Personal reflections about emotions and the inner state, which reveal a deeper story about us. I primarily do this reflecting on my own experiences.
Life doesn’t disappoint when it comes to surprising you. I started this blog about 18 months ago, marking a transition in my life. It came about because I had an abrupt finish to a job that I loved, and hoped I would be doing for a good few more years. I need to go back to the beginning of 2020. I just returned from my … Continue reading A Rough New Start
An end of year reflection Delta and Omicron. A new job. Importance of family and friends. Community. The blessing of another grandchild. Zoom. Social Media fatigue. And learning that I am cisgender (sorry, I’m slow). These are some thoughts that come to mind when I think about 2021. (There are plenty of others but these will do for now.) It was a year I was … Continue reading Dealing with the pain of forgiveness
A Christmas Reflection Last night I went to a cricket game at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It was a lot of fun. Our team, the Sixers won, which is always nice. The evening was perfect for a “Big Bash” game. Yet, there was something that I hadn’t noticed before in any previous game. A lot of kids would form in little clusters, like bees to … Continue reading Being the star in my story
So Sydney is in Covid lockdown again. The next 2 weeks, no substantial contact with anyone outside my home, except if I’m sick, need toilet paper from the shops or a barista-made (take-away) coffee. I decide that I need to go for a walk after online church, where one of the upsides is “seeing” a friend in the chatbox, whom Sue and I haven’t spoken … Continue reading Understanding lockdown anxiety
How much would you pay to save someone you love? Preparing a talk about what some ancient proverbs have to say about wealth, I reacquainted myself with Jean Paul Getty. A few years ago I read his biography, All the Money in the World (not to be confused with the film of the same title). His life is fascinating reading and I thought a great … Continue reading Understanding wealth
I realise that so much of my life is spent trying to avoid pain. In a sheer guess, I suspect avoiding pain is just the other side of the coin to “pursuing pleasure” and all of us are motivated by either one side or the other throughout our lives. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing. There are all sorts … Continue reading Understanding pain
It’s been about three and a half years since I visited Cambodia. At the time I was working for an NGO and the purpose of the trip was to gather stories and footage of the work our partners were doing in local communities. I think I travelled the extremity of the country in about ten days. I loved it. The people were so friendly. There … Continue reading I never managed to visit the killing fields
An Easter Reflection I recently read an article on the ABC news site, titled A power has risen in Australian politics – and it’s not coming quietly. The author, Annabel Crabb, considers the shifting landscape in Australian politics that is undermining the traditional patriarchal power base. She states, “in this instance, there is opportunity for women to seek justice, to speak out, to demand restitution … Continue reading The life of power
A few days ago my grandson, Felix Gabriel Xiaoyu was born. Celebrating Life It is wonderful being a granddad all over again. The delight of welcoming someone into your family is special. Holding him for the first time is even more special. Here is life in all its potential. In this little bundle that only weighs about 2.8 kilos (a little over 6 pounds) I … Continue reading New Life
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