Tag: Growth
-
Freak Situations
In one of a number of freak situations, we recently endured a major power outage/failure/interruption caused by wild weather. Fingers are pointing, accusations are flying, and we’re ducking recriminations all round. More than half the state of Victoria was affected.
-
Is It Reluctance or Agoraphobia?
were subject to the lockdowns, I used to joke I was in danger of becoming agoraphobic. And given Melbourne may have endured the longest lockdown on the planet, or the most consecutive days in lockdown, or if you compare a very small number of cities…
-
Wonderful Habits and Routines
I’ve been thinking about habits and routines. I’ve written many times about morning routines, and each of these routines are actually long chains of habits.
-
The Phantom Chicken
Haley Joel Osment may have been able to see dead people, (The Sixth Sense), but seemingly, I see a chicken that isn’t there.
-
Three Types of Beauty
Photo by Mateusz Raczynski on Unsplash According to my loosey-goosey blog schedule, today’s post is supposed to be about Beauty, but I really have very little idea what to write about. So, I do what I always do in these circumstances – a random internet search to see what comes up. Here, in order of…
-
Expectation
Expectation is a way of thinking about the future. You’re expecting a particular outcome from the actions you’re taking. Maybe you’re following a recipe expecting for a delicious meal. Or perhaps gleefully preparing a prank. Either way, your plan might go as expected, giving you the result you expect. Or something strange, and weirdly outlandish…
-
The Wisdom of the Crone
One of the major fictional archetypes is the crone. She may be the grumpy old woman you want to steer clear of in case she curses you. Or, on the other side of the coin, she may be wise beyond your years. The Crone may form part of the triple goddess (maiden, mother and crone),…
-
The Virtues of Leadership
Way back when I was studying for my Masters in Project Management, one of the core (compulsory) units was Leadership. Mainly because Project Managers have to unify short-term teams of people. Most often while they report to a permanent management structure that doesn’t include the team leader. Show them the way, so to speak. I…
-
Adulting, Accountability & Responsibility
Not long ago, Katy asked for adulting tips, and I made a smart comment about social media. She scornfully suggested no one plans to waste an hour on social media, and that was kind of the point I was messily trying to make. Adulting But really, I was talking out of my arse because I…
-
Monk’s Evening Routine
Having been intrigued by the Venerable Nick Keomahavong’s morning routine, it’s only a small step to wondering about a Monk’s evening routine. Similar to morning routine, most evening routines are focused on increasing productivity the next day. But the Monk’s purpose in their evening routine is to bring the mind back home to stillness and…
-
Monk’s Morning Routine
Not sure what I was searching for on YouTube when I came across a new to me take on the morning routine – the Buddhist Monk’s morning routine as demonstrated by the Venerable Nick Keomahavong. I found it interesting because morning routines are usually focused on productivity; squeezing as much into the day as you…
-
The Significance of Sighing
DB commented the other day that I’ve been sighing a lot. I had no idea. But now that he’s mentioned it, I’m noticing I do it all the time! So I decided to find out why. The Medical Explanations According to Fiona MacDonald, you sigh every five minutes or so – it’s a reflex! But…
-
The Day Seems Bleak
We’ve had FIVE covid related lockdowns. Full of long, bleak days. So many that even I, an introvert who works from home, has about had enough. I find myself staring slack jawed out of the window, idly watching the turtledoves scramble around the deck looking for any seed the parrots might have missed. Now and…
-
The Time Flew By
Have you ever lost yourself in some kind of activity and wondered where the time went? You say, “oh my gosh, the time flew by, I have no idea where it went!” Toseland recently created an emoji to represent himself. It’s an old man. I suggested that he wasn’t that old, and he should consider…
-
Stop and Smell the Roses
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″] Stop and smell the roses, 27 January 2021. Photo by me! In September last year, I wrote about tiny little things. How spending the smallest of increments of time on…
-
The Three Wise Monkeys
Have you heard of the three wise monkeys? Hear no evil See no evil Speak no evil In the modern west, it’s often used in the sense of ignoring something morally wrong. But in the original Japanese context, it’s about not doing or being morally wrong. The other day, I heard a dramatic political statement,…
-
Dances of Death
Don’t know about you, but I’ve been preoccupied with death. Shouldn’t be much of a surprise to you, I’ve written about death and momento mori before. The lists of Covid-19 infections, deaths and recoveries make grim, yet compulsive viewing as I grapple with the scale of it. And when you add the scams on top,…
-
On Not Perpetuating Sexist Language
I recently read an interesting piece by Alison Flood, who reports Oxford University Press (OUP) are replacing the sexist language in example sentences in the Oxford English Dictionaries (OED). If you don’t know, the OED is the source used by Google and Apple. So when you look up words on those platforms, chances are, that’s…
-
The Pleasure and Pain of Healthy Habits
My last Transplant Clinic appointment was less pleasant than I’d hoped, and now I’m back to contemplating the nature of choice and healthy habits. And complacency. It seems that after my last transplant biopsy, a small piece of vital information slipped through the cracks. Not that I can honestly say it would have changed much,…
-
How to Respect All People
Respect; politeness, honour, and care shown towards someone or something that is considered important (Cambridge dictionary) When
-
Creating a Happy and Healthy Home
Recently there have been a lot of changes in the Blaelock Household, with the aim of creating a happy and healthy home. Mainly leading out from the transplant rejection scare, and consequently a need to redesign my working and sleeping environments. Happy and Healthy Sleeping Environment We started the sleeping environment upgrades a few months…
-
Your Hierarchy of Needs
In 1954, Abraham Maslow posited that all people are driven to fulfil a basic set of human needs. Essentially, you start from your most basic needs (at the bottom of the hierarchy) and work up. Only when you have satisfied your biological needs can you think about your safety. And not until you feel safe…
-
Taking a Short Break
I’ve already mentioned it’s the time of Great Regret and my action plan for getting back on track. And as it turns out, it seems that around about this time every year, I hit the wall and need to take a break. So I’m taking a few weeks off to do and see interesting things,…
-
The Happy Benefits of Overcoming Fear
One of the 2019 Emerging Writers Festival workshops I enjoyed was Madeleine Dore’s Reaching the Finish Line, but it was mainly about overcoming fear. Overcoming Fear of What? I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you that procrastination is all about Fear. Fear is like cancer; it’s not just one thing. Big F…
-
How to Choose What To Do First
It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I have so much to do that I’m not sure what to do first. Or second. Or last for that matter.
-
The Exciting Discovery of an Epic Library Catalogue
Sometimes it’s funny what you find isn’t it? You start an internet search with a clear goal, and this leads to that, which comes round to the other. And before you know it, the day’s gone and you haven’t found what you were looking for. Though you may have found something interesting instead. Like an…
-
How to Conduct a Rewarding Research Project
Today’s post is for Emily, who recently read about my Research Outfit and wondered exactly what kind of rewarding research project I’m tackling that risks my hair getting caught in machinery. A reasonable question when you’d think I wouldn’t risk much more than paper cuts because I’m in a library of some description. I can’t…
-
Books: to keep or not keep?
Since I read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, I keep falling over intense, library voice (whispered) bookish debates about whether to keep or not keep books. More often than not, the argument centres on not keeping, and Ms Kondo’s insistence on only keeping those that “spark joy.” Can/does a book “spark joy”? Well,…
-
Year of the Pig Perspicacity
If you hadn’t noticed, we’re just starting the Chinese Year of the Pig. I have a few words about pig perspicacity. Mainly because it’s a nice alliteration. Though according to Chinese lore, pigs aren’t very clever (or perspicacious). But they’re not bent on world domination or harming others. They’re pretty laid back and generally make…
-
How To Apologise Like You Mean It
There’s been another round of dud apologies, and I just don’t get why some people find it so hard to apologise. Perhaps they too have a mother who spent years demanding that they apologise like they mean it. And when (if) they do, it’s often too late – the horse has bolted – the damage…
-
Memento Mori
For those who don’t know, the Latin phrase Memento Mori more or less means remember, you’re gonna die too. And perhaps coincidentally concurrent with my visit to the Vikings exhibition, the funeral home that threatened to cancel my mother’s funeral four hours before it was due to commence sent me an email to remind me that it’s…
-
A Short Soapbox about Fat Old White Guys and Doing the Housework
I’ve been thinking about modern life. And how fat old white guys still run the world. And that they believe they know what is best for everyone else. Even when it’s usually only best for themselves. I’d shared my irritation about that before the latest round of rorts and scandals, so there’s not much point going over that again. And…