Elsja Down Under

Karma… and Putting out Fires October 21, 2009

Sometimes I think karma is a bunch of bullshit.

Today I went for a nice long walk/jog… 7.4km or 4.6 miles to be precise. I was feeling good. It was sunny (maybe a little too hot) but great in the shade near the water. Whenever I go for these long walks and I get to the farthest point, I always regret my decision a little. I think… “hmmm- maybe I should have turned around a bit earlier.” But today I kept going all the way to the end, I was proud of myself for not giving up. (p.s. 4.6 miles might not seem like a LONG way… but this walk involves lots of hills… I hate hills).

On my way back up the quiet road (near the X) I smelled smoke. I looked to my right and immediately saw a bunch of smoke coming from a big pile of ash in the bush (that’s Australian for brush).

So…I actually climbed up the tiny little hill dodging branches, spiderwebs, flies and all sorts of other creatures to see if I could stomp out the fire. I can’t believe I risked seeing lizards, snakes and spiders all to check out a tiny fire! Well there were no flames, just immense heat and smoke. I tried stomping on the smoldering ground but it did nothing to calm it. Since I was super sweaty by this point I started getting attacked by all sorts of flying insects so I quickly but carefully maneuvered my way back down through the branches to the road. I didn’t have my phone so I stood wondering what I should do.  I decided to wait a few minutes to see if any cars would pass. About 2 minutes later, some bikers were riding by and I flagged them down and asked if they could call 000 (that’s Australian for 911). The men explained that the fire brigade were out in the area doing a back burn so it was probably just from that; HOWEVER, that was about 2 weeks ago, it shouldn’t really STILL be smoldering and all it would take to start a bigger fire would be a bit of wind. So he called. Might I mention that this is the SECOND time since moving to Australia that I/we have called 000 after spotting a random bushfire on the side of the road!

The man explained to the operator where the fire was and then the guys said thanks and rode off. I wondered if I should wait for the firemen. I decided they would pass me on my way back up the road and I knew it would be pretty easy to explain to them where it was if I should see them.

I then walked for another 15-20 minutes until finally I was HOME! I was hot and sweaty but feeling great about my good deed and for pushing myself to keep going on my walk when I really just wanted to turn around and go home.

Soo… back to this whole karma thing. You would THINK after doing good things for the world that I would be rewarded… or at least not PUNISHED. But no…what did I get for all my work? A massive headache. I figured I just needed some water so I gulped down tons and took a shower. Usually this is when I feel much better but no, not today. The headache just keeps getting worse and worse.  At dinner I got a massive stomach ache after eating. This is the 2nd massive stomach ache Ive gotten immediately after dinner  in the last 5 days. WTF? And FINALLY to top it all off-  I get in the car, plug the itrip into my ipod, turn it on and BAM! ipod is broken. The screen is shot. It still plays music but I have no way to actually see and/or select what I am trying to play. Seriously, I’ve heard the phrase “karma’s a bitch” before, but that’s supposed to be directed towards people who do bad things… not good!

The last time Andrew and I  spotted  a fire on the side of the road and called 000 we got tickets for not wearing helmets on our bikes. Granted we got the tickets BEFORE we saw the fire, but still!! I swear- next time I see a fire that needs to be put out I’m just going to leave it. Let it burn because with my luck if I call 000 again I may just get mugged or get swine flu or something.

*Edited to correct details… it was actually a peacock we saw roaming the streets, not an ostrich. My bad.