Grateful Wonder

Connecting to Community

Over the course of my teaching career I have come across many different people and have worked in many different educational areas and towns. I have learnt something from all of it. Sometimes the lessons were learnt long after the fact but, learn and grow from it I did. So I’d like to ask you all a question and, please, take the time to truely reflect and give some time to think about your answer.

What do you do to truely be apart of your community? Your work community, hobby groups, your kids sports or school or any other pursuits you are involved in.

In recent years I have released how important it is to give back. To give back professional, to my children’s school, and within my larger community.

Some years ago I was asked to join my kids school P&C (parents and citizens). What I discovered was that participating and giving my time to this organisation, gave me a great sense of connectedness, purpose and also of comradery. I, with other people who I never meet or knew before joining the P&C, were making a difference for all the children at school. A person can only feel that deep satisfaction and purpose when they freely give. Now don’t get me wrong, there were times when I didn’t want to go to the meetings or was busy and just didn’t want to! But, I was so glad I pushed myself and I know helped make difference.

Working at one of the school fundraisers. This was part of afternoon tea that a friend I had catered for as part of P&C.

Within my teaching career, I have realised how important it is to give back to colleagues and undergraduates. As much as I felt at times that I was going it alone, I always had older teachers with a wealth of knowledge giving me a simple guiding hand. That could have been from a small comment of praise, a hint on what to do or where to find information or just listening to me. I realise now that I am becoming that teacher with a wealth of experience and knowledge and it is my turn to provide that guiding hand.

Recent years I always make time to seek out and be that friendly face to new staff, (either graduate or transfer teachers but also auxiliary staff) to my school. it’s not hard to just smile, introduce yourself and ask if they are okay. It makes them feel great and amazingly you also feel great.

I know at times it’s easier to just go home, lay on the couch and scroll on a device. Especially if you are feeling tired, grumpy and stressed. But I can not emphasise how much joining my various communities in a deeper way has helped with all areas of my health. Especially with my mental health! By joining in and giving freely, you never know but you may just make a new friend.

My Family and a beautiful bunch of ladies I meet at my gym. Giving deeper connections resulted in my finding and developing 4 new friends who have given me so much advice and help around so many different things.

Photo Op….

So today I thought I would share some of my photos I took recently on a walk around my home town. I have always wanted to learn photography and now I try to make the time for photos. I also can’t thank my good friend who also helps with all the technical stuff around either my SLR camera or talk through the composition of taking a good photo. If you ever get the chance to join a walk around your local town with a camera jump at the chance. It was so lovely to see my town the through the lens of a camera.

The gorgeous under side of our old bridge. Old bridges are so beautiful in their form and functionality.

I was a little fascinated with line and trying to draw the viewers eye some where. Also I was just taken with the difference of this little ally.

Our beautiful post office in our Main Street. Upstairs is stunning the the view from that verendah is gorgeous.

Aspects of my home life. I love where I live. The sunrises and sunsets are so beautiful. And there is nothing better then a cuppa overlooking my river!

If there is a hobby you have always wanted to purse I urge you, go and take the plunge. I have learnt so much from the internet, YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook groups and of course my real life friends I see.

Man Happiness

The last 2 and a bit years my Darling Husband has managed to achieve a new level of “excitement”, “winning” and absolute pure “joy”. How has he achieved this you may ask? Well it all started after we sold our suburban home and moved to our current property.

We moved to our new 20 acre digs about 6 years ago and within 3 months of settling in we had been gifted a few head of cattle. Now the history of those cattle are for another post but, those 8 head of cattle got him looking on the internet for more land. Eventually he found (for a ridiculously small sum of money) what would become our Bush Block.

The creek that runs (when we get enough rain) through the middle of our Bush Block.

This Bush Block has given him the will to live (seems an extreme idea but considering how sick he was in 2020 it was driving force). This place was what drove him to not give up and rethink his purpose and return to his true calling…..Farming. Or better yet Grazier!

Fixing the machinery with the “supervisors” looking on.

Now his joy and childish excitement did not stop there. Oh no! Now he needed motor bikes, portable cattle yards, cattle truck and many other heavy duty machinery. 2019 he got himself, well I got him as a birthday present a 6 tonne digger. Insert Tim the Toolman Taylor grunting. This of course has lead to him purchasing extra bits and bobs for it so he can do more with it. After the success of the digger he managed to score himself as a Christmas present a bulldozer and saw mill!

My Husband is currently leading 2021 like a kid who has been let lose in candy shop with no adult supervision. It does not help that his father recently gave him this pearl of wisdom “A man with no gear gets nothing done!” I’m sure you can imagine where conversations have led since that statement.

The bulldozer. If you want to see it in action check out his YouTube channel “Mountain Block Moments”

Let’s just say that Husband Dear is slowly getting his heavy duty gear and I for one am expecting a lot to get done. Especially as he his now a man with the gear!

Peace on the River

We purchased our river place nearly seven years ago. It has given us such pleasure and a sense of peace. There is nothing like waking up and, with your morning cuppa sit and view the river. It’s during the quiet early morning that one can witness the diversity of wildlife that the river calls to.

I never realised how important our morning ritual actually is. If Hubby and I go anywhere for some period of time all we want to do is be back by our river.

Living here has given us the chance to provide so many opportunities for our boys. They’ve played in the river, experimented with fishing (the joys and frustrations) and played on all sorts of different “boats”. Our Oldest learnt how to row a row boat. Not any easy task to get the hang of.

However after seven years of living here, I finally took the plunge and purchased a SUP. I love it. Why had I not purchased one sooner! I get to experience the river in another way. A way I haven’t before.

There is nothing better than paddling down the river at twilight and next minute a lungfish has popped up to take a breath. My river is one of the very few places to have this ancient fish. Eel like but much larger in girth, it takes a gulp of air then twists around and descends. A magical creature when one encounters it.

To witness such an ancient creature in the quiet on a SUP is amazing. Then all of sudden fish are jumping and turtles pop their head up for air. It has only been while paddling on my SUP that I have been able to further immerse myself in all the river has to offer.

I thank my lucky stars everyday that we were able to purchase our home on the river. I could never have believed how much peace and comfort I derive from home. This is where I have been able to raise my family and share all my crazy dreams with Hubby.

Pass Words…..

You’ve entered the incorrect password or log on details. Have you forgotten?

This message is the bane of my existence. Especially when it’s popping up on my youngest sons electrical device. And it’s always his device followed by a close second with Darling Husband and First Born Son.

I even have a black book (and yes it is actually black) that has log on and password details. I know that you aren’t supposed to keep a record of log ons and passwords but gee! Come on! Who feels that they no longer can store any more information in their brain?

So the other weekend saw us as a family having to purchase another two laptops for the boys (it’s a school thing) which you guessed it…….more passwords.

It also meant setting up said laptops and then linking with the school. More passwords. Eventually we got it all working but, I’m sooooo over passwords. At least my boys are developing their own pattern for remembering them so one day soon I’m hoping I don’t need to anymore. But I think not, I think I will be forever trying to remember passwords and fix the password issues.

2020….

I know I’m a little late to the party wishing everyone a Happy New Year, however I decided to take a break. No blogs or social media and just breath over my Christmas/New Year period.

But what a year 2020 was! And what a start to 2021. Really those few words hardly encapsulate what some have been through. I know for my family we had it harder than others, but I also know that many others had it far worse than us. Now this isn’t a post to compete on who had it worse, but instead I want share some lessons and reflections from 2020.

When medical disaster struck Hubby we were lucky that we had such fantastic medical support. Especially at the height of our State’s pandemic response in April. I was always just behind the restrictions easing. When Hubby first landed in hospital, that morning the restrictions had eased to one visitor. However QLD Health and our private specialists started to embrace phone conferencing. We had been asking if this was possible for for the last 5 years! Thank you pandemic for getting our medical team to fully embrace that technology.

Even before the pandemic I had already “pulled” my oldest from school to home educate him. Once Hubby become sick I also did the same for my younger son. We spent 2020 as a family learning together. I do not regret home educating either of my sons, however 2021 looks like they will return to an education institution called school. What I enjoyed most about the home education experience was getting to know my boys at a deeper level as they head into their teenage years. Once both boys realised their day looked oh so different from a school day, they were able to fully persuade their own interests. Both boys enjoy cooking and now cook one evening meal a week each. I discovered how wickedly funny both my boys are but in different ways. I would never have got that experience without having had the pandemic hit nor if Hubby hadn’t become as sick as he did.

2020 showed me the generosity, support and true friendships I have in my life. I always knew my boss was a generous and supportive man, but when illness took hold over my family he was able to give me all the time off I needed and then some. For that I will be eternally gratefully and thankful for. My colleagues were amazing and friends and family were always on hand for whatever we needed.

As terrible as 2020 was I am so thankful for all that happened. As a result my family is stronger, developed greater resilience and far greater focus on what we want from our lives. So thank you 2020, I will always remember the lessons that were taught and continue to strive forward with all that 2021 will bring. I hope that you are able to look back on 2020 and realise that there was lot on offer from that year for all of us.

Take that chance….

A number of years ago I said to a friend, “I think I’d like to write little essays on things I’ve learnt and stuff”. Her reply was one of enthusiasm and that’s as far as that idea went. Blogging didn’t even occur to me and certainly never on the internet! Well fast forward 10 years and Husband Dear become ridiculously ill and I ended up on extended leave. I found out that I don’t do well with no work. So that seed of an idea was finally getting the right conditions to germinate.

I got excited. Then I started asking lots of questions, and of course I went to the fountain of all knowledge my local library for research. Also online research to back up or expand what I read. I was going to join the ranks of bloggers and go across some social media platforms.

For me this was scary stuff. I was actually going to have to put myself out there. Authentically put myself out there and take ownership on what and how I wanted to say and show. For the first time in a long time I started to feel creative energy come back to me. I was excited and scared!

I didn’t realise how much “stuff” there was about social media accounts or doing WordPress. How does one do all this? So I did what I always do, become a small child and push buttons. Button pushing monkey is usually what I refer to myself in these situations. And whadya know! Pushing buttons got me to where I needed to be. I got a blog and was across three social media platforms I was comfortable on.

However this new found confidence didn’t stop there! An acting promotional role came up where I work. I decided to take another chance on me. I got the help of a friend cause I’ll be honest I suck at writing to selection criteria. She helped me and I realised if I removed myself from the cringeworthy ego of it all (sorry I find selection criteria ego driven and cringeworthy) then I was able to write.

I guess all I’m saying is that if you have that seed of an idea don’t worry if it takes 10 years for it to find the right conditions to germinate. But you will need to have the courage to take that leap of faith. You never know you may discover a new passion or job and in the process discover a new found confidence. As 2020 draws to its enviable end what will you take a chance on for yourself?

Ethos, Creed or Guiding Principle……

The last few years I’ve started to think deeply about who I want to be. Not what people think about me but actually who or how I want to live my life. I’m not sure if it’s a sign I’m getting older or a response to experiences over the last few years. I think it may be a little of column A and a little of column B.

2020 has been a big year for our family with Hubby’s medical issues. It has made me consciously consider how I want to live life with authenticity and integrity. Which has lead me to the idea of a manifesto for my own life.

Now I’m not sure if many of you have ever thought about a manifesto or having your own motto or guiding principle. It all seems, pardon the French but a little wanky. Maybe you already do and don’t even realise it!

Anne’s Life Ethos:

> Be kind. Yes cliche but I’ve realised so many are not kind to themselves or to each other. Also my father always said “never burn your bridges cause you may need them when you come back” so if we are unkind to others that’s a form of bridge burning.

> I love being married. Husband dear is always there for me as I for him. We were and still are friends first and foremost. When you find that someone don’t treat them with snide remarks or mockery. Plenty of others will do that so be there for each other. Build each other up positively. It really is lovely to come home to some one who cares deeply for you.

> My job as a parent is to make sure my children become functioning members of society. That means they know how to work, be respectful and can give back when it is their time. How I do this isn’t always to current societies norms but, I think it will all be okay in the end.

> Play. Play games with others, play in the surf or have fun in a river. Play with your friends. Yes play sounds odd when your 40 something or 30 or 50 something but gee it’s fun! It gives you a laugh and you get to hang out with friends and family for a laugh.

> Look after my land. I have finally started to acknowledge and curiously starting to jump into deeper knowledge around my countries Indigenous people’s way of connecting to country. It also aligns greatly with permaculture principles which I love. I want to learn to grow and cook with indigenous foods and repair damage done to the land that I live on from previous generations.

> Live simply with gratitude for all that I have. I look around where I live and what I have a realise how lucky I am. Husband dear and I have worked hard for this lifestyle we are creating and I love it.

> Work hard. I really do love teaching. It may not be the same profession that I started in and yes change in some areas has been needed and appreciated. But I do love to do a good job. Plus I want to show with doing to my children (like my parents did for me) that doing a good job is worthwhile and needed.

I know many of my little things seem cliche but after all I have gone through this year it has really made me pause and think. Home life and work are important to me and yes we could talk work life balance till the cows come home, but sometimes the pendulum does swing further to one side to the other. And you know what…..that’s okay. As long as you see it and make sure it swings back.

So how do you want to live your life? I would love to hear what is important to others.

Stop! Reflect and Balance

I recently wrote about being busy. Well I unfortunately fell down that rabbit hole. My only saving grace was that I knew it and did not try to out do anyone in how busy I’d been. My work life balance had tipped to far into work.

The last few weeks has seen me jump hard and deep down that rabbit hole of work. Against my own ideals of setting boundaries within myself of down time or I should say time for own interests. I raced back to work thinking I would be able to just pick those horse reins up and gallop away like I did before my leave. I was wrong. Very, very, very wrong!!

Remembering to enjoy simple things like my garden

I become hard on myself for not meeting my own high expectations. Not keeping pace with work and all that I wanted to achieve. All those extra bits and bobs I take on on top of my usual duties. Then I would think about all I hadn’t done in my private life and the disappointment continued to just roll over me. Its all such cyclic nonsense of busy!

So what helped me turn it around to stop falling into that pit of despair? Forgiveness. One simple word but one tough act and mindset to pull off. What propelled me to forgive myself was a chance encounter with a fellow colleague. It was while talking with him about a student and he kept heading off on side tangents about other students. What’s more, every tangent he went off, he wanted information from me when I had been on leave. I left his office feeling distressed and desolate. Like it was my fault for not knowing when I wasn’t there.

Family games night helps to reconnect with the most important people

I allowed myself a mental health day to regroup. I remembered something my boss said about the work will still be there tomorrow. I remembered how I wanted to change the balance of my life. I took time to breath. I allowed myself to sit of a morning and reconnect with my husband. I jog and solve the problems of the world with my running buddy. I garden. I wander my yard bare foot checking on plants and listening to the bees. I continue to connect with people at work over coffee or a quick chat. I give thanks and tell people their smile is beautiful or they look fabulous. I let people know when they’ve done awesome things. And you know what……my work volume increased and stress level decreased. Space between work and life gives both a chance to thrive and survive.

“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list”
Michelle Obama, former First Lady

Argh…..I’m So Busy…

That catch phrase…..I’m so busy…….

We all wear it like a badge of honour. I’m so busy with…….and then we all give a long laundry list of all the business we have to do. Then the next person tries to out do the laundry list of business. However the tone of voice is always one of going out in sympathy with each other but edged with competition.

Sorry, but I am going to burst peoples bubble. To be “I’m so busy” is not a badge of honour. Let me just repeat that cause I think this is really important, “I’m so busy” is NOT a badge of honour.

Over recent years I’ve started to realise that “I’m so busy” is just an excuse. Especially if it’s used to defend why you haven’t indulged in your hobbies or it is interfering with family time. Or worst yet, in my opinion, used as a defence to prioritise what isn’t important in your life.

Now I know this may sound preachy but if there is one thing that drove home to me deeply during this 2020 pandemic was, the business will always be there tomorrow. But to enjoy my veg patch, learning how to stand up paddle board or practice my photography skills or even starting this blog would not have happened if I continued with the “I’m so busy” mentality. I am busy, but busy pursuing things that interest me.

I’m busy going back to old hobbies. Busy being with my family. Busy taking joy in my work because I’m allowing myself to be busy in my own joyful pursuits. Yes after years of whinging and complaining about my job I have come full circle back to loving and enjoying my job.

This weekend in a long while I stayed at home. I went no where. I stopped. I wasn’t busy. I actually watched TV. I potted around the yard, had a nanna nap, read, baked and did some housework. I allowed myself to not feel busy and in the process still did heaps but with out the rushing here and there.

So I’m going to throw out a challenge. What business could you do less of? What busy could you do that was purposeful and brings you joy? I would love to hear from you all on this topic. let’s try to get back to what we all want to do, and lose the badge of honour of “I’m so busy”.