tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204134142684183772024-03-13T11:58:58.433+11:00Middle Age Ramblingsmiruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.comBlogger289125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-70221937509668191402023-12-02T11:11:00.001+11:002023-12-02T11:13:22.476+11:00Use it or Lose it.<div style="text-align: left;">Use it or lose it, they say!</div>Usually the slogan refers to memory or frequent flyer points but the same applies to vocabulary, too.<br /><br />Maybe you learnt a word last week - let's call it "farkle" - and unless you use farkle in a sentence pretty soon then the same word is likely to melt into oblivion.<br /><br />Let's pretend farkle means to pick up an object with your toes. Anglers at low tide can be nifty farklers of buried pipi shells, just as anyone who's gathered a sock off the floor has been known to indulge in farkling.<br /><br />That's the problem with acquiring strange words. Unless we use them, then the farkles of this world will only grow stranger to us.<br /><br /><em>According to different sources on the web this is what I learnt about farkle:<br /><br />"Motorcycle enthusiasts may install accessories, called farkles (also spelled farkel), to customize their machine. The term Farkle apparently originated among the ST1100 riders. It is an acronym:"<br /><br />F ancy<br />A ccessory<br />R eally<br />K ool &<br />L ikely<br />E xpensive</em><br /><br /><strong>"Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use."<br />~~ Wendell Johnson</strong><div><strong><br /></strong></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXN1yMEibk9YoMATww1aCnGdifVwiC1AAUCLrFhwkkQ2RqKapg8UCmcSGKMUa-67kSVjYPNy6vEzlimDT0r1VdPzQ6sITkg8BC1We2r-hk0ssxZZEGKXhCPod8RQ-kyh3OAMAdiwBgxO0Dd0AgM3larSkBJuG5VueHy9E8Bw6oVaTseJhBLJsbw9zCl4/s3648/Tidal%20Body%202022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXN1yMEibk9YoMATww1aCnGdifVwiC1AAUCLrFhwkkQ2RqKapg8UCmcSGKMUa-67kSVjYPNy6vEzlimDT0r1VdPzQ6sITkg8BC1We2r-hk0ssxZZEGKXhCPod8RQ-kyh3OAMAdiwBgxO0Dd0AgM3larSkBJuG5VueHy9E8Bw6oVaTseJhBLJsbw9zCl4/w400-h300/Tidal%20Body%202022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Australia 2022</i></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><strong><br /></strong></div>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-27543642315669809982023-06-14T15:48:00.002+10:002023-06-14T15:48:45.534+10:00Shine on and Flourish<p><span style="background-color: white;">Like plants, to some degree, all of us struggle or flourish according to where we are positioned. Our lives can be hard or easy depending on where the pot is placed. </span></p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17px;"></span><span style="border-image-source: none; border: 0px currentcolor; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal;">Most of us, I think, have had this experience: behaving quite differently according to the people in the room at the time. With some people we feel in perpetual shadow; with others, the sunlight seems to angle in and we are aglow.</span></span></span><br /><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="border-image-source: none; border: 0px currentcolor; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal;">With one friend you feel as if you are quite intelligent, discussing erudite issues of politics or literature. You are witty, insightful; the right phrase springs into your mouth at the right time. The very next night, in the company of someone else, you feel dumb and boring. Anxiety or insecurity grips so strongly that the right word, the witty phrase, can never fight its way through to the surface.</span></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">I've been thinking about the subtleties of positioning - how the sunlight can hit us when we are standing on this spot, but not in this other spot.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="border-image-source: none; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="border-image-source: none; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Why, then, don't we strive harder to move into the sun? </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="border-image-source: none; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span style="border-image-source: none; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Why don't we spend more time with those who bring out our best selves, and less with those who bring a nuclear winter? Perhaps we could all send out the mental note: ''Paul Whatchamacallit, I know I'm booked in for a barbecue with you on Saturday week but suddenly I find that I am busy. I'm off to spend time with people who think I'm fabulous. And guess what? When I'm with them, I mostly prove them right.''</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="color: purple;">The best compliment you can pay someone is to say, ''I like the person I am when I'm with you''.</span><span style="border-color: currentcolor;"><span style="border-image-source: none; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span><br /><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br /><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><em>"Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun."</em></strong></span><br /><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><em>~~ John Lennon - Instant Karma</em></strong></span></span></span><div><b><i><br /></i></b><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9sTMRSIp5k_aBORrmGPz40UpzvlpYysV9Tv9a4X_kriRDmsrwP91isGHQkX_0PWnRaJvGoYCu3Cl0jmOqZVPYUSXby_eZ84e1vedhjTuexUzmB8qry8LUTRh47s-mOSFUqSK6Sy_s9fmYs8Ysd-dK7hOf6-abkAb4M4E65HUHhWB7NNV579E2015/s851/Waratah%20Vivid%20Sydney%202017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="851" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9sTMRSIp5k_aBORrmGPz40UpzvlpYysV9Tv9a4X_kriRDmsrwP91isGHQkX_0PWnRaJvGoYCu3Cl0jmOqZVPYUSXby_eZ84e1vedhjTuexUzmB8qry8LUTRh47s-mOSFUqSK6Sy_s9fmYs8Ysd-dK7hOf6-abkAb4M4E65HUHhWB7NNV579E2015/w400-h300/Waratah%20Vivid%20Sydney%202017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Waratah Flower at Vivid Sydney Light Show 2017</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><em><br /></em></strong></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: none; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px currentcolor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><em><br /></em></strong></span></span></span></div></div>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-27428974412358045972023-03-22T15:44:00.002+11:002023-03-22T15:47:34.901+11:00Acceptance - 2023<p><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In
reflecting and selecting my word for 2023, “Acceptance” felt like a natural
choice. </span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Accepting and meeting others where they are at.</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Accepting and loving
myself as I am.</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Accepting a difficult reality.</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Accepting a challenge. </span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Accepting
help. </span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Accepting praise, feedback, and different points of view. </span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Accepting new
opportunities. Deciding what one cannot - and will not - accept.</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="mm8nw" style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="mm8nw" style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span class="2phjq">Acceptance
isn’t about giving up, or surrendering. It’s about getting perspective, and
making a decision that is best for you at that time.</span></span></p><p class="mm8nw" style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<span class="2phjq"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Acceptance supports us in
making good choices. When we get thrown a curveball, it helps us move forward
towards new goals instead of getting stuck in muck of regret or disappointment. </span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="2phjq"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The longer I live, the more I’ve come to accept that things rarely go the way
we imagine. While we may get blown off course from time to time, we may also
end up </span></span></span><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">somewhere
more beautiful than we dared to dream.</span></span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">"I think tolerance and acceptance and love is something that feeds every community."<br />~~ <a class="qa_454094 oncl_a" href="https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/lady-gaga-quotes" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0000aa; text-decoration-line: none;">Lady Gaga</a></span></i></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalTCfQQ7udmqRNkxX2V0-szPpP-gojBrgFgZx4sg4Lg_VXYkYm27wfr5GLJQOvFrWIUAQ_FHqLpvRUBEqcMk7VsFyTkg0uvVvpmP_K5qhYahU_xiWew0aWShKvYK9TUDfUvGoF2iBHFlr8KlB6Sk7A03xg7Z7r0OQJVGwuPcUJB9xjtMYk1PBDf46/s774/Sun,_Sea_&_Sculptures_Page_0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="774" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalTCfQQ7udmqRNkxX2V0-szPpP-gojBrgFgZx4sg4Lg_VXYkYm27wfr5GLJQOvFrWIUAQ_FHqLpvRUBEqcMk7VsFyTkg0uvVvpmP_K5qhYahU_xiWew0aWShKvYK9TUDfUvGoF2iBHFlr8KlB6Sk7A03xg7Z7r0OQJVGwuPcUJB9xjtMYk1PBDf46/w400-h270/Sun,_Sea_&_Sculptures_Page_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Australia 2008</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></span></div>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-22760628954757662932022-11-13T14:00:00.001+11:002022-11-13T14:02:11.814+11:00The Answer Maybe in the Question<p>Asking the right question in order to get ourselves thinking, really thinking - there is so much truth in this.</p>When we can ask that question, at the right moment, and that gives us clarity of direction, how powerful this can be in our lives.<br /><br />These questions I found while surfing the web have no right or wrong answers, because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-weight: 700;">2. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">8. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"><i>"I cannot stress enough that the answer to life's questions is often in people's faces. Try putting your iPhones down once in a while, and look in people's faces. People's faces will tell you amazing things, like if they are angry or nauseous or asleep"</i></span><br /><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"><i>~~ Amy Poehler</i></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pd3ODSMNWAo/VUIQxj-JaqI/AAAAAAAADYs/5-GWB4GJwL4/s1600/NZ%2BChairs%2Bin%2BWilderness%2BJan%2B2011%2BSeal%2BCave.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pd3ODSMNWAo/VUIQxj-JaqI/AAAAAAAADYs/5-GWB4GJwL4/s1600/NZ%2BChairs%2Bin%2BWilderness%2BJan%2B2011%2BSeal%2BCave.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>I took this photo in January 2011 when hiking with friends at Seal Cave, near Stoney Bay on the Banks Peninsula Track on the South Island of New Zealand. It would be a perfect spot to contemplate some of these questions.</b></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br /><div class="copy-paste-block"><br /></div></div></div>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-66922486348360876212022-08-24T16:58:00.002+10:002022-08-24T16:58:52.458+10:00WHY BLOGGING IS ESSENTIALWhy do we blog??.......OR more to the point <strong>WHY DO I BLOG?<br /><br /></strong><div>
I have given this question considerable thought and concluded it is because I
love being stroked, complimented, flattered, hugged........am I being shallow?<br /><br /></div><div><em><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Probably!</b></span><br /><br /></em></div><div>Blogging has enhanced my creative side and expanded my knowledge 100 fold. I
actually feel I am a better person since I started blogging.<br /><br /></div><div>I blog to be part
of a community of people whom I respect; I want to understand your thinking and
I want you to understand mine. <br /><br /></div><div>I blog to be part of the conversation. I blog to
remember. I blog to refine my thinking. I blog because I don't think I really
understand something until I write about it. <br /><br /></div><div>Finally I blog because there are
truly remarkable people in the world, who perhaps would not be recognized by the
world. I blog to connect with persons who share some (if not all) of my values. <br /><br /></div><div>So I keep coming back to blogging because of YOU my friends, yes YOU, I keep
coming back because of YOU. BLESS YOU. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #990000;">"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he
knows that you are slightly cracked".<br />~~ Bernard Meltzer
</span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStm4alC380KyTBKFYQ5qVoM6SyD5a2pJoRN6M359vcp_C8Ok315SZtJGraXKNeiaqlboEGDZsgScR0LQcWtf0PjmtDTk5VIAVsDVabhZJk9MLAeZb2c1E0so3mnmAbEuBj2nSsiQJN_GXkYZCovJZaznyY6byOyOAjELcAOh5PrAc3HFsKaUIobHO/s728/Hugged%20by%20words.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="553" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiStm4alC380KyTBKFYQ5qVoM6SyD5a2pJoRN6M359vcp_C8Ok315SZtJGraXKNeiaqlboEGDZsgScR0LQcWtf0PjmtDTk5VIAVsDVabhZJk9MLAeZb2c1E0so3mnmAbEuBj2nSsiQJN_GXkYZCovJZaznyY6byOyOAjELcAOh5PrAc3HFsKaUIobHO/s320/Hugged%20by%20words.jpg" /></a></div></div>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-17014585017071769082022-01-15T09:09:00.001+11:002022-01-15T09:14:54.156+11:00One Little Word 2022<p>Twenty Twenty Two marks my 14th year of choosing one little word for the year.</p><p>My word for this year is <b>FORWARD.</b></p><p>Words carry tremendous power, words spoken or thought produce actual physical vibrations.</p><p>When we think or repeat one word over and over it can directly impact our lives.</p><p>That's why I choose one little word (OLW) every year instead of making New Year resolutions.</p><p>OLW primes the brain to search for the positive and expands our consciousness to look for the blessings that already exist.</p><p><i><b>"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace"<br />~~ Buddha</b></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7vb7ngn8SF6MxU_wgxLvJo6-pulncFbBksPBI1CzGtV0vxb4vwCnoAde7W3SwYqBpxg8UofI3urBauj4_QM1VQVvG6Bsq1qtlypa7cwPcja2HmNyBPegyl3S7tD33snq3k5kHrCOy335lx_rBT5ubqmGdQrJGR1pjmVhus45ZYr-TX7m1eLhQcpEG=s900" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7vb7ngn8SF6MxU_wgxLvJo6-pulncFbBksPBI1CzGtV0vxb4vwCnoAde7W3SwYqBpxg8UofI3urBauj4_QM1VQVvG6Bsq1qtlypa7cwPcja2HmNyBPegyl3S7tD33snq3k5kHrCOy335lx_rBT5ubqmGdQrJGR1pjmVhus45ZYr-TX7m1eLhQcpEG=w400-h267" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i><p></p><p><br /></p>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-55233939116904483882021-09-26T23:35:00.001+10:002021-09-26T23:35:14.554+10:00Languishing<p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As
scientists and physicians work to treat and cure the physical symptoms of
long-haul COVID, many of us are struggling with the emotional long-haul of the
pandemic. </span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">This is called Languishing - a sense of
stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if we're muddling through our days,
looking at our life through a foggy windshield. </span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;">According to experts languishing
is the neglected middle child of mental health. It’s the void between
depression and flourishing, the absence of well-being</span><span style="color: #333333;">. </span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;">Languishing dulls our motivation,
disrupts our ability to focus, and triples</span><span style="color: #333333;"> the
odds that we'll cut back on work. </span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The term was coined by a sociologist named Corey Keyes, who was struck that many people who weren't depressed also weren't thriving.</span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Part
of the danger is that when we're languishing, we might not notice the dulling
of delight or the dwindling of drive. We don’t catch ourselves slipping slowly
into solitude; we're indifferent to our indifference. </span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;">So folks </span><span style="color: #333333;">it could give us a socially acceptable response to “How are you?”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Instead
of saying “Great!” or “Fine,” imagine if we answered, “Honestly, I’m
languishing.” </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><h3 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-radius: 0px; color: #524739; font-family: minion-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; line-height: 1.37; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">"Inch by inch I conquered the inner terrain I was born with.</i></span></h3><h3 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-radius: 0px; color: #524739; font-family: minion-pro, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; line-height: 1.37; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">Bit by bit I reclaimed the swamp in which I'd languished. I gave birth to my infinite being, but I had to wrench myself out of me with forceps."</i></h3><footer style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #68524b; font-family: jaf-bernina-sans, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">— <cite style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><a href="https://quotlr.com/author/fernando-pessoa" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #524739; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;" title="Fernando Pessoa quotes">Fernando Pessoa</a></cite></span></footer><footer style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #68524b; font-family: jaf-bernina-sans, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></footer><footer style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ysjPzWJLQvQ/YVB1ytY7yxI/AAAAAAAAHF4/2y8a4rpgYwwyihYv4xdepeDxAI_Q7_ZQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s814/NZ%2BChairs%2Bin%2BWilderness%2BJan%2B2011%2BSeal%2BCave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="814" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ysjPzWJLQvQ/YVB1ytY7yxI/AAAAAAAAHF4/2y8a4rpgYwwyihYv4xdepeDxAI_Q7_ZQwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/NZ%2BChairs%2Bin%2BWilderness%2BJan%2B2011%2BSeal%2BCave.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Seal Cave in New Zealand <br />Chairs in the Wilderness</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></footer><footer style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #68524b; font-family: jaf-bernina-sans, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></footer><footer style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #68524b; font-family: jaf-bernina-sans, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: "kern"; font-kerning: normal; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></footer><p class="css-axufdj" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"></span></p>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-34640532927654920542021-04-07T15:38:00.003+10:002021-04-07T16:39:22.833+10:00Deja Vu Sensations<p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.65px;">There are many theories as to what causes déjà vu.</span></p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.65px;">One says that our "spirit" can actually travel faster in time than our earthbound bodies so it charges off into the future from time to time for reasons we can't explain.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.65px;">Another claims that it's because we are reincarnated and old memories from past lives are seeping through into our current consciousness.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.65px;">And then there's the parallel Universe theory that suggests our lives are always splitting off into different directions whenever we make big decisions and that at the point of experiencing déjà vu we are connecting with these parallel worlds.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.65px;">All of which rather ignores the actual sensation of déjà vu that is simply joyous and mesmerising regardless of what it actually is.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.65px;">Déjà vu experiences stay with us too, logging themselves into our memory banks where they can be withdrawn whenever those "déjà vu" conversations occur, usually over a few glasses of wine late at night!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.65px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"There's an opposite to déjà vu. They call it jamais vu. It's when you meet the same people or visit places, again and again, but each time is the first. Everybody is always a stranger. Nothing is ever familiar."<br />~~ Chuck Palahniuk</span></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.65px;" /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNGpMPCiWBg/YG1Ert7Jl0I/AAAAAAAAG78/Ombk4azY7rsuM7G8bbbQ1uzpizvUMcOnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s881/Boat%2Bin%2Bfog%2BNorway.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="881" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNGpMPCiWBg/YG1Ert7Jl0I/AAAAAAAAG78/Ombk4azY7rsuM7G8bbbQ1uzpizvUMcOnQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/Boat%2Bin%2Bfog%2BNorway.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.65px;"><i>Visiting Norway in July 2010 and we stopped at this place for a short while, an eeriness came over me as I photographed this scene. I wanted to hop in that boat and paddle into the mist.</i></span>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-2250269707655157772021-01-29T21:08:00.001+11:002021-01-29T21:08:40.652+11:00Back to the Future - Our New Normal 2021<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Time travellers
should prepare for tough sledding. If you went back to 1820 or even 1920, all
the sudden changes would discombobulate you. And the same is true for someone
who came forward to today.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We’ve got a
deep-seated desire for things to go back to normal, the way we were used to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But this, this
moment of ours is now normal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And then, there
will be another normal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is no “<i>the</i> new
normal”. Because that’s definitive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s simply the
normal of now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A new normal. This
too shall pass.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">“We sense that ‘normal’ isn’t coming back, that we are being born into a new normal: a new kind of society, a new relationship to the earth, a new experience of being human.”</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">― </span><span class="authorOrTitle" style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Charles Eisenstein</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2jlBZfd6I8/YBPaoVlTQsI/AAAAAAAAG5g/ItaKPmhK1BQ0tmq7eLQ0zsQsuPTcirjjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1180/Perceived%2BInfinity%2B-%2BWyong%2B2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="1180" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2jlBZfd6I8/YBPaoVlTQsI/AAAAAAAAG5g/ItaKPmhK1BQ0tmq7eLQ0zsQsuPTcirjjwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/Perceived%2BInfinity%2B-%2BWyong%2B2015.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perceived Infinity -Wyong, NSW, Australia 2015<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 13.2pt;"><span style="color: #2c3e50; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-59762915404672387212020-06-24T17:30:00.000+10:002020-06-24T17:32:11.617+10:00Off CentreI've spent much of my life walking down the centre of the road.<br />
<br />
I tell myself it's important to be safe. Security comes first.<br />
<br />
It's a hard cruel world, so I'd better play it safe now than be sorry later.<br />
<br />
Fools rush in.......<br />
<br />
But nothing is more certain than if I walk down the centre of the road, I am going to be hit by the traffic coming from both directions.<br />
<br />
Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing I can possibly do.<br />
<br />
I think we only really get to grow and move ahead in life when we challenge ourselves.<br />
<br />
<br />
<em style="font-weight: bold;">Lyrics from Left of Center by Suzanne Vega</em><br />
<br />
<strong>"If you want me, you can find me,<br />left of center, off of the strip<br />in the outskirts, in the fringes,<br />in the corner, out of the grip"</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney, November 2009.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y9whP8-trLw/S_iA6JWv07I/AAAAAAAABho/NMG5XgE1k_s/s1600/Sculpture+by+the+sea+Nov+2009+s.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474267083500934066" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_y9whP8-trLw/S_iA6JWv07I/AAAAAAAABho/NMG5XgE1k_s/s400/Sculpture+by+the+sea+Nov+2009+s.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-51134916893822026502020-04-29T13:11:00.000+10:002020-04-29T13:11:53.943+10:00COVID-19 - We're All In This Together
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">As we are
all in this together, we are reminded of the simple things that make life
beautiful, helping a neighbour, embracing our community, putting other’s needs
before our own. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span class="amp-wp-fe3f5cc1"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The only things that matter ultimately are
good health and the closeness of loved ones! The wisdom of ages, and now we
know it! </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We humans are a
resilient bunch and throughout history have survived war, famine, epidemics,
trauma and tragedy of all sorts. If there are takeaway lessons from this challenge
they are that disease knows no international boundaries, love is stronger than
fear, a “we and not just me” attitude serves everyone, and we need each other
to survive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Let
this be a first step to the end of discrimination and a better world full of
kindness.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #231f20; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Finally
now the Earth heals herself as pollution lessens; birds tweet to their heart’s
content in a newly clear blue sky, and leopards, deer and even elephants
reclaim their land as we stay locked away.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><em>"None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.<br />~~ Mother Teresa</em></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bk3B_I3YxC4/XqjvDEoxMRI/AAAAAAAAGog/JraGHEkSLZYseYs6gzagyq66h6gvGp5twCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Flowers%2Bin%2BWindow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="822" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bk3B_I3YxC4/XqjvDEoxMRI/AAAAAAAAGog/JraGHEkSLZYseYs6gzagyq66h6gvGp5twCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Flowers%2Bin%2BWindow.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When I was in Norway in 2010, out walking one day we came across this window, it made me smile.</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-42555101822164335442020-03-03T20:50:00.000+11:002020-03-04T10:12:38.496+11:00Writing from the Heart<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The easiest way to
write from the heart is when you’re having a day or period of time when you are
full of emotion.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Also writing from the
heart requires you to write about something you’re passionate about.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Your heart can’t
speak its truth if you only want to be and appear strong and look good and
shiny.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The reason is because
so much of the world is based on hype and things that are not real. <b>When you
are vulnerable, you naturally write from the heart.</b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Being vulnerable in
writing and in life is not very common. People listen when you’re vulnerable,
and you speak what you believe to be the truth. Vulnerability can create
immense power, and it’s that power that you can use to change your world.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><em><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Don’t write what you know—what you know may bore you, and thus bore your readers. Write about what interests you—and interests you deeply—and your readers will catch fire at your words.” <br />~~</span></strong></em><span class="authorOrTitle"><em><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Valerie Sherwood</span></strong></em> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AVHnkrSsxKA/Xl4koNiOAFI/AAAAAAAAGnI/1oYbntfufIocAtZpadce4ENYgeA0xLqZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Floating%2BGrounded%2BFigure%2B2019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AVHnkrSsxKA/Xl4koNiOAFI/AAAAAAAAGnI/1oYbntfufIocAtZpadce4ENYgeA0xLqZACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Floating%2BGrounded%2BFigure%2B2019.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Taken at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney Oct 2019. The sculpture is called Floating, Grounded Figure by Greg Johns.</span></em></td></tr>
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miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-61851063241813506502020-01-03T21:28:00.000+11:002020-01-03T21:28:38.498+11:00One Little Word - 2020<span style="font-size: large;">Since 2009 I have been choosing a single word to focus on over the course of the next 12 months.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Ali Edwards initiated this movement called "One Little Word".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It's a powerful way to set an intention for the year ahead.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This year my word will be <b><span style="color: red;">"HEART"</span>.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4vbCaP0pes/Xg8TCfAtfII/AAAAAAAAGjs/eTMWwdQL8d4TPrd23_nIO3k4N_F9CHqzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Khalil%2BGibran%2BHeart%2BQuote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="564" height="352" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4vbCaP0pes/Xg8TCfAtfII/AAAAAAAAGjs/eTMWwdQL8d4TPrd23_nIO3k4N_F9CHqzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Khalil%2BGibran%2BHeart%2BQuote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-31751804887952805792019-11-16T17:39:00.000+11:002019-11-16T17:39:45.915+11:00See Our Way ForwardAt certain times in our lives it is difficult to see our way forward.<br />
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Finding the way of controlling the stories we tell ourselves and which ones we choose to believe can be daunting.<br />
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The place of our power, the process of our power is watching the thoughts that we think, the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, understanding that even though we didn't put those stories there, we have the power to change them.<br />
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Telling new stories is the key to recovery - we can disrupt negative thoughts. We never have to go back to that negative space once we have a framework for understanding where to go with our suffering, how to transform it into something useful.<br />
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When we face our fears or at least define our fears, we can come up with an action plan to combat them.<br />
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There is a wisdom that comes from the experience of working through our fears.<br />
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Wisdom is always the by-product of facing our fears.<br />
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<strong><em>“In the beginning I was so young and such a stranger to myself I hardly existed. I had to go out into the world and see it and hear it and react to it, before I knew at all who I was, what I was, what I wanted to be.” <br />― <span class="authorOrTitle"> Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays</span></em></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9BFQb1DYww/Xc-W6PmAzSI/AAAAAAAAGho/E1riF087QpM_bxlq31A1E-tMggtCt6uLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/In%2Bthe%2BGrey%2Bof%2BDaybreak%2B-%2BSculpture%2Bby%2Bthe%2BSea%2B2019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9BFQb1DYww/Xc-W6PmAzSI/AAAAAAAAGho/E1riF087QpM_bxlq31A1E-tMggtCt6uLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/In%2Bthe%2BGrey%2Bof%2BDaybreak%2B-%2BSculpture%2Bby%2Bthe%2BSea%2B2019.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>This sculpture by Kiochi Ishino and is called "In The Grey of Daybreak" - taken at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney, Australia in November 2019. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><em>The statement says "This sculpture depicts the dawning era of a new beginning in Japanese culture, the Reiwa era.</em></span> </td></tr>
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<strong><em><span class="authorOrTitle"></span></em></strong>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-53151213650699179672019-06-16T17:22:00.000+10:002019-06-16T17:23:05.713+10:00Writing Can Be PervasiveI'm a firm believer in the power of the written word. It’s a form of “putting it out there” to the Universe.<br />
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<i><span lang="EN">“The pen is mightier than the sword”.........</span></i><span lang="EN">at least so says</span><span lang="EN"> English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839</span><span lang="EN">. </span><span lang="EN">But this is the twenty-first century – not the nineteenth, and times have radically changed. Today most people’s writing involves emails, text messages, Facebook, Twitter and the like; lots of touching base but little true writing.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN">So in these days we might ask afresh, <i>Is the pen still mightier than the sword</i>? Should the written word still be considered a powerful weapon in the modern culture in which we live?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN">The effort of putting pen to paper</span> (metaphorically speaking)<span lang="EN"> is considerable</span>. Every article we write may not have a powerful result, but it could!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It can be pervasive.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><b>It can permeates lives, penetrating where spoken words would be shut out.</b><br />
One of the reasons for this is that there is an implied acceptance when we choose to pick up something to read. In essence, we have given it the right to speak into our lives.<br />
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Because of this, an article can often penetrate a resistant heart, for just the action of choosing to read it opens the door to the truth it contains.</div>
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<span lang="EN">The pervasive power of writing also comes from the fact that, since written words easily endure, they often make it to places we would never dream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So let the writing begin!<br /> </span><br />
<b><i>“A drop of ink may make a million think.”</i></b></div>
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<b><i>~~George Gordon Byron </i></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UuZSCVKlmH8/XQXp_d247lI/AAAAAAAAGWk/3mBSoSm_Cl8Dd-yHltMs-dyylUQNfAc_wCLcBGAs/s1600/NZ%2BChairs%2Bin%2BWilderness%2BJan%2B2011%2BSeal%2BCave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="814" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UuZSCVKlmH8/XQXp_d247lI/AAAAAAAAGWk/3mBSoSm_Cl8Dd-yHltMs-dyylUQNfAc_wCLcBGAs/s400/NZ%2BChairs%2Bin%2BWilderness%2BJan%2B2011%2BSeal%2BCave.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><strong>New Zealand chairs in the wilderness at Seal Cove on the South Island.</strong></em></span><br />
<em><strong><span style="font-size: small;">What a beautiful spot to read a book or do some writing</span>!</strong></em></td></tr>
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miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-88931539210085183872019-04-09T12:28:00.000+10:002019-04-09T12:29:39.138+10:00Pen and PaperTo sit at a computer-free desk with a pen,<br />
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to pull out a sheet of your hand-printed headed notepaper,<br />
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to write those first two words "Dear Friend",<br />
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and then to pause a while before letting the ink flow onto the page with tales of your doings and your worries,<br />
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to fold up the paper,<br />
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slip it into an envelope,<br />
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write the address out,<br />
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stick on the stamp,<br />
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drop it into the letter-box,<br />
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and then imagine the pleasure that your letter will bring,<br />
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the physical pleasure of opening it and reading it at the other end.<br />
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- ah, is this not happiness?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart."<br />~~ Phyllis Theroux</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hVflmlmeO8Y/XKwC0FsuPGI/AAAAAAAAGRE/WX47knLdUa8RkmmeLq5hxipZ-P0QoRlewCLcBGAs/s1600/Sculpture%2Bby%2Bthe%2BSea%2B2007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="876" height="301" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hVflmlmeO8Y/XKwC0FsuPGI/AAAAAAAAGRE/WX47knLdUa8RkmmeLq5hxipZ-P0QoRlewCLcBGAs/s400/Sculpture%2Bby%2Bthe%2BSea%2B2007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>An old Sculpture by the Sea photo from 2007 taken at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.</em></span></td></tr>
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<br />miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-29770876253240840002019-03-24T19:42:00.000+11:002019-03-24T19:43:12.322+11:00Life Is Better When UnrushedThe world most of us live in is hectic, fast-paced, fractured, hurried.<br />
What’s more, most of us are conditioned to think this is the way life should be.<br />
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Life should be lived at break-neck speed, we believe. We risk our lives in cars and we break the speed limit, rushing from one place to another. We do one thing after another, multi-tasking and switching between tasks as fast as we can blink.<br />
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All in the name of productivity, of having more, of appearing busy, to ourselves and to others.<br />
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But life doesn't have to be this way. In fact, I’d argue that it’s counterproductive.<br />
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If our goal is to create, to produce amazing things, to go for quality over quantity, then rushing is not the most effective way to work. Slowing down and focusing is always more effective.<br />
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Rushing produces errors. It’s distracting to flit from one thing to the next, with our attention never on one thing long enough to give it any thought or create anything of worth.<br />
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Hurrying produces too much noise to be able to find the quiet the mind needs for true creativity and profound thinking.<br />
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So yes, moving quickly will get more done. But it won’t get the right things done.<br />
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The most important step is a realization that life is better when you move at a slower, more relaxed pace, instead of hurrying and rushing and trying to cram too much into every day. Instead, get the most out of every moment.<br />
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Is a book better if you speed read it, or if you take your time and get lost in it?<br />
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Is a song better if you skim through it, or if you take the time to really listen?<br />
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Is food better if you cram it down your throat, or if you savour every bite and really appreciate the flavour?<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><span style="color: #990000;"><em><strong>“Nature never rushes, yet everything gets done.” <br />~~ <span class="authorOrTitle">Donald L. Hicks</span></strong></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><em><strong><span class="authorOrTitle"></span></strong></em></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iXzbHa8Tq-k/XJc93APR3TI/AAAAAAAAGPk/9oSD8WyJUrUApjFQ3aaN3NDYp9xd-38MQCLcBGAs/s1600/Sheep%2Bon%2BRoad%2BChristchurch%2BFeb%2B2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="873" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iXzbHa8Tq-k/XJc93APR3TI/AAAAAAAAGPk/9oSD8WyJUrUApjFQ3aaN3NDYp9xd-38MQCLcBGAs/s400/Sheep%2Bon%2BRoad%2BChristchurch%2BFeb%2B2019.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just outside Christchurch, New Zealand in February 2019 we encountered this large flock of sheep. We patiently waited at the side of the road for them to pass.</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><em><strong><span class="authorOrTitle"></span></strong></em></span>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-66618411535509153742019-03-05T20:09:00.000+11:002019-03-05T20:12:34.785+11:00Forgotten PleasureIt's a forgotten pleasure in our rushed days, to leaf through a slim volume of verse, perhaps while sitting in a train or when resting by a tree in the city park.<br />
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Everyone should keep a book of poetry about their person.<br />
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Even to read four lines of Keats while waiting for a friend will enrich your day.<br />
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Here is Keats, for example, on the pleasures of red wine:<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #6600cc;">O for a draught of vintage! that hath been</span><br /><span style="color: #6600cc;">Cool'd a long ago in the deep-delved earth,</span><br /><span style="color: #6600cc;">Tasting of Flora and the country-green,</span><br /><span style="color: #6600cc;">Dance, and Provencal song, and sunburnt mirth!</span></span><br />
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What a phrasemaker he was!<br />
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Words well chosen can fill your heart with joy.<br />
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So reject the empty clatter of the penny dreadfuls and keep a book of poetry on your person at all times.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words."<br />~~ Robert Frost </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2oElPnlG9V4/XH444-7QS0I/AAAAAAAAGO8/bzd-ZyXeD8UftD4mGdPsQFadn-isPntnACLcBGAs/s1600/Near%2BLyttleton%2BNew%2BZealand%2BFeb%2B2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="896" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2oElPnlG9V4/XH444-7QS0I/AAAAAAAAGO8/bzd-ZyXeD8UftD4mGdPsQFadn-isPntnACLcBGAs/s640/Near%2BLyttleton%2BNew%2BZealand%2BFeb%2B2019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-style: italic;">I visited Christchurch, New Zealand in February 2019 and my friend <a href="https://dutchcorner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marja</a> and I ventured to Lyttelton for a lovely walk around the bay. </span>miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-52157765322649038472019-02-08T20:39:00.001+11:002019-02-08T21:03:16.907+11:00Live in the Present<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">People give us advice all day long - parents, lifestyle coaches, magazines, self-help gurus. What a pity most of it is wrong!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is some food for thought:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><strong>Live in the present</strong> - This piece of advice is so often cited it has become a reason for NOT living in the present, since so much of the "present" now consists of people lecturing us about how we should live in it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Actually the recollected past and the anticipated future are both quite nourishing places. The present nearly always involves a soup of distractions; it contains the thing that's important, plus lots of things that get in the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recollecting the moment you stood in front of a favourite painting/sculpture, for example, is often better than the moment itself, in recollection you can strip out all the things that were unimportant: your sore feet, the couple talking loudly behind you, the queue for admission. Memory pares down the moment to its essence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The same is true of the birth of a child, a kiss, a bushwalk. In memory, the experience is at its most intense and pure. After remembering these things in blissful reverie, we can then anticipate similar, or better, experiences in the future, the hoped-for experience fizzing in our mind in a way that is pure and unencumbered.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not attacking the present. It's highly useful in prompting both recollection and anticipation - the real things in life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start."</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>~~ Nido Qubein</i></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRyPGLViOBc/XF1NtwhhfCI/AAAAAAAAGDQ/gvnH6pb__yYv1FaTfA4tpQciChOFfEz_ACLcBGAs/s1600/Joseph%2BJuly%2B2009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="857" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRyPGLViOBc/XF1NtwhhfCI/AAAAAAAAGDQ/gvnH6pb__yYv1FaTfA4tpQciChOFfEz_ACLcBGAs/s400/Joseph%2BJuly%2B2009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Here is a picture of Joseph, 10 years ago (July 2009). Love that boy!</i></span></td></tr>
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miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-17237992238606476832019-01-23T14:40:00.000+11:002019-01-23T14:40:57.967+11:00Delightful Spell BrokenAfter a busy day I sometimes find myself lying on the couch drifting off into a hypnagogic state in front of a monotonously TV screen.<br />
<br />
My brain is just awake enough to inform me that at this point I should really get up, brush my teeth, wash my face, get undressed and lollop into bed.<br />
<br />
However, if I do get up, brush my teeth, wash my face and get undressed then by the time I am ready to lollop into bed, I'll be wide awake again and the delightful spell will be broken.<br />
<br />
So instead I revel freely in the moment that sleep threatens to envelop me.<br />
<br />
The enchantment in nodding off and then nodding awake a few minutes later is like a gentle rollercoaster that goes slowly enough to be thrilling while managing to avoid the unpleasantness of any theme park sensations.<br />
<br />
Next time this happens to you my friends, remain motionless, allow your mind to wander off and enjoy the thrill of sleeping in your clothes.<br />
<br />
Leave the TV warbling to itself and luxuriate in the sensation of stalking slumber.<br />
<br />
When you wake in the small hours with a slight chill, you can sleepwalk to your bedroom before your duvet greedily swallows you whole.<br />
<br />
<b><i>"Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night"</i></b><br />
<b><i>~~ Dave Barry</i></b><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8k-m00KdhVI/XEfc9NyHwuI/AAAAAAAAGC4/XkLQRbYsDkYDXtIBRJfd4gjaoS2a1KZDwCLcBGAs/s1600/Boat%2Bin%2Bfog%2Bin%2BNorway%2BJuly%2B2010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="847" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8k-m00KdhVI/XEfc9NyHwuI/AAAAAAAAGC4/XkLQRbYsDkYDXtIBRJfd4gjaoS2a1KZDwCLcBGAs/s400/Boat%2Bin%2Bfog%2Bin%2BNorway%2BJuly%2B2010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><strong>Taken in Norway in July 2010 - boat in fog</strong></em></span></td></tr>
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miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-54345005307989768552019-01-19T13:22:00.000+11:002019-01-19T13:22:30.012+11:00Ethics or ReligionTo say religion is better than ethics or visa versa is pointless.<br />
<br />
Both classes offer children choice and some guiding principles that will hopefully encourage kids to be thoughtful, critical thinkers for the future.<br />
<br />
Neither classes "own" morality which is ultimately something they see enacted around them not forced on them to gratify any adults view of the world.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>"When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms." </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>~~ Mary Oliver</em></strong><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<em>This quote is in memory of the late Mary Oliver who died 17 January 2019. <em>Thank you beloved poet and bard of the natural world, you will be missed.</em></em><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N7E8feruVSY/XEKJDFqlohI/AAAAAAAAGCg/k0LUWwAgFqA0QhUGfiC17Tie4UQkx7upACLcBGAs/s1600/Kurobe%2BGorge%2BRailway%2BToyama%2BJapan%2BOctober%2B2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="481" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N7E8feruVSY/XEKJDFqlohI/AAAAAAAAGCg/k0LUWwAgFqA0QhUGfiC17Tie4UQkx7upACLcBGAs/s640/Kurobe%2BGorge%2BRailway%2BToyama%2BJapan%2BOctober%2B2018.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Kurobe Gorge Railway, Toyama, Japan, October 2018</em></span></td></tr>
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<br />miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-40418413447892786812019-01-01T14:03:00.002+11:002019-01-01T14:03:37.278+11:00Making MemoriesThe evening closes in on a warm summer's day and also another year.<br />
<br />
The wine is coursing through me and through my friends but not down into the tributary of political discourse that can end up in an almighty row, but down the waterfalls of laughing memory.<br />
<br />
Long forgotten stories and cackles emerge of times past while grand plans are made for the future still to be lived.<br />
<br />
Sharing bread, barbeques, wine and those generous anecdotes - the simple gentleness of caring for the people we love.<br />
<br />
Here's hoping 2019 is an awesome year for all of us. May everyone experience calm, peace, excellent health and success.<br />
<br />
And may it be filled with good food, good friends and good memories......oh yes and good wine!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."<br />~~ Oprah Winfrey</span></span><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6LnNX9faDt0/XCH13hi4wOI/AAAAAAAAGAM/LuXkEZWd_bwBypYYXkMeJG7vttS8v9wuACLcBGAs/s1600/Christmas%2B2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="280" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6LnNX9faDt0/XCH13hi4wOI/AAAAAAAAGAM/LuXkEZWd_bwBypYYXkMeJG7vttS8v9wuACLcBGAs/s640/Christmas%2B2018.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Selfie taken at Christmas lunch 2018 - effects courtesy of Samsung.</span></td></tr>
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miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-37286131899636071512018-09-19T20:19:00.000+10:002018-09-19T20:19:01.761+10:00The Written WordI'm a firm believer in the power of the written word. It’s a form of “putting it out there” to the Universe.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<i><span lang="EN">“The pen is mightier than the sword”.........</span></i><span lang="EN">at least so says</span><span lang="EN"> English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839</span><span lang="EN">. </span><span lang="EN">But this is the twenty-first century – not the nineteenth, and times have radically changed. Today most people’s writing involves emails, text messages, twittering, Facebook and the like; lots of touching base but little true writing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN">So in these days we might ask afresh, <i>Is the pen still mightier than the sword</i>? Should the written word still be considered a powerful weapon in the modern culture in which we live?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN">The effort of putting pen to paper</span> (metaphorically speaking)<span lang="EN"> is considerable</span>. Every article we write may not have a powerful result, but it could!</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: large;">It can be pervasive.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><b>It can permeates lives, penetrating where spoken words would be shut out.</b><br />
<br />
One of the reasons for this is that there is an implied acceptance when we choose to pick up something to read. In essence, we have given it the right to speak into our lives.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
Because of this, an article can often penetrate a resistant heart, for just the action of choosing to read it opens the door to the truth it contains.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="EN"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN">The pervasive power of writing also comes from the fact that, since written words easily endure, they often make it to places we would never dream.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: large;">So let the writing begin! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<b><i>“A drop of ink may make a million think.”</i></b><br />
<b><i>~~George Gordon Byron </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oYkPA6YUhyU/W6IYpbwWGiI/AAAAAAAAFbQ/ZQeatjCCVx43QnQjp1jW-wKUCcYLuwPkQCLcBGAs/s1600/London%2B2008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1019" height="291" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oYkPA6YUhyU/W6IYpbwWGiI/AAAAAAAAFbQ/ZQeatjCCVx43QnQjp1jW-wKUCcYLuwPkQCLcBGAs/s400/London%2B2008.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Photo taken at the British Library by my blog friend Cynthia<br />when I visited her in London in 2008.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-36435475436672974342018-09-07T14:13:00.000+10:002018-09-07T14:13:38.512+10:00Adaptable to Change<span style="font-weight: bold;">We work on what we need to learn</span><br />
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And while it's a healthy practice sometimes it sucks to be in it.<br />
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So we create safe rooms and we dance our patterns and we talk to our monsters.<br />
<br />
We give legitimacy to the part of us who doesn't want anything to change and the part who wishes everything would change faster already.<br />
<br />
And then we move some more things around.<br />
<br />
Change is a given. And it’s often also incredibly uncomfortable.<br />
<br />
There is really only one thing more important than change. And that’s the ability to adapt to it. Adaptation!<br />
<br />
Adaptation is an intentional practice. Sometimes I will intentionally mix things up more than necessary, just to jumpstart that process of adapting.<br />
<br />
That is why ....<span style="font-weight: bold;">We work on what we need to learn!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">— Charles Darwin</span> </span><br />
<em></em><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gx4hrtqZDUA/W5H5MfyCV3I/AAAAAAAAFaw/u6UI1AoSfSE7i4m4c-zdc_7wZTq-fvWBQCLcBGAs/s1600/Butterfly%2BChristchurch%2B20%2BFeb%2B2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="862" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gx4hrtqZDUA/W5H5MfyCV3I/AAAAAAAAFaw/u6UI1AoSfSE7i4m4c-zdc_7wZTq-fvWBQCLcBGAs/s400/Butterfly%2BChristchurch%2B20%2BFeb%2B2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">This beautiful butterfly landed on my hand in 2012 in Christchurch.</span></em></td></tr>
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miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620413414268418377.post-8203534093776699332018-08-19T19:23:00.000+10:002018-08-19T19:23:31.739+10:00In The Here and NowWhen I studied Practical Philosophy for 3 years the words BE HERE NOW were repeated over and over. There was a very simple reason why these three little words became my mantra. <br />
<br />
In the chaos of the modern world, there is a beauty in simply doing. <br />
<br />
We’re buffeted wildly by whatever emails, conversations, news, events, demands, that are going on around us. <br />
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Our minds become a constant deluge of thoughts dwelling in the past, worries of the future, distractions pulling us in every direction. <br />
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But all of that melts away when we focus on just doing. <br />
<br />
It doesn’t matter what the doing is: sitting, walking, writing, reading, eating, washing, talking, snuggling, playing. <br />
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By focusing on the doing, we drop our worries and anxieties, jealousies and anger, grieving and distraction. <br />
<br />
There is something profound in that simplicity. Something ultimately heart-rendingly breath-takingly gorgeous. <br />
<br />
So when you are caught up in the sandstorm of thoughts, feelings, to-dos, meetings, readings and communications. <br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Pause. Breathe. Let all of that fade.</span> <br />
<br />
Now focus on doing one thing, right now. Just choose one thing, and clear away all other distractions. <br />
<br />
Seriously, clear it all away. Turn off your Internet. Stop reading this article (OK, read a couple more sentences, then close your browser!). <br />
<br />
Let all thoughts about anything other than the doing also fade away. They’ll come up, but gently make note of them, and then let them go. And return to the doing. <br />
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If you’re washing a dish, do it slowly, and feel every sensation. If you’re eating a fruit, taste it, feel the textures, be mindful of your hunger or lack of it. If you’re writing something, pour your heart into that writing, become the writing, inhabit the words. <br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Just do.</span> <br />
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The rest of the world becomes meaningless distraction. It’s just you, and your doing. <br />
<br />
And you realize: this is all that matters. In this, there is everything. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water". <br />~Zen Buddhist Proverb</span></span> <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kEosdRDoUCk/W3k2eGupkJI/AAAAAAAAFZc/xJ_47dhA88EeF8y70HJJpl75GRXpl02pACLcBGAs/s1600/Waratah%2BVivid%2BSydney%2B2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="851" height="298" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kEosdRDoUCk/W3k2eGupkJI/AAAAAAAAFZc/xJ_47dhA88EeF8y70HJJpl75GRXpl02pACLcBGAs/s400/Waratah%2BVivid%2BSydney%2B2017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">I took this photo of a Waratah in the Royal Botanic Garden at Vivid Sydney 2017 - Festival of Lights, Music and Ideas.</span></em></td></tr>
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miruspeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01980477108868960140noreply@blogger.com8