We finished up a trip on Monday. No worries, I still intend to write about it, but right now the trip seems a bit insignificant compared to some other things that are going on. One involves me, and in the grand scheme of things is incredibly insignificant. It’s big to me, but not particularly to anyone else. The other is of a huge significance, and I’m afraid that too many people in the States can’t grasp what is happening.

There are fires in Australia. This is possibly one of the largest understatements that can be made, but is probably the extent to which anyone in the States is aware of the situation. In the midst of a record breaking heat wave in southeastern Australia, primarily in Victoria, near Melbourne, wildfires broke out. While I am relatively removed from the fires themselves, and certainly well out of danger, it has affected me. It would be impossible to be in Australia right now and not be affected by the fires. I was in southern California a couple years back and was awed by the power and devastation of the fires that took place there. The fires in Victoria put it all on a totally different scale. Even in Adelaide we were in the midst of a heat wave that lasted over ten days of temperatures well into the 100s, topping out around 117F. The fires broke out in Victoria, multiple fires burned, fueled by incredible heat and strong winds, some merging and creating an unimaginable terror. It’s remarkable hearing the stories about these fires – moving faster than anyone could have imagined, catching people off guard, overtaking and trapping people trying to escape in cars, overwhelming those who stayed back to try to save their homes. As I write, the death toll is at 181. As the stories first came across the news the numbers were in the tens, then quickly there were fears of 50 dead, then 75, then 100. Current estimates are at over 300, and the terrifying truth is that even that number could be grossly underestimated. Entire cities have been wiped off the map. Imagine if you lived in a city, with schools, churches, businesses and homes, and one day a fire came through and destroyed every single structure and killed several residents . Imagine trying to rebuild that. Imagine starting from scratch with no infrastructure. Imagine even if you could re-build your home, having to wait for water, having to wait for power, having to wait for businesses to support your life, and even when all of that is restored, having the constant reminder of lost neighbors. One town has lost an estimated 1 in 5 residents. It’s really truly tragic. The most tragic story in the midst of all of the tragedy is that some of the fires were deliberately set.

In the midst of tragedy, however, is hope. In response to the horror that so many have seen here, there is an incredible sense of community. Not only community in the affected areas, not only community in Victoria, but community across the entire country of Australia. In the midst of an economic crisis on the scale of what is being seen in the States, the government has acted quickly, claiming aid money with no cap – providing aid money to affected people instantly. Government aid aside, the people of Australia have given with incredible generosity. One radio station raised over AUS$2 Million yesterday alone. During the Australian national team’s cricket match last night alone over AUS$6 Million was raised via a hotline. Everywhere you go there are stories of people donating generously in a time of economic hardship. With estimates of damages exceeding AUS$1.5 Billion, every little bit helps. It all goes to show what an incredible spirit of community and selflessness exists here in Australia. When it comes down to it, even when times are tough, if someone else is in a tougher spot, people are quick to offer what they can. The rest of the world could learn a lot from the Australian response to this tragedy. What I’m basically getting at here is, please, what is happening in Australia is more than just a headline on the third page of the “World” section of the local paper. It is a huge tragedy that affects an incredible number of people. Take a minute and let it affect you.

Briefly, my current situation: In November I suffered a grade three separation of the AC Joint (that’s a fancy way of saying I really, really, really screwed up my shoulder). This came on the same day that I was offered a winter schedule with TT. This was not good news. After a few visits to the doctor, and based upon the first few weeks of physical therapy and progress I was making, I ultimately got to come over to New Zealand and Australia for the winter season anyway. Long story short, progress did not continue, and in the last week or so, my shoulder has been bothering me (a lot) more. I have had to make the exceptionally difficult decision to return home to see a shoulder specialist. It’s not that I don’t trust doctors here, quite the contrary. I could have seen a doctor that was recommended by a coach for the Australian track team; it’s safe to say, that would have been a good doctor. However, at this point the best case scenario for me is a necessity for rest, rest, rest for my shoulder, and that was definitely not going to happen if I stayed south of the equator. It kills me to do so, but I’m flying home. I’ve never had to call a boss and tell them that I was unable to fulfill an obligation that I made. I agonized for days. I fought through a lot of pain, but ultimately, I realized that the pain was getting to a point that I realized it was not only affecting me, but also affecting my co-guide and affecting the guests. Inconvenience to me is one thing, disrupting my co-worker or having a potentially negative effect on someone’s (very expensive) vacation is something entirely different. As a result, I’m on my way back to the States. Travel plans aren’t finalized yet, but I’m going back to New Zealand on Sunday, then on to the States hopefully not too long after that. While this is all incredibly difficult and disappointing to me, I can take a couple good things away from it. I get to go spend some time with my incredible friends who have already been exceptionally supportive through this, and I get to focus on getting better and moving on.

And when all else fails, when you’re feeling a little sorry for yourself, some Belgian beer never hurts.