SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

I’m driving along the coast of Golden Bay and I’m trying to relax.  My thoughts are flitting from subject to subject and I keep reminding myself to breathe properly.  This is generally how I always feel when I’m heading into the great unknown – a mix of nervous, excited, and expectant.  In this particular case, perhaps the term ‘great unknown’ isn’t strictly correct.  I’ve been there before.  I’ve even spent the week there under canvas.  But I’ve never had anything to do with this particular event, and I know the atmosphere I’m going to be sitting in on as an invited visitor will be emotional to say the least.

A sun-kissed hand painted sign saying ‘Tui’ appears on the corner up ahead, accompanied by an arrow symbol that’s been spray-painted onto a ring of wood.  I turn left at the familiar dairy farm and rumble down the dirt road for a taster of my first Tides event.

Tides offers ‘rites of passage events for girls becoming young women‘.  According to the Tides website : “A rite of passage marks the transition from one life stage to another. Throughout life there can be many e.g. birth, marriage or graduation. Tides focuses on the important transition from girlhood to womanhood.”

I pull up in the carpark of the Treefield at Tui, where all events are held, and mosey on in having no idea what to expect.  A familiar face greets  me.  It’s Suzi Jessie, who I think is one of the original group that founded the Tui Community.  I’m amongst a group that arrived early and we’re invited to make ourselves a cup of tea as we wait for the girls to meet us.

Suzi’s a great hostess.  She smiles and tells us we will sit together within a group of friends, family and community who will receive the Tides girls back into the world after their week long event.  She laughs and says there had been a lot of rain and therefore the weather was “perfect” as it challenged people at just the right time.  She says Tides is a rite of passage for everyone involved, not only the young girls.  More people arrive, including some familiar faces, and I relax as I sip on my hot tea.  Soon we’re  guided to take our seats and prepare to greet the girls.

We hear them before we see them.  I’m impressed. Getting a group of (mainly) teenage girls to sing out loud, in tune, and with such heart isn’t something I’m used to.  And we see them.  There must be nearly thirty females trailing in to stand before us.  Some are mothers, some are young girls are completely new to Tides, some have been before, some are mentors, there’s the well-loved chef, and there are the organizers.

This is their time to tell us how their week has been.  First to speak is a pregnant mother.  She cries.  And despite my best efforts I join her.  She tells us what an extraordinary week it’s been for her and how proud she is of her daughter.  And one by one the others tell their stories in a similar way.

I’m deeply touched to watch young girls, standing tall, in tears, telling us how “great” Tides is, and how every girl should do it. A few say they hadn’t wanted to do it, and all say they’re glad they did.  They speak of making life-long friends, and of over coming their fears, of growing and of learning to communicate just a little better.  There is a strong thread of love and emotional safety running through this group.  I cry off and on through the whole ceremony, as do many others.  I’m later told by an old friend I bump into that it’s her dream that “every girl in New Zealand can attend a Tides Event”.

After each person tells her story she is welcomed back ‘to the world’ by someone who loves her.  To do this she literally crosses over a line, of flowers. Soon everyone has crossed over, back into the ‘real world’ and the ceremony is complete.  Another Tides event is finished.

I leave Tui feeling profoundly moved.  I have no idea how I’m going to translate such deep feelings from my heart to mere words.  I do know that from this point on Happyzine will be supporting Tides and Tracks (the male equivalent).

Tides are very keen to hear from any one who is interested in participating in a future event or in supporting their work in some way.  Check out their site here.

Today’s rating: 10/10

365 Days of Fun and Chillaxation (as I raise my gorgeous son and grow my good news website to a subscription base of 100,000 people).  The Low Down on this Blog.

Check out yesterday’s blog.

Check out the story of my first ever ebook ‘Ten Ways to Have Fun and Chillax As You Live Your Green Dreams’

Tags: tides, Youth