Conversations with Ketut...

Friday 19^th October

(If you didn't guess; a laptop and no internet equals pages and pages of ramblings in word documents. Give me time to sort through the nonsense; you'll see all the gratuitous and bullshit travel thoughts eventually)

Today was beautiful.

Just like the rest.

I woke up nice and early and Bec had already left our room to go and see a spiritual healer.

She seems to have the idea that being here in the mountains is going to give her some kind of miraculous spiritual awakening, and she is stopping at nothing to find it. I admire her so much in the way of her pro-activeness towards life in general. If she wants to be awakened and inspired, and she isn't waiting for the world. 

She'll shake magic from this mountain if it kills us all.

I went and had breakfast on my own, eating fresh fruit, suspicious looking sausages and freshly made omelettes, looking out over the Ubud mountains. 

Perfect way to start the day.

It baffles me that there are people in the world who actually live like this in their own day to day life. 

People say that if you're in that kind of situation, constantly surrounded by beauty (and in that case in this day and age, probably wealth) you forget to appreciate it, and what you loved in the beginning eventually loses its beauty.

 I honestly don't think I will ever be like that. 

No. I think if you truly love something, you'll always be able to see the beauty. 

And this place sure is beautiful!

I met Bec a little later on and we went on our way to go see Ketut Liyer, an old Balinese medicine man/magician/palm reader/artist.

To sum him up, a pretty funny and charismatic old dude with no teeth.

(To anyone who has read the book Eat Pray Love, he was included in the story; the main character, Liz, stayed at his homestay in Bali and became friends with him..snaps for commercialization America...thanks)

 

It was lovely being in the presence of someone who was just happy and positive. He never once stopped smiling and I don’t think I did either; It’s true that smiles are contagious! 

Being in the presence of someone who was peaceful and positive was a nice feeling. I felt relaxed and happy the whole time I spoke to him.

I felt clean and pure happiness.

While I completely believe some people have a gift to be able to see what is in somebodies future, be able to communicate with the dead, read palms and whatever else, I also remain skeptic every time I see these people. I think it’s important to keep your beliefs somewhere in the middle; don’t take it too seriously, but keep an open mind and let yourself have fun with it.

A lot of the Ubud locals agree that Ketut is much too old to be working as much as he does, which is probably true, but he told me of his health problems and how the money helps him with his operations, as well as his family. 

(Yeah, its also pretty commercial now since he was mentioned in a book and a film, which certainly takes away a lot of the magic. But I guess someday we are going to have to just accept the fact that every time something genuine comes to light, someone will be there to find a way to make a quick buck. It's just the world we live in.)

But like I said, take what you like and have fun with it.

Life was never meant to be taken too seriously.

 

In any case I have always found it most helpful to find a way so that whatever is said to you can impact your life positively and go from there, whether you believe it is true or not. 

This philosophy has helped me through not only a solid handful of ridiculous and bull shit ridden horoscopes, but also find guidance and council in countless overbearing family advice-fueled chats (Oh yes, you know the ones..)

He told me a lot of things that I think were pretty generic when it comes to girls; I would marry only once, be beautiful all my life, have two children and be successful in my work. 

All the kind of stuff that is safe and every girl wants to hear.

Ketut told me in my palm reading that I was too impatient in life, and that when it comes to work and love, I wanted everything to happen now. Which is true. I know the same could be said of anyone of my generation, but I have always known I am an extreme case. In both branches, love especially, I have never been one to just let things run their course. Work-wise, I guess that's a good thing; I managed my own retail store for a big chain by the time I was 19 because I wanted it. Love though, not the best way to be; instead of marching slowly with the ranks, I bolt across the battlefields, dropping every means of arms and defense I have.

 

He told me to step back, stay focused on school for now, finish school before letting love consume me again. He assured me that once I have finished school, and my career is good, love would come next. I wouldn't have to find it because it was close by all along.

He also told me I was beautiful, which of course is great to hear from anyone! He told me that I need to be careful once I am ready for a relationship again because lots of boys  who will be around me at that time, who may love me, are bad, and again, to be patient and wait for the good ones. 

 

Like I said; whether that is my fortune or the same has been said to thousands of other young girls, its good advice from a happy toothless old man who has seen much more of this life than I have.