My Simple Meal

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 Tell us about your favorite childhood meal — the one that was always a treat, that meant “celebration,” or that comforted you and has deep roots in your memory.

I don’t remember any particular food standing out as celebratory or comfort food during my childhood. The food I remember was the first meal I learnt to cook. It was cheap, easy and fulfilling. Growing up in the 1970’s all of these were important.

My sister and I both had a version of this meal, although I cannot tell you if one or both of us invented it. My meal itself was a mix of frankfurts, baked beans and canned pineapple. By today’s standards an interesting mix of textures and flavours—although I don’t think Masterchief will be lining up for the recipe. I think it was the simplicity and mix of sweet and sour I liked. If unexpected guests dropped by it could be quickly extended by cooking pasta and serving my meal on top.

Cooking this dish for my family gave me confidence in my cooking skills. Overtime, it allowed me to realise the importance of being able to provide for yourself. Cooking is a life skill that many people don’t have. The younger you learn to cook even simple meals like mine, the easier and cheaper feeding yourself will be.

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Perspectives

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A man and a woman walk through the park together, holding hands. They pass an old woman sitting on a bench. The old woman is knitting a small, red sweater. The man begins to cry. Write this scene, telling it from all three perspectives.

It was a crisp autumn morning on Sydney Harbour. Sue and Max were catching up with each others lives as they took their Saturday morning walk. It was a ritual they had done for the last 10 years.

As they walked, Max was telling Sue about a phone call he had received from his brother earlier in the week. During the conversation, his brother had mentioned that their father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Dementia. They continued to talk and walk, discussing what this diagnosis may mean. Around the corner, Max spotted a little old lady sitting on the park bench, knitting a red jumper. The sight of her was too much for his emotions to cope with. He burst into tears. The old woman resembled his favourite aunt—his father’s sister. The red jumper she was knitting had a white stripe in it—the colours of the Canadian flag—his national flag. He knew this was significant and the situation needed more consideration than his brother was letting on.

***

Max beginning to cry didn’t surprise Sue. He was not afraid to show his emotions. This was one of many things she was proud of him for. She squeezed his hand tightly to let him know that she was there for him, while she made plans in her head for them to return to Canada as quickly as possible. This was one way she knew she could support him as he unraveled truth. Max was a family man. Sue knew he wouldn’t settle until he had done everything he could to support his family. After which he could return to their life—thousands of kilometres away in Sydney.

***

On seeing the man crying rather than the woman, the little old lady was impressed. She wasn’t a sticky beak or busy body, so she had no interest in what was disturbing him. His wife looked like she had that in hand. However, being a witch she had magical powers. She decided that the ability to express one’s feelings was important to be a strong, confident and successful man and she wanted this for her grandson. Silently as she watched Max walk off crying, hand-in-hand with his wife, she cast a spell into the jumper she was making for him with love.

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Share Your World 2014 – Week 38

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1. If you could be a tree or a plant, what would you be?

If I were to choose between being a tree or plant, I would be a Californian Coastal Redwood. I love these trees. Singularly they are majestic, solid and live a long and happy life. The Chandelier Tree in Leggett, California is 2,400 years old. The energy and life created in a Redwood Forest is amazing .

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2.If you could have a servant come to your house everyday for an hour, what would you have them do?

My daily servant would choose, shop for and cook my evening meal. I am not a fussy eater so I would be happy with anything they chose. While I don’t dislike cooking my daily commute is huge and limits my available time to cook. I have also discovered that cooking takes up valuable blogging time, so I definitely think an alternative should be found.

3.If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?

I would choose to have an endless supply dairy foods. Cheese, yoghurt and chocolate. Without these foods my life would never be the same.

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Photo Credit:Debbieseymour.com

4. What was one of your first money making jobs (other than babysitting or news paper delivery)?

My first job is the same as my current one—a psychiatric nurse. It is 30 years this year since I became a  registered  nurse and my knowledge base has grown greatly. Today I am a manager and help train and mentor new nurses. Today, mental health nursing, as it is now known, remains my ideal job.

What are you grateful for from last week. 

Last weekend I achieved my personal best at impromptu speaking, when I was placed second in the Area 13 Toastmasters Table Topics competition, for which I am grateful. This is a first for me and was a surprise as I was competing against other experienced Toastmasters. it has inspired me to want to learn more about competitive public speaking.

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Gratitude

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Oprah

 

Gratitude is infectious. Give thanks at every opportunity. The more you do it, the more you will find to be grateful for. Start small. With practice, you will begin to realise that the things you feel negative about can be redefined. You choose the way you look at every situation. For example, instead of focusing on how stressful your work is and all the things it doesn’t have—choose to make a list of all the things about your job that you are grateful for. Some examples may be:

I have a job

It pays me regularly—providing money for housing, food, bills and my current lifestyle

I have friends at work I can talk to

My job has taught me

  • how to use a computer and computer programs
  • time management
  • conflict resolution skills
  • customer service
  • organisational skills
  • presentation skills
  • personal resilience
  • complaints management
  • stress management
  • documentation
  • Occupational Health & Safety legislation
  • boundaries
  • people skills

It gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning

Provides me with annual leave, sick leave, long service leave and superannuation

Take up Oprah’s challenge. Make a decision today to start focusing on all that you are grateful for in your life. Gratitude is a feeling and focusing on it will lift your mood, allowing you to see more things to be grateful for in your life. As you become more grateful for things in and around your life, you will begin to be able to see things to be grateful for in negative situations, even tragedies.

She Made Me Do It

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Growing up in 1970’s, I was driven most places or I walked. Public transport was not something I was comfortable with. Then one day it happened. My mother forced to catch the bus.

The problem was— I am the eldest of four children and when I started high school, I changed my sport from netball to hockey. This changed the Saturday morning sport run and I was no longer able to be accommodated. My hockey game times didn’t match with the other children’s schedules. The solution—I was told I needed to get my own way to hockey. I was NOT happy. But no amount of arguing was going to change the reality. It was going to happen.

That first Saturday has remained in my memory since. My mother put me on the bus at my stop and gave me instructions where to get off. Still grumbling, fifteen minutes into the bus trip, I got the surprise of my life, when the rest of my hockey team got on the bus. Apparently, catching the bus was the grown up thing to do and I was grown up. As a result of this experience, I began to realise, when one door closes, new doors open.

Staying in our comfort zones doesn’t help us grow as a person. Starting this blog is one way of stepping out of my current comfort zone and looking at life through new eyes.These days my mother doesn’t make me do anything. Everything is my choice, however, the example mum gave me several years before helps me to “make me do it “ when necessary.

Thanks for the life lesson!

Wattle

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Australia’s love affair with Wattle began many years ago. It is so special to Australians, it has its own national day — Wattle Day 1st September—the first day of Spring.

One species, Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is the national floral emblem of Australia. It and many other species of Wattle, share the colours of Australia—green and gold. For most of the year, Wattle bushes and trees remain green. Then, suddenly, towards the end of winter, they bust into flower adding a mass of colour to the landscape. Having a Wattle bush in my front garden, feels very Australian and special.

Our wattle arch

Our Wattle arch

Like Australians, Wattle is diverse (there are 1000 species grown throughout Australia), supports the environment and is resilient. Wattle is one of several species of plants that regenerates first after fire. By doing so, it reminds us that life goes on and out of tragedy or difficult times, comes new life. This ability supports the bush, bringing plants and animals back after devastation, renewing hope.

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Wattle tree down the road

John Williamson – Australian country and western singer/songwriter, dedicated one of his classic songs to one species of Wattle—Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana.) This song typically Australian. Although an older video, it shows footage of the Australian countryside where Wattle flourishes and changes the landscape.

All my life I have loved walking in the bush in Spring. Seeing the various species of Wattle as they blossom. Wattle is my favourite Australian flower and like John Williamson, I have many childhood memories associated with it.

What is your national floral emblem and can you associate with it? Like Australia’s Wattle is there a reason it has become your national floral emblem.

Dream Viewer

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Inspiring Max is a positive blog. A space to share inspiration though my thoughts, experiences and travels. I do not have an ideal viewer—male, female, transgender, young,old or middle-aged from all countries of our world—are welcome.

My hope is visiting my blog brings hope, inspiration or new information into your day. Writing about my past experiences allows me to enjoy them again and gives me a new insight into their meaning in the patchwork quilt of my life.

I have found the blogging world exciting, fascinating and full of inspiration. Since last August, I have had visitors to my site from 85 countries—some so small, I need to  consult my map. I love it when Jetpack tells me I have viewers, however a viewer from  a new country reminds me how big our world is and how blogging reduces the distance between us.

Inspiring Max allows me  to learn about other countries, cultures and their lifestyles through direct involvement with you—my viewer. Welcome to my world. I look forward to joining yours as we go on this journey together.

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Share Your World – 2014 Week 37

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1. List three pet peeves.

  • Any repetitive noises such as all varieties of mouth noises, clicking the end of the pen and tapping feet or fingers.
  • Being deliberately ignored be someone you know or have known. Being pleasant and courteous is a form of respecting yourself and your own boundaries. It make you the bigger person and life so much easier for everyone around you.
  • Television or music on in the house when no one is focusing on it. I love the quiet as it helps me to relax.

2. What makes you unique?

There are a few things that make me unique:

  • I was born at one minute to midnight—something my mother predicted before my birth.
  • I am double-jointed in my fingers, something I thought was very special as a child but I now realise so are many other people.
  • I began working in mental health at the age of 18, straight form high school which is unusual. Even as a young woman I have used my sense of humour to connect with people quickly,even in difficult situations.
  • I am a good judge of character and have a natural psychic ability, which allows me to trust my own instincts.
  • I believe in the universal law of attraction where you thoughts create your world. This is why I rephrase negative thoughts quickly and look for the positive in all situations.

3. What would be your ideal birthday present and why?

Since I turned 50 my ideal birthday present is a holiday. Be it an overseas trip or a mini-break, I love to get away from my regular world, exploring and connecting with nature. This present re-energises me and prepares me for the year ahead.  When I was younger and if going away was not possible, I refused to work on my birthday and would celebrate with champagne alone if necessary. Fortunately, in my 34 years of working, I have only been required to work on two birthdays. On both of these occasions, I made sure everyone I worked with knew it was my special day, so we had some special times—it’s the Leo in me I think.

4. Which way does the toilet paper roll go? Over or under.

To be honest until this question came up on another blog last week, I had never given it much thought. At the time I decided that my preferred is over and now I find myself mindfully checking the toilet roll to check it is the right way.

What are you grateful for last week and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was grateful to be able to attend Hay House Writers Workshops in Sydney. It was held over  two days and inspired me to focus on completing my book and getting it published. Next week I am looking forward to settling in to working on the eating disorders unit again for the first time in five years—this time as the manager.

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Have fun

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Do you take time out each day to have fun or play? Playing doesn’t need to be a planned event, it can be done in several ways, alone as well as by connecting with others. Consider some of the following ways to add daily fun to your life:

  • Sharing a joke with family, friends and colleagues
  • Playing games—card games, board games, computer games, or gaming consoles
  • Playing social sports
  • Allowing yourself to be adsorbed by dancing or singing to your favourite loud music
  • Do something different and out of the ordinary like playing in puddles or skipping in the rain
  • Watch your favourite comedy shows and enjoy the humour and belly laughs
  • Play with children or pets
  • Go to the local park and swing on the swings or enjoy a slide on the slippery dip
  • Enjoy a holiday or mini break to a theme park—you don’t need to have children with you to go on the rides
  • Go to the movies and be absorbed in the surround sound
  • Take up a new sport or join a club

By  not taking yourself so seriously for at least five or ten minutes hopefully longer, you can recharge your mind, reduce your stress and improve your mental health. Playing brings people together and helps to strengthen family, friendships and teams.

Consider ways that you can add more fun to your life. Think outside the box, connect with your true self and grow through play and having fun.

Back To The Future

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Today I go back to the future. As Brene Brown says “you’ve got to dance with the one who brung ya.”  This statement means its important to remember how you got to where you are today. What helped develop you as a person or specialist. The answer may not necessarily be something you want to go back to, but without it, your life path may have been very different to what it is today. For me, this is working in eating disorder recovery, so when I was asked to return to my old unit as the current unit manager, I was happy to do so.

It has been years since I worked on the unit and during this time many things have changed. I am looking forward to the challenge of working directly in the field of eating disorders again and stepping out of my comfort zone to manage a different area with different challenges.

As I am in the final stages of preparing my book on eating disorder recovery for publication, so going back to my roots on a daily basis will help me to consolidate anything else that needs to be included in it.

Do you remember who brung you? I think it helps to keep us grounded, what do you think?

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