To explain how that happened:  I arrived in April in my motorhome bus with my dog, Cookie, intending to stay for a week (then I was planning to leave town) to help with cleaning and also digging out buffel grass weeds from the bush block. The first task Nicola asked me to do was clean a cabin. For the last 14 years, I’d been working fulltime and had treated myself to a professional cleaner for my house, so wasn’t exactly sure what was needed for an Airbnb cabin. Nicola came to my rescue – the first time of many! – and gave me a checklist a previous volunteer had wonderfully prepared. As I cleaned the cabin, fussing around, neatening it, putting Reiki energy into it and adding little touches like flowers from the gardens, I realised I was having fun!

 

That first week was also spent preparing for the “Exploring the Pilgrim Path of the Labyrinth, a call to the Sacred Centre” Retreat facilitated by Donna Mulhearn, a Campfire board member. I discovered I loved helping set up and doing little things to make retreatants feel comfortable. I felt privileged to be invited to participate in some of the activities. I didn’t know anything about labyrinths and was fascinated when Donna explained them. The group then walked the labyrinth together, with Cookie and Bluey (Huss’ dog) both behaving so well! I will never forget that powerful experience, and the learnings of the retreat.

 

During that first week, I discovered that not only do I love being in service as a volunteer, but I CAN meditate (after trying for three decades!). I enjoyed the meditation on Monday evening and the sessions held during the retreat so much I downloaded the Insight Timer app to my mobile phone.

 

My professional background is in admin, proofreading and HR, and I am a very systems-oriented person who loves streamlining processes and creating procedure manuals and checklists. I suggested to Nicola that I could update the existing cleaning checklist to include retreats, as well as creating/updating other checklists, forms & docs. I started writing local info docs and helping out with website info. I was having so much fun, I decided to stay for a month!

 

I felt privileged again to be able to participate in more retreats, such as the “Beholding Divine Beauty” and “Where East Meets West” retreats when I discovered the enjoyment of doing Kirtan meditations and aerial yoga!

 

By this time, I’d met Judi, Paul and other board members at various retreats. They’d noticed my contributions and invited me to extend my stay for three months to develop the Volunteer Program and help Nicola manage the Airbnb accommodation (and add two extra cabins). I happily accepted this and decided that life on the road can wait!

 

I’d realised at this time anyway that I needed a vehicle I could more easily manoeuvre, like a smaller campervan, so searched around town and found one. It was such a blessing to be able to sell my bus and the car I’d been using as a runabout, then move into my campervan while staying at Campfire – the logistics of that move were challenging! I really appreciated the meditations that were now occurring daily, as well as the general peaceful vibe of Campfire. I found Nicola’s gentle energy was very calming, as was her husband Jorge’s. They were both incredibly helpful during this process, and in fact my whole stay.

 

The last retreat I participated in was the “The Essence of Self-Realisation” with Brahmacharini Bhakti, a long-time disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda and a founding member of Ananda Sangha Australia. I learnt about the Three Gunas – that everything in creation has a certain vibration and consciousness which determines its ‘quality’ which fall into three categories – Sattwa (elevating), Rajo (activating) and Tamo (darkening). Another lightbulb moment!! I could apply these when cleaning, and essentially to EVERYTHING in my life!

 

So this is how being a volunteer at Campfire in the Heart changed me! By the time I finally drove out the driveway, I was an infinitely different person driving a different vehicle – quite symbolic! My knowledge base had grown and my soul felt healed from some challenging times living in the central desert for the past 15 years.

 

And, yes, by the time I’d left, there was no buffel grass on the property! Thank you to everyone at Campfire who allowed me to do good and show kindness to fellow creatures as I may not pass that way again.