Last week I did a week of orientation into a new place of work.  This new place of work provides morning and afternoon tea every day.  A mix of hot snack food, cakes and fruit. 
Everyday I enjoyed this provision, and everyday it was the hot snack food and cake that I chose, never the fruit option. 
I rarely eat such food, and so by the end of the week I could see and feel the difference in my self. I had fallen back into some old eating habits. That then continued into the weekend … a large packet of chips with a DVD on Friday night.  An extra large block of chocolate with another DVD on Saturday night. Then sharing a slice of cheesecake with a friend this afternoon.  Then tonight while doing the groceries I threw a packet of chips in the trolley … then I put them back on the shelf … then I got caught out at the cookies … they never made it back to the shelf.  Okay I have to kick this bad old habit returned, before it gets completely out of control.  If I don’t, then ultimately I’m going to gain back those 9 kgs I’ve lost in the last 12 months.  A downward spiral I don’t want to take.

It’s time for some different choices. Healthy choices such as the fruit option, which is also there in front of me.

Thinking about how easy it was to fall back in to old eating habits, just because it was there in front of me, got me to thinking about eating habits of a different kind … the kind we feed our mind.

Even when we know it’s not healthy, we so easily fall into the trap of taking it.  It’s there in front of us through a comment, or a feeling as a result of a thought or an action.  And we so easily just take it, multiple times in a day, day after day, until it becomes an everyday thing. 
Even when we see how bad it makes us feel, we continue to eat it up, chew it over, and we gain weight in our head space. Which in turn impacts so many other areas of our life.  Weight that we are better off without. Weight we can avoid if we will make different choices – healthy choices. 

Why do we choose the unhealthy option over the healthy option?
Why are we quick to take on negative thinking over positive thinking? 

Make a decision to choose healthy. Lose the excess mental weight.

Because you have the ability to choose what you do and don’t feed yourself.
Don’t allow the downward spiral to happen.

No one is ‘force feeding’ you. 

But maybe we need to ‘force feed’ ourselves on the positive option, until it becomes the only option.

I like this quote:

In 2014 I spent a year in Uganda,  Africa. While I was there I was challenged by the name of a not for profit organisation called ‘Be More Uganda.’  These words in big bold print, on black t- shirts, were worn by each volunteer.  With so many volunteers around town, it was definitely a good advertising idea, and also a challenge at the same time.

I don’t know the organisational meaning behind it, although I could hazard a guess. But in any case it challenged me on a personal level in this way….

Be More:
Our ‘being’ is who we are.
Our ‘doing’ is what we do.
For some of us we spend so much time ‘doing’ that when we stop ‘doing’, we don’t know what our ‘being’ is all about, or maybe for some the ‘being’ got lost in the busyness of ‘doing’.

In my own experience, I was so busy ‘doing’ I lost sight of my ‘being’.  Or maybe I never really had an understanding of my ‘being’ separate from my ‘doing’. I don’t think I actually ever gave it any thought.  But at the time of the initial challenge, I felt too busy in all of my ‘doing’ to take on that challenge to address my ‘being’.

After completing my year in Uganda, I was forced to stop ‘doing’ for a while due to a health issue that needed to be addressed. What I discovered was that without my ‘doing’ I felt lost and without value.  And that was when I realised I had no idea of my ‘being’ unless I was ‘doing.’ 

But actually we were a human ‘being’ before we were a human ‘doing.’

So all of our ‘doing’ should come out of our ‘being.’  But so often we live and behave like our ‘being’ is all dependant on our ‘doing.’

If we take the time to focus on and work out our being, I believe we can then function better in our doing. Because in fully knowing our ‘being’, we are ‘fuller’ in knowing who we are, and therefore able to achieve better and possibly even achieve more in our ‘doing’.

So who is your being?
It’s not about what you do!
It’s separate.

Your ‘doing’ should be secondary to your ‘being’ so that if the ‘doing’ stops, then you are secure in your ‘being.’ 

If you did nothing, would you be secure in just ‘being’? 
Do you value your ‘being’ in itself alone?
OR
Do you only value your ‘being’ because of your ‘doing’? 

In theory a giraffe as tall as it is, after bending down to drink water from a source at ground level; should not then be able to lift its head up to stand, without passing out.

As we know, the heart is responsible for pumping blood around the body.  In the case of a giraffe this is easier to achieve when he is bent over than when he is standing tall – anything uphill is never easy!

So when the giraffe goes from bending down low to standing up tall he should in theory pass out.  Similar to someone who when getting up too fast, has to sit down again to gain their balance and then slowly get up.  So too the giraffe should have to get up very slowly to allow his heart to adjust to the raising of his head to such a height.  But he doesn’t!  He bends down to drink and then immediately stands upright when he is finished.  Because the way he is – is the way he was created.

Would God really create an animal so tall, that it would struggle to drink? One of the basic necessities of life?  No, God thought of everything!  The reason the giraffe does not pass out when transitioning from a low head height to a high head height is all in how he was created with:

1) an enlarged heart with thick walls making it a stronger pump to enable blood to be pumped up to the head (as much as 2 metres), overriding the force of downward pressure due to gravity.

2) valves in the main veins of the neck that control blood flow and thus blood pressure in the brain.

3) extra thick and elastic blood vessel walls that a) prevent a rupture due to the high blood pressure levels, and b) control blood flow during the transition.

4) a complex maze of small blood vessels at the base of the brain that holds and releases extra blood supply to the brain as required during transition.

5) the lower legs are also under pressure (due to the weight of fluid pressing down on them) and thus have a tight arrangement of ligaments and tendons that prevent too much blood from pouring into them.

If any one of these functions were to fail, the giraffe would not survive.

Likewise the way we are, is the way we were created.  Regardless of what people might say we should or shouldn’t be able to do, we were all created for a plan and a purpose.  So go ahead, reach for the dreams you have, knowing that the One who created you has built into you everything you need to fulfil them.  He equipped the giraffe!  And He has equipped you too.

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to do up my balcony.  To make it my little piece of outside heaven with my pent house views.  A place to sit outside with the city views before me as I read a book,  enjoy brekky, or just to sit back and breathe!
So since then, I’ve bought 2 bar chairs so that I can sit at a level higher than the balcony railing to be able to see my spectacular city skyline.  But I’m still on the hunt for a small bar table.
So I’ve been searching various Op Shops in the hopes of finding something cheap.  I’ve also googled it, and looked on gum tree (where I found the chairs) but nothing, and it seems Ikea is my best and cheapest second option.
On Saturday morning as I was preparing to visit another series of Op Shops, I felt somewhat discouraged (and even a little bit anxious) about my continuing search for this bar table. The time spent going from one shop to another.  The fuel spent driving here and there. Only to then be disappointed. I considered the easier option, the quickest option,  of just going to Ikea and buying it brand new.
But then a thought whispered:

“It’s not just about the table, but about the other things you find along the way.”

I know that’s true because the past ‘Op Shop hopping’ has found me 7 pairs of jeans (I’ve NEVER owned so many), a new pair of shoes, a jacket, and some wall art for my balcony. So I decided to make my focus about the exploring,  and if I discover a bar table along the way,  then that would be great too. I immediately felt better,  the pressure to find a bar table was off!

At the first Op Shop, I pulled up in front of the store, and there it was …  staring at me … a mannequin with a dark green sweater on and I thought “I’ve gotta have that sweater.” I entered the store and asked the shop assistant if I could try it on, and of course she was like “Sure! Help yourself.” I actually thought she might get it for me,  but apparently not, and so I undressed the mannequin in the store window. As a nurse I’ve undressed a lot of bodies, but this would be my first mannequin …. thankfully she had a shirt on underneath, so there was no situation of indecent exposure in the shop window.  The sweater was a perfect fit, and for $6, a total bargain.
Then I found 2 chipboard posters with the quotes:

live for today hope for tomorrow

and

if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.

Perfect to use as outdoor art on my balcony wall.  At $4 each another bargain.
Then it was time to move on to the next store.  There I found a corduroy jacket I love, and a rather unique watch, which is another story for another post.

Then onto the third store,  which I couldn’t find and so there ended my journey for today.  No bar table as yet, but none the less quite an enjoyable day with some unexpected purchases along the way.

I contemplated how much today’s exploring is like life … my life. And maybe you can relate?
You have a life plan.  You believe it’s your purpose and your destiny. But then it doesn’t turn out the way you believed it would.
Anxiety kicks in as we all know we only have one chance at life … so don’t mess it up.  But then I’m reminded it’s not just about the destination point I had expected.  It’s about all the other things along the way.  The people I met. The friends I made. The lives I impacted. The lives that impacted me.
And so while the destination point (thus far) hasn’t turned out as I expected, I also wouldn’t be without those unexpected ‘other things’ I found along the way.  Because they make me who I am today.

So be encouraged to enjoy the journey, on the way to your destination.  And if the destination point isn’t yet what you expected, that’s okay … you’re still breathing, so it’s not over yet.
But also in taking the time to enjoy the journey, you allowed other things to come your way. Things you might have missed out on, if you were blind to the journey, in your pursuit of the destination.

So remember: live for today (the journey)… and hope for tomorrow (the destination).

This week I have thought much about, and even been a little bit anxious about, what I would write.  I haven’t prepared a photo for any of my former writings, and I haven’t got anything new.
But then on Friday, I think I got it.  It’s not anything profound, but I found myself thinking about it for much of the day, and then I dismissed it as ‘not any good’ which (from the prophecy) is my reminder not to do that.  So here it is:

While cleaning my bathroom, I noticed the water in the shower drain pipe was high, so it must be time to do that disgusting task of hair extraction again. On closer inspection, there didn’t seem to be much accumulated in the grate,  but I started the process anyway.
It’s a grosse duty, the worst of all domestic duties, but it has to be done. But the slippery, slimy hair strands were not going to let go of the grate easily. So if this task was going to be successful, it was time to find an implement to help with the process.
The only implement available to me was a pair of tweezers. And so I continued in my pursuit of clearing the drain pipe.
After clearing the grate, I delved a little deeper, with tweezers I could go where fingers couldn’t (and shouldn’t, unless I want a visit from the paramedic team).
Ewwww!!! there I discovered the deeper you delve, the more you discover the problem is bigger than you could see on the surface.
I don’t need to tell you about how much more I pulled out of the drain pipe. And given the water level has dropped, but is still visible, I guess the problem is still not completely resolved and may be a job for a tradie.
So, disgusting as it is … this solves the problem of not having a photo, because no one wants a photo of ‘that.’  Possibly no one wants a story about it either, but you don’t get a say in that, other than if you choose not to read on.

In life there are many areas that can become blocked, and thus we need to confront them and have a ‘clean out’ from time to time. Be it our shower, our diet, our home, bad attitudes, or negative self beliefs, they all need to be addressed.  The sooner we do it, the sooner we will have control over that area, and also be more effective in that area. And better to address the problem quickly (at a surface level) before it becomes so deep, it’s a job for a professional.

Like my shower drain, it might be an ugly process. It might not let go easily. And it may well require tools and professional resources to help complete the task. But if we commit to completing the process,  the day will come that we are more effective in that area, and all the better for it.
So be encouraged to look after you as a priority, to confront and clean out what ever needs to be addressed, so you can be the best you, that only you can be.

Last week I wrote about my speedboat adventure in Thailand. Today’s post is about the trip home after touring the Phi Phi Islands….

After 40 years of always having motion sickness on any form of transport, I was a little concerned about the boat trip home.
My last speed boat experience was in 2013 traveling back from an island off the coast of Mozambique back to the mainland in stormy conditions that saw all other boats refuse to go out. So even though the weather conditions today were good, fair to say, I still had some anxiety about today’s boat ride.

You see, I am the person who if not driving has to sit in the front passenger seat. If I can’t then I must sit in the middle of the back seat so that I’m centred and can keep my eyes glued to the white line on the road. And if you have something hanging from your rear view mirror, then you need to remove that, as the motion of that thing swinging makes me wanna hurl.
I can’t handle the Great Ocean road with all its bends.
I can’t take my eyes off the road to look at a rainbow.
I can’t sit sideways in a vehicle, I have to be facing the direction the vehicle is going.
If you want me to navigate, then you’re going to have to stop the car for me to read the Melways.
And I definitely can’t handle hard and sudden braking or jerky gear changes.
I can’t travel backwards on a tram or a train.
I can’t sit at the back of the bus.
I can’t sit over the wheel hub.
I can’t do roller coaster rides.
I can’t jump on a trampoline.
The slightest turbulence in a plane makes me wanna hurl.
But with the anti nausea wrist bands, so long as I employ ALL the usual strategies, then I am fine.

On the morning boat ride I had momentarily felt the effects of not sticking to the strategies in a brief moment when I had to sit down (or I’d have fallen down) due to the rough landing on the waves. But I was able to return to my standing position quickly enough for it not to be a problem.

It was now time for that 45 minute boat ride home. Lunch had been a few hours earlier, and I’d kept it ‘light’ for a reason. I boarded the speedboat, took my seat, and without planning to, did everything wrong. “Ohhhh Noooooo!” I hear you say….

1) Looking towards the back of the boat.
2) Not even thinking about the horizon, as I was too entranced watching the water spray off the back of the boat.
3) Sitting down on my seat along the side of the boat.

In that moment of realising I was not employing the usual strategies, I also realised I was completely fine. Not a single ‘nausea’ moment. I sat there in disbelief that it was actually happening … or rather … that ‘nothing’ was happening!

It just goes to show that even after 40 years “Just because something has always been a certain way (whatever that issue may be) doesn’t mean it will always be that certain way.”
And it can all change in a day!
We just never know when that change will take effect.
Be encouraged to NEVER GIVE UP in pursuing the change you want to see in a situation.

I’ve just returned from an 11 day Thailand getaway and so here’s a story from that adventure.

Some friends organised a speed boat to take us on a tour of Phi Phi Islands.
After a brief group info session for all tour groups, our group of 25 people walked out along the marina and boarded our boat.  A bench seat down both sides of the boat meant I needed to be strategic in my seating plan.
With my anti nausea wrist bands on, I stood behind the driver, facing the front of the boat so I could keep my eyes fixed on the horizon.  I’m a known ‘chucker’ since childhood.
It was quite the speed boat ride with SPEED being a key element.
For the 45 minute ride I had 3 strategies:
1) face the direction we are traveling in.
2) keep my eyes fixed on the horizon.
3) stand the whole journey so I can take the movement of the boat by flexing at the knees, rather than feeling it in my stomach.

In the midst of this boat ride, I contemplated how much it is like the ride of life.  You can be strategic in where you position yourself and you can have a plan,  but the plan doesn’t always come to pass.  Thankfully on this boat ride, my plan did come to pass. But in life itself, that hasn’t always been the case. But then I haven’t always stuck to the strategy.

So in reviewing my 3 strategies :
1) face the direction we are traveling in.
Go with it!  Make the most of it.  Fight for what you want out of it, but don’t fight against it.  It’s part of the process.  I’m still learning all about the process….
2) keep my eyes fixed on the horizon.
The horizon keeps us centred,  balanced, focused. It is the equilibrium! That which keeps my stomach contents and the crashing waves from coming together as one.  What is your equilibrium?
For me it is my faith in God. Sometimes we do lose our focus, and we take our eyes off the horizon.  But it’s important to recognise this (if and when it does happen), and then refocus before ‘disaster’ strikes.  The less turmoil incurred means less ‘damage control’ to clean up.
3) stand the whole journey so I can take the movement of the boat by flexing at the knees, rather than feeling it in my stomach.
Find the stance you need to take to complete the journey.  A quote by Charles F. Glassware reads: “Stress can destroy much more than our physical health.  Too often it eats away at our hope, belief and faith.”  So find your ‘flex point’ so you can handle the blows well when they hit?

Then while it wasn’t a strategy I planned on, I certainly implemented each of these as we hit the waves.
Remember to laugh, scream, and grit your teeth, whatever the moment calls for because: 1) it’s a good anxiety release. 2) because even in the midst of the rough, there are moments to enjoy. You just have to hang on. And sometimes that means hanging on real tight, with everything you’ve got, and then some!  Hang on to life itself! And then tell your story from the other side… because you will eventually reach the destination you’re aiming for,  so long as you don’t give up before you get there.

Lastly,  we were not the only boat on the water.  We’re all on a journey.  We don’t know their experience,  and they don’t know ours.  Some get a smooth, easy, enjoyable ride,  while others get a crazy, wild, rough ride.  Most of us get somewhere in the middle.
So assume nothing, and be kind to everyone, including yourself.

It was February 10th, 2009 and I wanted to send a card for Valentine’s Day to a friend to express how much I appreciated her friendship over the years.  So, unable to come up with anything myself, I asked God to give me something that would sum up what her friendship meant to me.  This was the result . . .

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In a game of Scrabble, the letters Q, X and Z are the hardest to use and yet they carry the highest value of 10, 8 and 10.  In the game, I’d rather have letters with lesser value because at least I’ll have a better chance of being able to put them on the board to add to my score.  But when it comes to friends, Id rather have a Q, an X or a Z because the value they carry in themselves for who they are, is worth far more than any score I could get on a Scrabble board.

In life we have many friends and acquaintances along the way, be they for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.  In any case, those that have influenced and impacted my life journey through the tough times, and for the better are the friends I consider my Q’s, X’s and Z’s.  Such friendships can be hard to find.  But when you do, they’re well worth hanging on to, because of who they are in themselves, and as a result, what they have to offer in the friendship.

In 2003 this was the fenceline between us and our neighbours.  3 rows of barbed wire running across the top of an old paling fence.  My first thought was to question why barbed wire was necessary in an inner city residential suburb.  My second thought was towards that single pink rose.

That single rose, deep in colour and fully blossomed stands alone on the branch.  It is unique!  For this branch is the only one to battle the barbs, and still produce something beautiful.  Facing the challenges, it grew where none other dared to grow.  It wove its way through the wire, onto our side of the fence where the rose blossomed and displayed itself in its fullness for us to enjoy.

How many of us would have given up at such a challenge of equivalent risk in our own lives.  The rose is an example that no matter the difficulties one might come across in life, we can still choose to go on (or not).

So be encouraged not to let the ‘barbs’ of life deter you from where you want to go, even when it seems the most difficult path to take.  Find a way to get beyond the ‘barbs’ and not only will you see something beautiful for your effort, but others will get to enjoy it and benefit from your determination and perseverance as well.