s possible that many would have taken time to consider such a life changing decision. Maybe gone back and forth on if it was a smart idea or the right move.

For me, I just trusted my intuition. It had never been wrong and saying yes felt right. There was no anxiety, second guessing, or fear that things would not work out.

Culture Shock

When the time came, things fell into place. My day job of seventeen years ended in 2015, and we were made redundant. With that, I had the time and resources to move, which coincided with Dori’s timetable.

Initially, the plan was to go to Manhattan, New York, but that fell through. However, Dori has this amazing and supportive family and her uncle let us stay in his house in Riverside, California.

I was made to feel welcome and accepted. Though there was quite a culture shock, that took me a while to get used to.

You wouldn’t imagine there would be one, but it’s really a different way of life.

Mount Rubidoux

On New Year’s Day, 2016, we were driven up to Mount Rubidoux Park.

Mount Rubidoux is a landmark mountain that has a huge white cross at the top of it, with a hiking trail leading to the summit.

Upon reaching the top, I took several panorama photos, but did not look very closely at what I was taking. (Maybe due to the exertion of the climb to the top.)

When I looked at them later, one photo popped out at me.

It looked like a baby Phoenix rising in the clouds. There was a head, with a beak. Wings on each side and at the base, what could have been flames, as it was rising.

This photo was amazing to me. It also felt like a sign that I was on the right path. It was confirmation things were on track.

Cloud Formations

I’ve seen some amazing cloud formations over the years. This was the first time I was able to catch one, albeit unintentionally, as a photo.

For example, back in 1996, on the way to a ConFest called Down to Earth, I saw this amazing cloud formation, that looked like a Phoenix, stretching across the sky. Where the eye should be, was the sun poking through. It made an unforgettable display that I dearly wish I had a camera for.

Sadly, I never carried one around and digital cameras were still in their infancy. (And they cost a small fortune.)

It was at that festival that I experienced some life changing events. (As recounted in my autobiography, I am The Phoenix).

Like spirit animal omens, they are reassuring signs.

The Return

For those who care, I ended up spending 5 months in Riverside, because I had to return to Australia, for VISA reasons. Six months was the maximum time I was allowed to stay in the U.S.A.

Eventually, Dori ended up getting a job as a Dean in Toronto, Canada. Once again, I moved there with her, but had a strong feeling that it was going to be temporary.  

Sure enough, I found that things were not working out as I had hoped. I discovered that I was clearly needed back in Australia. I headed home (though I did spend another five months in the USA before doing that).

Though Toronto was only a short time, it did provide me with some invaluable experiences that I could not otherwise have had.

In Conclusion

Were those two years productive and worthwhile? Absolutely.

Would I do it all again? Totally.

No regrets.

I gained so much from my journeys and experiences that they were life altering in many ways.

I’m always where I need to be, when I need to be there.

It’s just comforting to have signs, such as cloud formations, along the way.