The phrase “nature is healing” gets thrown around a lot in this wellness-obsessed era, though largely in jest. I learnt in earnest what those three words genuinely mean.
The phrase “nature is healing” gets thrown around a lot in this wellness-obsessed, post-lockdown era, though largely in jest. I often use it myself, also largely in jest. But a few years ago I learnt in earnest what those three words genuinely mean.
I was a mess: barely eating, rarely bathing and terrified of leaving the house. I even tried to feed my cat tinned lentils and four-bean mix when her food supply dwindled. Turns out she’s not partial to legumes. Her loss, really. I didn’t fully understand what was happening but I knew I had to hide it. Living alone and working from home made that somewhat easy but my excuses grew increasingly flimsy. When the truth finally came out, I took indefinite leave from a job I would never return to and started intensive outpatient treatment, grateful to be able to stay home with the lentil-hater.and cry, and strict instructions to minimise my time at home, I found myself drawn almost daily to Coogee’s women’s baths.
Slowly, I started chatting with other regulars, mostly older women, many of whom had been frequenting the joint since before I was born. I loved hearing about how the place had changed and sat in awe of their dedication to the ocean, many swimming every day of the year come rain, hail or climate change. It had been a long time since I’d had maternal figures in my life and I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed them.