music.

Buschs, Sea Isle City: 9pm-12midnight on Friday May 24th
Yesterday's Deck Bar: 7-11pm on Friday May 31st

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!! Hope to see your faces at the upcoming shows! I have heaps of new songs!! And an Ukulele!

Bye Bye Arugam Bay

I gave my longboard to Nir, my shortboard to Bathu, and my yoga mat to Yael. I got rid of more than half of my clothes...giving some to Yael and Mimi and throwing the rest which was well-loved (aka tattered and torn) in the trash. So as far as luggage goes, I was doing great! And then came the presents.... Nir gifted me a Carram board so I can practice practice practice and come back with some skills next year. And then Pontus arrived with a UKELELE for me! Holy good god almighty. The bounty continues! The saying "the more you give, the more you receive" is so very true. And then, the goodbyes. There weren't any tears, because I know I'll be back. I took a puff of some ganja to help with the long car ride, played one final round of world domination Carram with my favorite local boys and then had a dance party to Mark Ronsons "Somebody To Love Me". 6hr taxi ride, 2 hours to kill in Colombo airport, 3 hour flight to Mumbai, 14hr layover, 16hr flight to Newark, then 3 hour car ride home....bye bye Arugam Bay! See you soon!

Pleasure, Pain and the Power of Friends.

The greatest pains and the greatest of pleasures all pass. I have held both pleasure and pain so close this winter and as much as you may cling to them, indeed they go just as they came... And I've found that pleasure and pain aren't so different after all, they're intimately connected- because it's usually pain that follows the pleasure. How could one feel pain if they hadn't held pleasure?! And how could one appreciate pleasure if they hadn't suffered pain? And so it has been, this dance between the two, navigating extreme sadness and the most wholesome, nourishing happiness. Both experiences are an opportunity to grow, and I know that I am returning home a different woman than the girl that set off in late Autumn. 

T.S. Eliot said,

"We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time." 

And so, after all this exploring, I'm returning into my spiritual self and my physical home, for the first time. Fresh. 

This winter has held so many magical moments, and so many beautiful people. It has offered up delicious food and perfect waves. The days and the nights haven't been long enough to contain the fun, bliss and abundance that has been sent to me. I owe it all to the company I've kept, so ill end with one more quote from TS Eliot, which sums up how I feel about the importance of some good friends. Thank you to EVERYONE who held me, loved me, nourished me and laughed with me this winter! I'll see you all again, someday...

"You do not know how much they mean to me, my friends,

And how, how rare and strange it is, to find

In a life composed so much, so much of odds and ends,

(For indeed I do not love it ... you knew? you are not blind! How keen you are!)

To find a friend who has these qualities,

Who has, and gives

Those qualities upon which friendship lives.

How much it means that I say this to you-

Without these friendships-life, what cauchemar!" 

― T.S. Eliot

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Memorial Day Weekend YOGA!

Holy SHITBALLS! It's that time of year. I'm home in a few days and I'm hitting the ground running with all sorts of amazingness. In addition to beach yoga, both Zen Dens and Living Well Crossfit...I'll also be teaching 3 classes a week at Atilis in Avalon and one Yin class a week in swainton. My Memorial Day weekend schedule is...

Friday:
7am @ Atilis in Avalon
9:30am @ OC Zen Den

Saturday:
8am @ OC Zen Den
9:45am @ Margate Zen Den

Sunday:
9:30am @ OC Zen Den

Friends with Shortboards...

Wake up no later than five. Start the kettle. Then I walk outside and holler into Nirs room for him to wake up. He joins me for some yoga in the living room, we take some tea, then it's back outside to holler into Zivs room through the window. Most mornings Ziv doesn't rally to surf, despite my multiple attempts to wake him. So by 6, Nir and I start the walk to the point. He is the eternal gentleman, so he carries my 9' log and I carry his little light potato chip. This has been my routine for months now, but I'm so grateful that Nir has joined in, and is enjoying it as much as me. It's always beautiful to share your mornings with a good friend, and its even better when that friend offers to carry your heavy ass longboard for you...

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Bliss and Abundance on a Big Rock.

Yesterday we had an adventure. Mimi, Nir and I headed to Okanda to check out the break and then to the Kudimbagala Monastery to climb to the top of the very very big rock. We saw nearly a dozen elephants along the way, and one that was almost too close for comfort. The real magic though was atop the rock...where the silence, the wind, and the hundreds of swifts flying around produce a sense of serenity that can't be found below. A few times I got a bit choked up as thoughts of my approaching departure came to mind, but then I just shut my eyes and surrendered to the bliss and the abundance that was all around me. Another beautiful day. 

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Mimi, Nir and Malcolm...
...thanks Dad.

Surfing, Crying, Laughing, Loving.

This year has been a roller coaster of emotions, and I'm so grateful to say that Arugam Bay has blessed me with abundance in all sorts and shapes and sizes. I have laughed until I cannot breathe...I have loved people here so much that they have physically become a part of me....and I have surfed, lord have I SURFED, until I cannot take another stroke. Arugam Bay has taught me (slowly, slowly) how to receive. My friends and family here have been a constant source of love and inspiration, and my time here with them has been nurturing me back to the powerful and amazing woman that I am capable of being. Each day is better than the day before. Each rice and curry is more delicious than the previous. Each friendship and love is embedded that much deeper into my being. Each today makes me grateful for yesterday and excited for tomorrow. Osho says that when someone you love dies, that a part of you dies as well. And that space that this person filled inside of you, well, it will always be somewhat of a void. He explains its like trying to fill a circle with cubes...yes, you can fill the space, but it won't be a perfect fit, there'll be gaps and holes despite it all. Well I was prepared to be broken forever. My dad was the love of my life, and I was ready to carry the burden of missing him til the day I left this earth and saw him again. But here, in this town, in the water- I am surrounded by him, and by people whom I know that he hand selected for me. Nir, Malcom and Mimi are especially chosen by him- I.Just.Know.It. Life is so challenging, but it is so incredibly beautiful. I would be lying if I said that it won't break my heart to leave this place and this community, but I am also excited for the day that I return here, for the times and places when ill reunite with the amazing individuals that I met here, and no matter where I am- I will ALWAYS hold this love in my heart. That's all for now, it's time to paddle out for a sunset session...

Spontaneous And Sensational

Did a last minute trip to Galle, literally hopping into the taxi minutes before it left. It began with Luther and Adena leaving for Galle....

1. Then Agenta said he'd drive
2. Then Nir needed to go to Galle to see about a house
3. Then Mimi decided to tag along and "see Galle"
4. Then I think "well, why not?!", packed an overnight bag and hopped in.

It was a 6 hour drive to Galle. We stopped off at an artisans shop full of wooden carvings, witnessed an amazing parade, and arrived in town to let out Adena and Luther. We then proceeded to a friends of Agentas, whose home is on the river just north of Galle. It was a totally random, cosmic, spontaneous adventure, that got slightly more weird and eclectic as the night went on. We ate some pot candies, sipped some beers, danced, played music, chilled out and then ate rice and curry at 1 in the morning, which we were hand fed by our host....ah, the customs and etiquette of eating in Sri Lanka will always baffle me. Nir, Mimi and I were give. The big room with AC to share, and the three local boys piled together on the couch. It was not what I had pictured when I hopped on the taxi, but it was a spontaneous bit of fun and randomness, one of those magic nights that happen only in Sri Lanka.

This morning we sipped some tea, said our goodbyes, and then stopped into the fort in Galle for a proper cappuccino at my beloved Pedlars Cafe.

It was nice to get out of town and break up the routine, but I'm happy that we are heading back to my sweet home Arugam Bay....

Hair Cut Cry

I got my first "official" hair cut yesterday (my mother is a dog groomer and I usually just sit in her dog room and have her trim the ends with her shears). It all came about because Marina, Kelly and I have been having "girls" days. This usually involves exchanging massages, but since Kelly didn't give massages she chimed in "How about a hair cut"?! Well, let me tell you- Kelly is the REAL DEAL. She had her professional scissors and comb with her, and though I'd first said a firm NO to a hair cut, after seeing her magic with Marinas hair I hesitantly said Okay...

The agreement was a TRIM, only taking off the bottom inch of salt-water/sun/surf damage. I didn't threaten Kelly like I usually do my mom, and perhaps this was a mistake. Because she went ahead and "cut off the dead ends" to "clean it up". Holy SHITBALLS. She cut at least 6 inches off of my hair! My beautiful hair! I soothed the pain and shock with a strong gin and tonic and even now I still haven't come to terms with it. But as Kelly (and everyone else) has said -- "It looks so healthy!!!!". In the end, it was the ultimate lesson in detachment. There are few things that I am attached to, but my hair is one of them- and probably the strongest of them all. My hair has always made me feel beautiful, but true beauty radiates from the inside out- no matter what length your hair is. So, I've shed a few tears and am feeling a bit self conscious, but Kelly really did do an ammmmazing job and I'm grateful for her push to "detach" from the outer beauty and start to connect with the inner... Ah the wisdom that one can receive from a hair cut! Every day is a blessing and every day there's another lesson. 

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Foodie Fun with Friends.

I am so so so happy to be back "home" in Arugam Bay with my "family". Hooray! And now that Adena and Luther are here it's even better! Between being under the weather, traveling in Colombo, and catching up with my friends- I have slept VERY little this past week. I also pulled a 7 hour session (technically 6, there was an hour break in between) yesterday in the surf, so I'm feeling super exhausted (and super satisfied!). Anywho, hosted a little dinner party at our house last night for Nir, Ziv, Marko + Kelly, Marina + Gerrit, and friends. I made all sorts of goodies: grilled veggies, cheese platter, Tuna pâté, eggplant bruschetta, curry apple pasta salad, and roasted salsa. Despite my delirium I couldn't shake the smile on my face. Feeling so blessed for the community that I have here and for the abundance that we receive in the form of waves, food and love.

GEMS.

I love gems and crystals, so when two little men walked out from behind the waterfall in Ella, with trays full of em, I couldn't help myself...I bought a dozen! Sri Lanka is known for their gems, and because I feel so connected to this country, I am feeling so grateful to be going home with a few of these epic energy stones.

Little Adams Peak

Whoawhatthefuckhowislifethisbeautifulandamazing. Boom. Bah. Amazing. There are no words for our morning hike to Little Adams Peak....

 

Desse Barama (Peace) 

by Hamza El Din

"The world shines about me,

luminous as the moon, smiling like a rose,

and a sweet benediction

flows through everything existing.

How beautiful life is.

I marvel at people who are not in love with life.

You, my girl, are beautiful,

and your beauty,

like the beautiful thought of peace,

belongs to the eternity.

Detest war and destruction.

When you go to the riverbank,

and the sun sets in the evening,

the waters of the river will be rippling softly,

and from a distance, in the twilight, you will see white sails.

A song of the boatman will come from there.

'Today no suffering, no suffering.'

The world shines about me,

luminous as the moon,

smiling like a rose."

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

dawn.

5:30am wake up to see the sun rise up over the hills, sip some tea and prepare for a early morning trek...

"The morning at dawn has secrets to tell, don't go back to sleep." -rumi