I did this. And it felt right to do this in my gut, and it made sense to do this in my brain. And my friends and family supported me to do this.
Now I walk through the warm air, the honking of traffic and the chirping of so many foreign sounding birds fills my ears and the bright green of spring leaves is everywhere. NYC is wonderful.
Take pride when you take steps to do something that is scary. It may help someone do the same. It WILL help someone do the same.
I have been down the path, where I feel you shouldn’t go. When a loved one, like your grandmother, begins to get dementia. But instead of making yourself available to not miss the moments, you run. You run because you do not know how to approach a loved one not remembering who you are. You are unsure if the call you make or the hug you give will be one they are recognising. And you forget that you should DO it anyway. You assume they wont. I barely understand it all and its new to me. So many reasons, none of them are needed.
“Hey Nan, it’s Me!”
“Oh love, hello! Are you still in Melbourne?”
Smiling. “Yeah, I am Nan, still down here. Warm day today!”
“Yeah, you with your brother?”
Hesitation.
“Oh I mean, your uncle, have you seen him?”
“Not as much as we should Nan! Has he come to visit?”
“Yeah, he was here for Christmas!”
“Yeah, when I was! Was a lovely day. Sorry I wasn’t there longer”
“That’s OK love. Understand you have your life to get on with too.”
“But that life has you in it, Nan!”
“Yes I know, but everyone has to move and grow up. Some days it is tough, but I love you all”
Pause.
“I want to come up there again soon. Can I stay there in April?”
“Love, of course, you can! Plenty of room.”
“Great, you will see me in April then!”
“Oh, this has made my day!”
She shouts out to my cousin down the hall, “Yes, he called me! I was only thinking of him this morning!”
Smiling, and getting a few tears. Why did I hold off on this?
“You there? Love, OK I have to go, but thank you for calling”
“I love you, Nan, look forward to seeing you soon!”
“I love you very much! Hooray!”
We must all call more.
This is a tune that I will always think of when I think of 2018. It is pretty much a direct tribute to Prince, but there is nothing wrong with that as it is SO well done. Then the music video is just a perfect match. Like wine and cheese yes? Denise the Chicken would seriously be grooving to it.
“If I could be anything other than what I am, I’d want it tomorrow.
If I could be what my father wants me to be,
maybe I could stay for that too.
If I could be what you want me to be,
I’d want to stay.
But I am what I am,
and all I want is freedom.”
–
John Barton“Looking for Alibrandi”
This quote has always hit me hard. From one of my favourite films, a deeply tough part of the protagonist’s story line. It reminds me to never be who others want you to be. But to continually seek our who you want to be, for yourself, so you can then be much more for others. And I now sound like I am writing an essay for school.
That in itself, is a never ending journey. Full of mostly frustration, when you look on the outside, down at yourself. Craving to express, to be heard. To be understood. And then you wake up when you no longer are scared and push out. Let people know how much you like muffins, or the sky at 4pm. Pull a face at a stranger so they smile.
Betsy is like someone has said in the comments on the YouTube video- Cher reborn. Not like I was a Cher fan, but her voice is her own.
The video sums up how I am feeling.
Check this out, and her other music such as “Lost & Found” and “Little White Lies”
I hesitated doing a Music Sunday on this song. Only because it is not my usual taste but that is just snobby. The riff gets me, and its addictive. I am a sucker.
Basic lyrics, but they are happy. And the only thing I disagree with is it seems you need someone to make you feel better about yourself. But I will let it slide, love does things to you.
It does bother me that a lot of musicians arent doing music videos as much. Makes me want to make one for it myself. It would be great and only I would find it amusing.
You know the saying, “Make your weaknesses, your strengths”?
No?
Yes?
I was told that when I was not good at kicking a ball. How I could make it a strength was something I never really could work out. Thanks wise teacher.
An old man also said it to a bank teller in the bank one day, I was listening in. Mainly cause I was trying to avoid the creepy stranger behind me who was standing just a bit too close to me. I could smell his strawberry mints. The old man was giving this advice to the bank teller. Who nodded politely.
No idea why he said it, but I guess I thought about it and applied it to myself, sub-consciously. I did not go write it down, but I guess I am now.
If I tell myself, go to the gym at 6am. I pack my gym bag, sit it in the hallway all ready, even have my socks laid out individually ready for me to slip on.This will not convince me to go to the gym when my alarm goes off at 5:45am. So what does?
Growing up in a religious family has caused me to have a sense of “the fear of disappointing”. Whether that be from a school teacher, my parents, the fruit shop guy or God. The religious aspect mainly coming down to falling to letting God down. And you could do that, by disappointing anyone else in your life. Not being good, or good enough.
The worst phrase that you can throw at someone in my mind is “I am disappointed” and people throw it in wherever they choose. Especially in a work environment. Emotional blackmail, burrowing into the child within.
Then there is the more important, disappointing yourself. If I dont go to the gym, I am just going to disappoint myself, no one else. It is a weakness of mine, which I do shake off these days. I can also only do the opposite of disappoint, which is achievement. Remind myself of the good. That works better.
So you are asking yourself, or probably not, “where can I buy cheap dog food?” Cause the above made no sense.
Its funny, how I had four months off, and I decided not to write anything here.
Its funny, how I have to make myself write.
When you are in habit, you realise why you love what you love. Like fitness, regular hang outs with friends and loved ones. Writing. When you leave it be for a while you miss it, and you feel guilt for not investing. Funny thing, guilt.
I met with a friend today. Him and his partner have been one of my major inspirations. His partner passed away last year and the forty years they shared together ended in this life for now. He has lived such a colourful life so far, and his partner’s life was similar so. The bond and the commitment is something I aspire to have. I hope to have. It was privilege enough to have witnessed it with others.
The love I have found, and that is growing, has the potential. And to even experience that is a gift.
Stop using short sentences Edwin. And stop talking in third person.
So again, I am no longer word less.
I am only using the word ‘dappled’ cause I like it. And it makes me instantly think of sunshine gently seeping through bright, soft, green leaves, that have just stretched out into the breeze. Dappled light. And it is summer. And I have not spoken on here since Spring.
I no longer have a job, and I am on a hiatus I guess. Enjoying the time, which feels so wide and ever present, but then so brisk. Struggling to catch up, I tell myself I need to plan, need to make use of time. Then I try and remember Christmas, two weeks ago. And I do, and it was outside in the bush, with family and warmth. Then a stroll by the beach, where a dog said hello.
It is still sinking in, saying goodbye to my work family, and the unique and lucky ride I had there. But things will be OK.
The next few months are important. And a gift.
From here, I can trace the path in the distance, my finger carefully moving along where my feet will walk. If I walk that far. My mind has wandered there. I could look further in the distance to where I could now, I could look back to where I came from, to the point I stood now.
The figure, walking along in their red jacket, is wandering there. They can trace their finger along to where I am standing right now. They could imagine what it is like for the guy in the grey coat. The same coolness, the same sea beside both of us. If they walk this far.
I turn around and walk the other way. Back inside, out of the wind and rain. And the ants continue to stay underground. They asked to be mentioned.
