Month: June 2018

Home

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I’ve had the luxury of being home for several days.  It’s given me the opportunity to catch up on reports and also chores.  With a house under renovation, living in disarray and dust has been nothing less than a challenge.  But, I’m home.  Truly home.  Because life is evolving to be something more peaceful and joyful.

I’ve adapted to frequent travel by making where ever I am, home.  I’ve learned by staying to routine and order reduces stress.  I also know there are some places the food is excellent and in others, terrible.  In the past I would forget and ended up with a dinner I could barely eat.  Now if I order the same meal once a month in the same town, I know it’s guaranteed to be a winner, so I look forward to my eggplant parmigiana in Kalgoorlie!  Being tidy and orderly with my belongings means I don’t leave anything behind.  I keep keys, jewellery, sunglasses in one designated spot.  I carry all my files in one zipped bag.  What I take out, goes back in when finished.  I have a set of clothes I use only when I travel so I don’t have to browse through my closet before each trip.  (It’s cut out the agony of indecision!).  Experiencing a sense of orderliness in a chaotic schedule has been a lifesaver.  I’ve become accustomed to this way of life.  It has reduced stress significantly.  I wondered if I could use the same philosophy on making healthy choices by setting boundaries on what to eat and when.

On reflection of my habits, I realised how external factors influence our decision making on a daily basis.

Marketing is, curiously, an unseen power that influences our daily life.  It can be insidious.  At one time we walked into a petrol station, paid for the fuel and left.  Then came the hot snacks and soft drinks.  ‘Convenience’ was promoted.  Now it is difficult to find a petrol station without a major cafe or fast food restaurant attached to it.  The Live Lighter ad is one that has influenced my thinking about choice over convenience.  For those not familiar with it, a young man walks into the petrol station and glances at the hot snacks and energy drinks, while the message about ‘toxic fat’ is visually presented with yellow shimmering fat encasing gut and heart, becomes a deterrent.  He pays for fuel and leaves.  My lifestyle often mimics that of long distance truck drivers.  I sit around a lot.  Yes, a lot.  In cars, in planes, in offices.  Some days the only walking I do is between the taxi rank and terminal.  My snacks are healthy in the car – water, fresh fruit, walnuts, but I would grab a hot snack, usually in a petrol station, when I could because I didn’t know when I would eat again.  But I’ve made a change.  I carry a cooler bag packed with a sandwich.  Now I can walk into the petrol station and walk out having paid for fuel only.  Oddly enough, the comfort of knowing I’m carrying food, doesn’t make me hungry!

I was watching a David Attenborough documentary the other day about birds making their nests.  They only use what they need.  Why don’t we?  I’m ashamed to say in clearing my walk in pantry, I found I had four slow cookers of various brands, each promoting a new feature.  Yes, it would appear, I fell for the marketing!  In my closet I found a pair of skinny jeans that I loved wearing but they no longer fit and, importantly.  I’m not fitting into them any time soon.  Yes, I love them.  But giving them away would bring joy to someone else who finds them in the second hand shop, at a much cheaper price and nearly brand new.  It’s in the charity bag.

I’m nesting.  Using and keeping only what I need.  It’s a good feeling.  And, just like a bird sitting in a nest sends out a clear message.  Yes, nesting can only mean one thing.  New life.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

 

Tradition

Redux

Inherent in the concept of tradition is continuity.  Nothing remains old.  If we follow tradition, old becomes new again.  It is revival.

Around the world there are many traditions that are followed.  One of them I was familiar with from my childhood and surprised to experience it in Australia.  The Smoking Ceremony.

In Asian countries the use of smoke to ward of evil is commonly practiced.  I can recall aromatic spices being placed on smoking wood chips and waved around a newborn to ward off evil and keep the child safe.  Similarly smoke is used in weddings to bless a new beginning.

Smoke is an integral component of the ceremony at any Mass in a church and in Catholic homes.  A candle often burned in celebration or memory of a loved one, in a special corner of the home.  My mother had the Parish Priest visit the home once a year.  He’d walk around the home with a brass container with smoking incense that he swung gently before him and bless the home.  We’d follow him through the house, like sheep.  She would have a grand lunch for him after.  As he left, she would give him a wad of cash, placed discreetly in an envelope.  My father’s silent disapproving stare would be met with a fierce defensive whisper, “It’s once a year!”

As a child I was raised to seek the blessings of the elders in the family, even if we were going to school.  “Grandpa, bless me!” was a familiar goodbye.  He would place his wrinkled, soft hand on our head and say a short prayer of protection.  The wedding album was not complete if there were no photographs of the bride and groom being blessed by their individual parents and then by their new in-laws.

One of the things I look forward to when attending major conferences or events in government settings in Australia is the Welcome Ceremony.  An indigenous elder welcomes the attendees by acknowledging ancestors and asks for blessings.  A more recent addition is the acknowledgement of the elders, past and future.  I recall sitting next to an American man once who wiped away tears saying, he had never experienced this in any other country.  It moves me too.  Every time.  It makes me feel secure.  It is an anchoring moment.  The past, the present and the future.

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The indigenous Smoking Ceremony is more interactive.  One walks past the smoke from various native plants.  Some fan the smoke towards them.  It is a cleansing and healing ceremony.

On this occasion I watched several hundred people walk through the smoke.  We were there because we wanted to make a difference in delivering health care.  Individually our desire was to contribute to a bigger and more inclusive ‘oneness’.

So can we.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

Memories

At the end, all we have is memories.  We don’t re-create them.  We make new ones.  And, sometimes, from the old.  Like left-over food, the creation can be memorable.  I’m settled in my chair, about to enjoy a feast.

thumb_IMG_1403_1024.jpgThe snowdrops in my garden first appear in August.  The anniversary of my father’s passing.  Far from saddening me, the flower, like memories of him, delights the heart.

Today is the birth anniversary of my father.  He and my mother shared a birthday in the month of June.  Their birthdays made our home into a house of celebration.  It was an open house where people came uninvited, dropping in for a meal and drink.  My parents, the ever gracious hosts, would treat each person with unconditional warmth.

My parents were business people.  They managed their world of finances and friendships, with uncompromising integrity.  I feel blessed to have been raised in their world.

IMG_2035.jpgMy father was my David Attenborough.  He showed me the wonders of the world in words and books.  Through his eyes I see softness in ranges and know Nature’s hand can shape and smooth the most difficult terrain.

thumb_IMG_1406_1024Jostled in the air, I have learnt to focus on the sun ray bursting through a storm.

thumb_IMG_2343_1024.jpgI know no fear travelling in desolate outback.  I’ve come to learn, there is beauty in the barren.  There is peace in void.

thumb_IMG_2730_1024.jpgMy steps are measured and mindful because I know there’s more to experience in the journey between A to Z.

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Did my father teach me to think differently at his knee?  I’m not sure but the training certainly came early, much like our beloved pooch who at 12 months will get a toy and pose, Instagram ready!

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird