My brother is lost in the Tasmanian wilderness as I write this.

My brother was in a good place emotionally before he found himself in a not-so-good place physically.

My brother remains lost in a remote part of Tasmania where he set off for a morning hike yesterday and found himself off the beaten track.

He called emergency services when he realised he was lost and twenty minutes later, his phone died.

That’s all we know.

— —

This is what I know.

1. This is really weird.

It’s a weird situation.

It’s weird being at work.

It’s weird seeing him on the news.

2. I want to join the search.

If I don’t hear anything back by tomorrow I’m going to fly to Tasmania and search for him myself.

3. My phone is my savior.

Every minute I glance at my phone to see if there are any updates. It’s an obsessive tic that I can’t shake.

4. I keep thinking about our last conversation.

My last conversation with him was a good one. I even called it out at the time. I said “This was a really good conversation.” He agreed.

5. I look forward to a Christmas together.

It’s the first time he’s coming up to spend Christmas with his son and our family in a long time.

6. I think he sort of understands the bush.

He spends a lot of time camping and hiking, which gives me solace that he’s somewhat okay with his surroundings.

7. He’s probably really cold right now.

He was wearing shorts with thermals underneath. He was also wearing a raincoat. He’s a pretty skinny guy and needs a lot of food to stay energetic.

8. His son drew him two pictures.

One is him next to a fire wearing his sweater.

The other is him getting rescued by a helipad.

Breaks my heart but makes me smile simultaneously because it’s pretty damn cute.

9. We’re all speculating

Is he finding shelter in a cave?

Taking his shirt off and waving it in the air?

Meditating to quieten his mind?

Has he stopped walking or does he continue to wander?

Surely he’s alright? He should have water.

There’s plenty of fresh water streams in Tassie right?

He usually has plenty of snacks.

He had shorts but he was wearing thermals so he’s probably okay.

He wouldn’t mind eating bush grubs.

He’ll meditate his way out of it.

He’s pretty strong, right?

10. I look forward to making memes when he gets out.

It will be a true family roasting.