The featured image is my best Apple Watch achievement to date – it shows that I completed each activity ring (calorie burn, exercise, and standing) for every day in a week, which occurred at the end of this week.
Day 22 (Monday Sep 10) – After a full weekend, I decided to spend Monday at the Mosgiel library, reading one of the book recommendations that I got from friends before I left. On the way into the library, I saw the local library cat! New Zealanders LOVE their cats. It is estimated that nearly half of all New Zealanders own a cat. Cats are allowed in lots of public places, and this particular kitty can walk in and out of the library thanks to sliding door with electric sensors.
I settled in at the library to continue reading the ONE novel I could find in the Mosgiel library that was on my recommendations list. As of writing this post, I have finished the book, but I will be writing up a separate post to talk about it. I will show you some of the passages that stood out to me while reading the book.
In my limited understanding of psychology, each of these passages deals with primary relationships and attachment theory, and those concepts are what I am most interested in studying for a graduate degree. Furthermore, I feel that God is leading me in this direction as well. The ONLY book on my recommendation list in the Mosgiel library was this one, dealing with these issues, along with another major issue related to sexuality.
After reading for several hours, I went and picked up my bike from Spin City Cycles. The owner had repaired it FREE of charge, replacing the back derailleur, chain, and gear shift. It was now ride-able! On the way back to Gary’s place, I picked up a black/gray bike helmet and a red coil lock from The Warehouse. I had to laugh at the word combo for the lock because the first lock I picked up also seemed to be perfect for me. While I don’t want to post the combination online, you can message me to find out what it is!
I love how the bike is a blue/purple color, because in my eyes, it is Indigo and that is my favorite color now. Growing up, my favorite color was always blue (a traditional blue, slightly darker), but in keeping with the realization that I’ve now become a man because of Miracle Sunday, my divorce, and coming to terms with all aspects of my family and former relationship, I’ve embraced a color that represents the adult Derek, or maybe just Derek 2.0.
Indigo as a color represents the journey that I’ve been on…trying to reconcile my Christian upbringing with my homosexuality. Just as Indigo is neither blue, nor purple, I am neither just a Christian nor a homosexual, but I am fully both. The beautiful thing is that I truly CAN be both, and still pursue God and a marriage to another Christian man. And that has been a powerful realization in my life.
Later that afternoon, I saw my friend Kath and we had coffee together in Mosgiel. If you recall, I had met her at the Picton bus stop the prior week, and we rode the bus down to Christchurch together. She had rented a car and did some other exploring on the South Island, but she was now in Dunedin for the week. We caught up and planned to do a hike together on Tuesday.
In the evening, I did some more coloring. I’m not sure what playlist covers these will be for, but they are reminders of appreciating the here and now, both for the wonderful aspects of each day, as well as the challenges each day brings as we experience pain, sorrow, and loss, because we can also experience pleasure, happiness, and fulfillment.
Day 23 (Tuesday Sep 11) – Kath was going to meet me at 10am for a drive/hike to Waipori Falls (Crystal Falls), so I went to Blend Cafe in Mosgiel earlier in the morning to read, journal, and prepare for the day. I got a delicious meal of granola, fresh berries, yogurt, milk, and a vanilla latte.
This morning, I had FINALLY received an email from Clint, my former hall director when I was a Resident Assistant and Assistant Resident Director at Wheaton College. We had previously met up in March 2018 on my Roadtrip, but that was the first time in 16 years that I had seen him. At that time, he had been writing a paper about homosexuality for a Doctorate of Divinity program he was enrolled in. I wanted to know his position on homosexuality, but he said he would like to do some studying and write his paper first. I agreed, and was hopeful I would get his paper in the months after my Roadtrip.
His email also contained his paper, which disheartened me quite a bit when I read it. Because he took the position that many other Christians in my life have taken…that homosexuality is sinful and homosexuals should remain celibate for the rest of their lives. I didn’t much time to think about how I would reply, as it was close to 10am at this point.
Kath and I met up, went to Subway to get sandwiches for the trip, and drove about an hour northwest of Mosgiel and made it to the Crystal Falls trail head. I finally got a picture with her!
The hike itself was only about 20 minutes and wasn’t strenuous at all. Once there, we spent about 10 minutes enjoying the falls and chatting.
On the way back, it started to rain, but we pulled off the side of the road at an overlook point and enjoyed our sandwiches.
We got back to Mosgiel around 1:30 pm. Kath needed to find a place to stay for the rest of the week, so we parted ways. I still had a lot of energy, and so I decided to bike into Dunedin and go to Coffee Culture (where I had previously met Guy). I knew it had amazing views, and I was determined to reply to Clint’s email and paper. So, I jumped on my bike, and tracked my activity with my watch.
During the bike ride, I thought about how I would respond to Clint, and when I arrived I spent the next 3 hours typing out that response. By the end of it, I was very proud of what I had written. I also thought it was something that could be openly discussed on my blog, because it wasn’t just Clint’s opinion, but a fully researched paper that he turned in and was graded on. I posted the email response on my blog and geared up for returning to Mosgiel, as the sun would set around 7pm.
Unfortunately, my mapping function on my phone got confused (or maybe I did) so it took me through a forested trail that had three obstacles (two landslides and one fallen tree). I thought I was heading south to get back to the route I took into the city, but I was instead heading west towards the cow trail I had hiked the previous week.
Eventually, I saw the end of the trail. I had made it! I had to carry my bike in spots, and walk the bike in other areas, but I safely exited the trail…
Only to discover I was still 5 miles away and I was much further north than I expected to be. It worked out though, as I was close to the northern route back to Mosgiel, down 3 mile hill. And boy was it quite the downhill. Another added benefit of my Apple Watch is that it not only tracks my activity, but it also tracks my speed. You can see how the green section on my map as I was going down 3 mile hill road. It was slightly dangerous as dusk occurred as I was coming down, but luckily, there weren’t very many cars and there was a decent edge on the side of the road.
By the time I hit the flat stretch back to Dunedin, it was fully dark. I got a picture of 3 lights (I am TrinityDreamer after all), and I took a picture of my bike handlebars accidentally, but you can see my red lock!
Once I got back, I was on such a high. I felt God had given me an amazing day of friendship, fun, and focused work regarding my thoughts and beliefs on homosexuality. I was so inspired that I did a 3:33 video which is my first video hosted on Youtube. FYI – I also posted this earlier on my blog in a post called, “My Righteous Anger”. It was an awesome way to end the day!
Day 24 (Wednesday Sep 12) – I woke up Wednesday to new patches of rash on my legs (previous to this it had been only a few spots on my left leg, but this morning there were additional areas on my right leg). I had been using a cream recommended by a Mosgiel pharmacist to deal with fungal infections, as I thought I had picked it up from Natalie’s chickens. But I was running out of that cream and since things seemed to be getting worse, I made an appointment to see a doctor in Dunedin. Here’s a video from the bus ride into the city.
I went right to the medical center, but they couldn’t get me in until the afternoon, so I spent some time at Starbucks journaling and reading. At 2:30 pm, I was able to be seen by the doctor. After examining me, she wasn’t sure what the rash was, but her best guess after consulting some online resources (i.e. she googled skin rashes on a medical website) was that it was fungal, possibly from the chickens. And so, she prescribed me a stronger anti-fungal pill.
I then went to one of the pharmacies near the Octagon to fill the prescription, and took a dose before heading over to the Otago Settlers Museum. I only had about 45 minutes before they closed, but I did a full circuit and got some interesting pictures. The museum spanned early settlements of New Zealand all the way up to present day. The carnations are hand knitted and are pinned to a wall to signify all that lost their lives in the various wars that New Zealand has been involved with.
After the museum, I went to a place called Hungry Hobos for dinner and got a chicken Parmesan sandwich and black bean soup. They also had the most adorable wooden cutlery!
I then road the bus back to Mosgiel and took a second dose of the medication as prescribed…
Day 25 (Thursday Sep 13) – I woke up to a new rash that was on many parts of my body (torso, arms, legs, feet). I was very uncomfortable and itchy. One of the side effects of the anti-fungal pills was rash/itchiness, so I didn’t take any more doses that morning. Here’s a few pictures of how bad it was.
I got an early bus and went back to the doctor in Dunedin. I got to Dunedin around 8 am. The doctor’s office didn’t open until 8:30am, so I went to Starbucks to get a coffee. I was quite surprised when the barista recognized me (because I am an American with bleached hair!), and asked me if I had lost a laptop power charger. That was the charger that I thought had been stolen at Coffee Club when I met with Guy the previous Friday.
So, while I was an itchy mess, I could still feel incredibly blessed because something that was lost had now been found. I had purchased another charger since then, and I can’t return it, but this just means I have a spare for my suitcase. A different doctor saw me, looked at my rash, and put me back on an anti-fungal cream and some steroids to calm down the histamine response. I went back to Dunedin City Pharmacy and got my new medications, anti-fungal cream, cortisone cream, and an oral steroid to suppress the histamine response.
With drugs in hand and in my system, I continued my adventures and found Knox Church which is a few blocks north of the Octagon. There were also some flowers blooming on my walk.
I wandered around downtown for a little longer as I needed to kill some time until 7:30pm. I had made plans to have another date with Guy. I got to the restaurant a little early so I could journal and have a drink. I chose the Irish Garden – Jameson Whiskey, Elderflower Syrup and cloudy Apple juice combines to make a sweet and very moreish treat, served hot.
I wasn’t nervous, but I was very excited, because I was treating this like a date (since our first “date” is disputed). I had also printed a copy of my book for him, as I was having difficulties emailing him a copy. The book printing and the date both had special significance for me, as it is only the 13th time I’ve printed My Story, and I was giving it to him on September 13th. Furthermore, this is the most revised version I’ve printed yet.
We had a lovely evening sharing laughs and stories over dinner and drinks. He had Venison Denver Leg and I had Prime Beef Fillet. After dinner, Guy drove me back to Mosgiel and we hung out in his car for a few more minutes before calling it a night. For me, it was a wonderful night, and I believe Guy had a good time as well.
Day 26 (Friday Sep 14) – Friday morning I went to Blend Cafe in Mosgiel and wrote in my journal. I also finished my recommendation book and moved on to the newest book in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. If you don’t know, my absolute most favorite fantasy trilogy is the original Mistborn trilogy. If you haven’t read it, please do yourself a favor and experience an amazing world of interesting characters, a unique magic system, and so many payoffs in interesting details in the first book becoming important plot points in the third.
The library also had a poster with a rainbow on it, so I snapped a pic, as I’m drawn to rainbows both as a Christian AND as an LGBTQ person. “Kia Kaha te Reo Māori” means “Strengthening the Maori Language” and it is a week-long event in New Zealand to celebrate the Māori language and culture.
Around 10am, I decided to hike into the city as I was going to be Couchsurfing in South Dunedin for the weekend. I made it to Fairfield and messaged Guy as he was in the area and said he was headed downtown. While I was waiting for him to pick me up, I took a few selfies, trying to rock out a duck face.
Guy and I went back to Ironic Cafe (where we went for dinner the previous night) and got some coffee (flat white for him, frappucino for me). We chatted for about 45 minutes, but he had a number of other errands to get done, so we parted ways.
I spent some more time wandering around downtown Dunedin before finding another person on Grindr that wanted to meet for dinner. His name is Jay and his story also has a period of intense religion/church before eventually realizing that they had backwards views on homosexuality, and so he has found himself outside of the church, but happier and more fulfilled by embracing who God created him to be. We shared a meal of Indian food and I tried to convince him to come to the entertainment that I was going to view that night, but he declined.
I was going to a drag show at Stilettos Revue Bar. I had found out about it through Grindr, and since I’ve taken a liking to watching Ru Paul’s drag race, I wanted to see something live. While Jay didn’t come with me, I met another guy in line to get in named Josh and we hung out for most of the night. Kath was still in town, and so she joined us as well.
While the drag show had some fun moments, ultimately it was a little too raunchy for my taste, as well as there being more females in male drag than male drag queens. I actually saw a number of breasts that night, and while many in the crowd enjoyed it, I wasn’t that impressed. I eventually had to leave around 10:30pm as I was keeping up my Couchsurfing host for this weekend, Patrick.
I walked the 2.5 miles to his place south of the Octagon. We chatted briefly that night, but it was late, and so we both went to bed. I had my own room in the basement, along with a private bathroom and shower.
Day 27 (Saturday Sep 15) – I woke up on Saturday around 7am and Patrick was still sleeping, so I explored the house and took in the incredible view. I also got to experience the shower, which had hot water with amazing water pressure. God provided yet again, as this was truly a retreat for the weekend, and a place I could continue to heal from my rash.
I was in good spirits and wanted to do some more exploring, so I set off to north Dunedin to take in the steepest street in the world. On the way into downtown, I saw some molar sculptures.
Next, I stopped by the Botanic Gardens and took in the various plants and views. It was a beautiful day, and I sat for a bit to take in the views and just enjoy God’s creation. They also had an aviary so I got some pictures of parrots!
As I continued on towards Baldwin Street, I encountered North East Valley Normal School. As you can tell by the pictures, their outside play areas is dominated by rainbows!
Soon after, I arrived at Baldwin Street! I took a video and pictures at the bottom and the top.
After experiencing Baldwin Street, I started to head back to the Octagon. I stopped by another museum (The Otago Museum) which was free to enter, so I explored the exhibits. It was very similar to the other museums I had been to, but I did find some new interesting things to photograph, including two trinities (totems and rocks)! The final symbol is from the museum’s special collection area and I just liked the look of it.
Saturday night was a little rough, as I was feeling very lonely. I reached out to a number of people on Grindr as well as through Facebook but didn’t get much response (primarily because it was the middle of the night in the States). I got back to Patrick’s place and we talked for a bit, so that helped a little, but I still didn’t sleep well that night.
Day 28 (Sunday Sep 16) – Instead of sleeping, I was able to connect with Ben Lydecker and Gwen Marsh through Facetime calls. I got about 5 hours of sleep that night, but I did feel better the next morning, especially since I could enjoy another hot, high-pressure shower! Here’s me after my shower.
Patrick also informed me that he had a car that he was selling for a friend who had left the country. He said he would sell it for $1000 NZD. Once again, I feel that this was God providing me a resource. After all, I was going to get a reliable car from a random Couchsurf. It will be extremely useful in the coming months, as I won’t have to bus between cities, and I can explore further afield. It is also a station wagon, so I could even sleep in the back if needed.
I said I was interested and just wanted a mechanic to look at it to ensure it wasn’t a lemon. Patrick actually recommended a repair shop that he has used for a number of years, and I made an appointment for the car to be checked out on Wednesday.
After that, I walked myself back to the Octagon as I was going to attend a church called Arise. However, their usual meeting location was being used for a conference, and I showed up right at 10am (when their service starts), only to find out it was still 2 miles away.
But, things always work out, and there was an Anglican church right in the Octagon that was also having a 10am service. I attended their service instead.
The priest gave a very nice sermon about names. He spoke about the way we name things and how it doesn’t affect the thing being named, but instead it reflects upon who WE are – how we name things can contain our hopes, our preconceptions, and our prejudices. He also asked two questions to each person attending the service
- What do you call Jesus?
- Jesus is my Savior/Redeemer
- God is my Creator/Namer
- The Holy Spirit is my Sustainer/my Friend
- How does Jesus name you?
- I have many names – Derek Michael Shaw, Trinity Dreamer, Gifted Ruler, The Peacemaker, Truth-seeker
He ended with saying this, “Don’t let other people’s names for you define or limit you. Hold fast to how God has named you, because the Creator/Redeemer/Namer does not make mistakes”.
This sermon combined with the amazing choral music and the stained glass windows surrounding me gave me an amazing morning of worship to my God.
I spent a little more time in the city that afternoon before heading back to Mosgiel for the night. I got Subway for dinner, read my book, watched a few episodes of Ru Paul’s drag race, and also had some good conversation with Gary.
And so, my second week in GigCity came to a close. Once again, I was amazed at everything I accomplished and experienced, and I was excited that I still had two weeks remaining.
Thanks for reading! Today’s song is a brand new one I found today, and it will probably show up in a future playlist. Great beat, fun music video, and powerful lyrics.