If we were having coffee I would tell you that this week is 7 years since I started Inspiring Max. My first blog post was Mother’s Day 11th May, 2014. Initially a slow start, it gathered momentum in 2015 and 2016. Now I need to regain my mojo and write consistently. No excuses. I just need to do it.
If we were having coffee I would wish mothers everywhere a happy Mother’s Day. This year mine was quiet as both my children live in different cities and couldn’t make it home. I did spend an hour with my mother which we both enjoyed.
If we were having coffee I would tell you on one of our recent road trips to Sydney we were stopped on the way back with the opening of the Swansea bridge. Lucky for me we were in the first row of traffic and therefore I could get some close up photos. The Swansea bridge opens to allow boats to pass through the channel either into or out of Lake Macquarie.
If we were having coffee I would tell you how well with our newest crops are growing. The ginger, my husband grew from a cutting and our never ending supply of long red chillies came from a small chilli bush. Both taste amazing and are perfect for the Asian style meals I like to cook.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about our family friend’s son’s wedding. It was held in the North Sydney area and the walk to and from gave us a different prospective of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The wedding itself was held in a room with a view at eye level of the bridge. It was special.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?
Thanks to Natalie for hosting Weekend Coffee Share so we can all get to know each other better.
If we were having coffee I would tell you I can’t believe there is only one more week of summer. This year is going by so fast. Since our last coffee catch-up life has been very busy. It’s lucky that I have begun living a life of semi-retirement as I haven’t had time to work. One thing I have made time for on most days has been an enjoyable cappacino.
If we were having coffee tell you that on Australia Day this year it was 40 years since I started training as a psychiatric nurse. Back in 1981 the stigma attached to people suffering with mental illness was huge and many were too scared to seek help. Fast forward 40 years and with each decade, discussions about mental health have improved greatly. Now there are many options for treatment. One of the things that I am grateful for in Australia over the pandemic is mental health issues have been discussed openly and been at the centre of all government policy and decisions.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about travelling to Tweed Heads for a family wedding at the end January. The wedding itself was on the headland on the New South Wales and Queensland border. (on the New South Wales side.) It was set up so if there was still a problem with the Queensland border closures all guests could get to the wedding. The only problem was that to drive to the wedding site, we had to drive into Queensland and back into New South Wales. This was initially a problem to us as 3 of our 4 members were banned from entering Queensland due to having been in Sydney in the last 14 days. We worked out that we could walk if necessary but fortunately on the day of the wedding the borders opened up to all. So the problem was averted.
From our room in the resort, you could see the border barricades and despite the hotel being in New South Wales it ran on Queensland time. This was very confusing as our clocks would move forwards and backwards an hour depending on where in the motel we were. The front of the hotel also had dividing sections telling us which parts were in NSW and parts QLD. It was very weird for 3 days being able to see Queensland and yet not cross the road into it. On the day the barricades came down it was fun to watch the news being made from our motel room and to drive into Queensland because we could.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that our daughter started her registered nursing career and has moved into regional New South Wales. This has taken up much of our time both before and after the wedding. It’s surprising how much stuff she had in either our house or storage. Slowly but surely her house is coming together and eventually I can reinvent our spare room into my space. I am so proud of her taking a risk and moving to an area she knows no-one to follow her dreams and gain experience not attainable in the cities.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about walking around Sydney seeing the preparations for the Lunar New Year Festival. Throughout the city were various figures of the Chinese calendar. The first one we saw as the tiger which is also my favourite as I was born in the year of the Tiger. He was very cute and his eyes seemed to follow you around the park.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about our Sunday walk today. We went to Dixon Park beach, one of our local beaches, to see rocks and etching from 20 years ago that had been uncovered due to the amount of sand that has been washed away recently. This beach is between my two favourite beaches in the local area and I have walked it many times and never seen these rocks as they were covered by sand. Today you couldn’t walk between the beaches without climbing over the rocks. It was very strange. I was also fascinated that the sand in many parts was a mix of grey (assumedly from the rocks) and the usual yellow.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?
Sunflowers are a very special flower. They are so bright and magical. Although up till yesterday I had only seen them in small groups at the florists or growing wild beside the road.
Then a casual chat in the kebab shop changed my life. The other lady was showing my daughter and I as well as the shop attendant photos she had taken in a local sunflower field. I instantly knew what we were doing the next day, and I wasn’t disappointed.
A local award winning farmer had specifically planted the Quirindi sunflower field for locals and tourists to experience walking in sunflowers. The cost was a donation and we were able to pick our own sunflowers to take home.
I loved it. It was like nothing I had ever done before. I couldn’t believe the height of the flowers or the size of the flower stems or the leaves. I was also fascinated to learn that sunflowers follow the sun. If you ever get the chance to walk in a sunflower field don’t let the chance go by.
The various stages of opening up.
After a 4 hour trip home and some sugar in the water, today our special sunflowers are enjoying life in our lounge room.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am not really sure where the last moth has gone. I worked up to Christmas Eve and then I was on leave. During this time I relaxed well reading and doing jigsaw puzzles. It wasn’t until returning to work this week that I returned to my routines including blogging.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about our family Christmas. At the previous Christmas the colour/theme is decided by popular vote. At times it can get interesting as all family members have equal voting rights. This year the theme was flamingo, anything pink or flamingo print. As this year we were on trend there were plenty of flamingo accessories to choose from. Christmas is always hosted by my sister and she and her family go to great efforts to make the day beautiful and memorable for all. I wish I had her level of creativity.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about my Sunday walk and coffee this morning. We walk around the local area randomly with no real direction and see what we can find. Today we hit the jackpot. We wandered across a brand new coffee shop that officially opens tomorrow. They opened today for foot traffic only but were happy to set tables and chairs up for us in the café. We were excited to be one of their first customers. By the way the coffee was amazing and we’ll definitely be back.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that over the summer I have been working on improving my Charcuterie board presentations. My last one was my best yet and I am beginning to feel more confident. No wonder they are so popular once you understand the principles of how to make them work there is no limit to options.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that the recent rain has helped the garden grow. Just after the new year I was down looking around for some salad vegies when I discovered our cucumbers had grown. I couldn’t believe it they were huge and tasted amazing. So fresh and crisp. And the good news is that I just finish one cucumber and there is another one to take its place. There is nothing like fresh garden vegies.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?
This quote reminds me to make a plan daily. This is going to be even more important next year as I work less and play more. There are a lot of things that I want to do but time can easily get away if the day has no structure. My dad was always making lists to get things done. So I will be channeling him as I dig deep to enjoy my semi-retirement.
I love this quote and use it regularly in my therapy. Sometimes my clients start out being a little confused so I get them to try and pick up any nearby object. They look at me strangely and automatically pick up the object.
Trying was never an option you either do it or not.
I like to think of ideas and actions as the seeds of our life. I acknowledge and use them all because they won’t all germinate and grow. Sometimes the smallest ones on first look don’t seem to be valuable. Plant them anyway as they may surprise you and turn out be very strong. The more regular a habit you make of following ideas and steps to your goals, the more you’ll get the bonus seeds life plants in your garden. For me, just a small comment made years before has been enough to start my life going in a new direction. I didn’t even know it was happening until the harvest. In hindsight I was regularly adding to it’s growth without realizing.
You can’t start harvesting anything, if you haven’t put the required work in before hand. Prepare, plant and plow. Without the first two there is no harvest.
I love this quirky turn of phrase. It makes a new meaning of the power of positive thinking. In most circumstances its how you view a situation that tells you how you respond to it. If you tell yourself something is impossible, it will be. However, if you ask yourself how is this possible you will find a way. If necessary, break it down to it’s simplest form and then piece it back together.
I believe every choice has a resulting consequence. Hard work builds confidence and a solid reputation. Equally poor choices ruin them.
Having skills and abilities however can be transient. You might be on top of your game for a while, then suddenly someone will replace you. This won’t matter if by using your skills and abilities you have also made good choices and built a solid foundation. You will find a way to reinvent yourself and who you truly are will shine through from a different perspective.
In my life the difficult times are definitively the ones that built my strength and resilience. They have come in many ways, but it is their lessons that I have found the most valuable. On a few occasion I had no map for what was ahead of me, I just kept taking baby steps. Then over time, I realised that struggles was over and the difficulties had overcome were now a new layer of protection on my life’s journey.
