And she’s back….. kinda… sorta (and really random)

One of my newest followers is a lovely lady called Deborah Weber who has recently been completing an A-Z daily post that has inspired me to once again do one of these.
It’s been a while since I have blogged every day but I’m going to give it a go. Of course it will entail pre-writing and scheduling on my part in order to have a daily post because due to my head (maybe more on that later) and coming home from work tired, I don’t get to my computer every day.

Well Played Universe… Well Played

Napoleon Hill started it all in 1937 with his book “Think and Grow Rich”.
He opened our minds to the concept of universal abundance and visualisation. Today, the teaching is still around and espoused by many such as Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra.
It was made especially popular through the writings in “The Secret” and “E-Squared” (both of which I’ve read). So it stands to reason that I believe that we can create our own prosperity and abundance and often try it out.

I’m Channelling Britney Spears….

You know…. “Oops, I did it again!”
That is, I’ve gone weeks between blog posts once more. I think the wheels have fallen off to be sure.
But here I am, checking in and letting you all know that I am in fact still with you and still the crazy, confused and mixed up person I have always been.
So what have I been doing with my life… besides not blogging? Well, I’m glad you asked. So in my self indulgent way, I will begin to tell you…

The World Today

I had an interesting conversation with my seniors the other day. It was Monday morning and they were talking about the news of the weekend and the world at large. One of them said “The world today is far more violent than it used to be”. I countered with the question, “Do you think the world is more violent, or is it that we are shown more coverage of the world’s violence due to the availability of satellites, telephones and the internet”?
This question was discussed for a number of minutes with the consensus among everyone that the world is far more violent than the one that they remember from their past.
Interestingly, I went looking for a photo to illustrate this post on Google just now. I typed in the search term “The World Today” and hundreds of photos filled my screen. Photos of war, starvation, refugees, soldiers, disasters, suffering and religious extremism. Peppered among these photos were brighter ones of quotes about change, royal weddings, technology and animals. The world is certainly a paradox.

Adapting to Change

I need to go on record as saying that change is difficult for me. I enjoy my routines and knowing exactly how things are going to be. It’s the bane of the Garden Gnome’s life that I find it difficult to make decisions about a lot of things, preferring to go along with what everyone else wants to do (or eat). I’m happy to ride the middle road. (Maybe that’s a whole other issue there).
Yet, I’m learning that the only constant is change.

My life has become a Disney song

Just the other afternoon I said to someone “How can I write about happiness when I am struggling to maintain it”?
I guess it was a rhetorical question. In any case, my friend didn’t answer me. It’s a bit of a tricky one to answer after all.
What I am learning is that happiness is something that evolves and it certainly isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ type of achievement.
I’m also learning little lessons that I am writing in my book.
Maybe that is the reason for my struggle.

The little bird with the big voice

This past week has been Bird Week here in my part of Australia and twitchers, birders, birdwatchers and ornithologists all over have been out and about identifying and recording bird calls and sightings to go into a national count. Run by the group Birds in Backyards,  even amateur bird lovers such as myself are encouraged to download the app and sit in their back yard and listen and watch for 20 minutes whilst recording the number and species of birds that they observe. This enables the group to compile a report on the changing habitats and habits of our little feathered friends.
So the past week has seen me with phone and field guide in hand ambling around my garden or seated in our outdoor entertainment area observing.

Happiness Tip #1

Tell others you love them

On a Sunday afternoon in July 2009 I was pottering around my home when the telephone rang. Picking it up, I heard “Hi Sis”.
It was the voice of Peter, my baby brother calling from his hospital bed.
Although Peter had been ‘through the mill’ health-wise over the years, battling leukaemia and GVH (graft versus host disease) after a life saving bone marrow transplant, he had been admitted to hospital a couple of days earlier as a precautionary measure following a routine visit to his oncologist. In the days prior, Peter had been knocked low with the ‘flu and his blood work didn’t look too good so he was now found himself occupying a hospital bed.