childhood Archives - INSPIRING MAX

Eat, Drink And Be Merry

June 7, 2015 inspiringmax

…for tomorrow we die. The world is ending tomorrow! Tell us about your last dinner — the food, your dining companions, the setting, the conversation.

If the world was ending tomorrow I would choose to go camping in the Australian bush with all my family. Not glamping—glamourous camping with all the modern conveniences. Camping à la natural. No electricity, no showers and dig your own toilets. I love getting out with nature, listening to the sounds of the bush and hopefully seeing a koala or possum in the trees. We have never had a problem with snakes as with over 20 people we make too much noise.

The food would be a bush BBQ that we begin preparing in the afternoon by collecting a massive amount of wood to keep us going all night—waiting for the world to end. Included on the menu is:

bacon
capsicum
corn
damper
green salad
mushrooms
potatoes
rissoles
rocket salad
sausages
steak

After dinner as we continued to chat and drink champagne and beer by the fire I would introduce S’mores to the family. I would get everyone to cook their marshmallows over the fire while I prepared their chocolate and biscuits. We don’t have graham crackers in Australia so I would use the best substitute I could find. Once the marshmallow is cooked I would join them all together and watch everyone’s enjoyment.

The spontaneity of sitting around a campfire is the best. Nothing is or can be planned yet the memories last forever.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/eat-drink-and-be-merry/

N – Nimbin # A -Z Challenge

April 20, 2015 inspiringmax

Nimbin is the hippy capital of Australia. Although I have known this for many decades it was not until last month that I got to experience what that meant for myself. I was surprised. Tolerance for individualism was everywhere—two woman were verbally fighting loudly in the park. Nobody cared. It was normal.

“They have been at it all morning” said the local shopkeeper.

“Really” we replied.

” It is common for people around here to have rants. Some are just longer than others” she replied very matter of factly.

This set the scene for the rest of our visit.

The Nimbin community developed its identity in 1973 when it hosted Australia’s Aquarius festival celebrating alternate living choices and the arts. It attracted students, hippies, visionaries from all over Australia many of whom stayed on after the Aquarius Festival making Nimbin their home continuing to follow these dreams and ideology.

Names around the village describe its history well.

Peace Park
Hemp Embassy
Hemp Bar
Rainbow Power Company
Nimbin Co-op
The Green Park
Hemping Around
Tribal Magic

Forty years later the areas is still internationally renown for its alternative lifestyle culture. Marijuana reform has played a large role in the community over the decades. Today they are strongly fighting to legalise medical marijuana through their annual law reform rally—MardiGrass—held in early May.

“May the long time sun shine upon you, all love surround you and, the pure light within you guide your way home.” Aquarius festival anthem

#A – Z Challenge

K – Kangaroos #A – Z Challenge

April 16, 2015April 15, 2015 inspiringmax

Kangaroos are unique Australian animals people everywhere fall in love with. They are cute particularly the young ones. Wrestling is a natural instinct to kangaroos and I have seen many an unsuspecting visitor get caught off-guard as the kangaroo they were just feeding, decides to practice their boxing skills on them. The kangaroo photos below of a friendly pet kangaroo were taken in a restaurant and animal sanctuary.

In non city areas kangaroos are sometimes in plague proportions and they can be very dangerous hopping across highways and roads. Kangaroos are the most common animal to be hit with over 7,000 accidents being caused by them each year. The most dangerous time is sunrise and sunset as they are out and about looking for food. The two video give different insights into kangaroos behaviours, habits and how they live in our big wide country.

Dealing With Anger

April 15, 2015 inspiringmax

Tell us about a time when you flew into a rage. What is it that made you so incredibly angry?

I don’t fly into rages. Yes I get angry—but I deal with it quickly stopping it developing further along its continuum and having a greater impact on my life.

The anger continuum has 3 points:

Anger_________Rage_________Fury

I put out spot fires of anger, stopping them becoming bush fires of rage or mega wild fires of fury. The further down the continuum you go, the more out of control the emotion and the more damage you are likely to do to yourself or others.

Anger is a valid, strong emotion. It comes about when we feel personally wronged or attacked. By acknowledging what I am angry about, I can decide what I need to do about it. My response usually comes in one of the following ways:

Acknowledging that I have a right to be angry about it and that I was hurt—no further action required.

Taking some deep breath, listening to my favourite loud music and just chilling for a moment. Pink’s music works well here.

Ventilating my anger in a healthy way e.g kick a ball around, journal my feelings or just yell for a minute of too.

Responding to my anger and speaking to the person involved. To do this I would make a time to discuss the matter with the person I am angry with. I let them know why I am angry using ‘I’ statements. I am entitled to be angry and they don’t get to tell me I shouldn’t be angry—they also cannot take my feeling away. However, by talking about it with the person concerned, together we open the lines of communication and make a plan to get to the bottom of the issue. Being heard by the other person helps me feel validated and allows me to let it go.

My last option is to discuss it with a friend/mental health work colleague. This gives me closure and helps me see the situation through the other persons eyes. Many people may use therapy to help with this stage.

I grew up with and still where possible follow the biblical quote on this topic— Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger”— as failing to do so has a great impact on one’s mental health.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/mad-as-a-hatter/

Share Your World – 2015 Week 13

April 7, 2015 inspiringmax

What was your favorite subject in school?

I don’t remember having a favourite subject at school. School was school. How much I liked each class varied with regard to who was teaching it, the others students and the style of teaching used. In the end it was my life experiences more than my schooling that got me my job in psychiatric nursing all those years ago.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away” (George Carlin). When have you had such a moment?

I am constantly living in the moment—enjoying what is happening around me. For me the last big moment was when we left Canada’s Parliament House and our first snow storm had begun while during our visit. The landscape was suddenly transformed and everything was blanketed in white—just beautiful.

What’s your choice: jigsaw, crossword, or numeric puzzles?

I am a visual person so love doing jigsaw puzzles. We have many in the garage but unfortunately no time to complete them. Like blogging you start them and suddenly realise that hours have flown by.

If you found an obviously abandoned car with $50,000 in the back seat, what would you do?

I would hand the money in to the police and hope nobody claimed it so I got to keep it. I would be to concerned if I didn’t that I would be found out and charged with something myself.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was thankful for the four-day Easter break and the amount of editing I got done on my book. I majorly changed its order and feel that the flow is even better now. This week I am looking forward to getting back into routine and seeing where it takes me. I have no plans.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/03/30/share-your-world-2015-week-13/

E – Easter Show

April 6, 2015 inspiringmax

First held in 1823 at Parramatta, Sydney’s Royal Easter Show has grown to be the largest event held in Australia and the 6th largest in the world. Due to its growing size it has moved localities twice and is now held at Sydney Olympic Park in a purpose built facility. In 1891 Queen,Victoria bestowed the right for the show to be officially called Royal. Attending the show is fun for all ages and my experience is that you run out of time to see everything not that you are bored with nothing to do. Each year the shows theme is “city meets country” and it can be found in the following activities:

Agricultural Show
Animal Shows
Art & Crafts Displays
Community Displays
Entertainment
Fireworks
Grand Parade
Main Arena
New Product Displays
Petting Zoos
Side Show Alley
Stages
Wood Chopping

The following photos are from the show a few years ago as unfortunately I was unable to attend this year do to other commitments.

#A-Z Challenge

Wonder Woman

March 31, 2015 inspiringmax

If you were involved in a movie, would you rather be the director, the producer, or the lead performer? (Note: you can’t be the writer!).

I love acting. Bringing characters to life and making them believable. Acting allows you to totally immerse yourself in the character and find things about yourself you didn’t know existed.

It has been many decades since I last acted but who knows I may return to it in my retirement when I have more time on my hands.

My greatest acting moment was playing Wonder Woman to a crowded theatre. At the time I didn’t look to bad either—unfortunately I don’t think I have any photos to remember it by.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/the-show-must-go-on/

Share Your World – 2015 Week 10

March 17, 2015March 16, 2015 inspiringmax

When you lose electricity in a storm, do you light the candles or turn on the flashlight? How many of each do you own?

I personally would prefer to use candles, however my husband has a fear of them so torches it is. We actually keep three of them on the bookcase at the front door so they are easy to find if needed. Fortunately we rarely need to use them.

You are given $5,000 and the chance to exchange it for one of two envelopes. One envelope contains $50,000 and one contains $500. Do you make the trade? Why or why not?

I would definitely make the trade. The $5,000 was a gift so I believe it is okay to risk it. At worst I am $500 better off than I was before the gift and at best I have a large windfall. Life is full of risks and sometimes you have to take a chance. After all—nothing ventured nothing gained. I would also use a lot of positive thinking to will the preferred envelope into my hands.

What’s your first memory?

I can’t remember what my first memory is. I have several blurry memories from about the age of three but I am not sure which ones are triggered from photos. My early years were spent living in the managers cottage of a coal mine isolated from the rest of the suburb. We had no neighbours and had to entertain ourselves. At times we had wild animals—snakes, brumbies, dingoes, foxes and possums come down and visit the surrounding bush. There was no hot water to the house and I can remember on occasion going over to the coal mine to shower—a special treat—hot running water.

What do you do if you can’t sleep at night? Do you count sheep, toss and turn, or get up and try to do something?

It is rare for me not to be able to sleep. Usually the only time I have a problem sleeping is if I have something on my mind that needs sorting out. Therefore, the answer is simple—make a plan and solve the problem. Once I have done this I can easily return to sleep. If it is somebody’s snoring is the cause of my sleeplessness, I rip up a tissue and block my ears with it. Viola—I can sleep.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was grateful to have a day off on Friday which allowed me to catch up on jobs that needed doing including getting my hair cut and streaked for the first time. This week I have no plans so it will be a go with the flow week—something I haven’t had in a while.

http://ceenphotography.com/2015/03/09/share-your-world-2015-week-10/

Tree Change Dolls

March 7, 2015April 6, 2015 inspiringmax

What would you put in this year’s time capsule to channel the essence of our current moment for future generations?

Yesterday I discovered Tree Change Dolls—remodeled, refreshed and re-styled—rejected Bratz dolls by Australian artist Sonia Singh from Tasmania. Bratz dolls are everywhere. They are styled on high rock fashion with heavy make-up. The look alone was enough for me to refuse to ever buy one for anyone. My other problem is the name Bratz. It is not something I want to encourage in anyone. For the same reason, I could never buy the clothing brand No Rules.

Sonia decided to redesign the dolls into something her children wanted to play with, because of her love of playing with dolls. She found the rejected dolls in the second-hand shops and breathed new life into them. The result is beautiful natural looking dolls that children can associate with as their faces remind them of friends and people they knew. The photo below is the same doll—originally harsh looking, bordering on scary then given a new make-down—looking soft, gentle and angelic.

Photo Credit: Sonia Singh

Sonia’s transformation involves removing the original makeup using nail polish remover. She then paints on new eye brows, eyes and lipstick. Her mother knits little tops for each doll and sews some pants or a skirt—giving each doll an individual homemade feel. When the outfit is complete Sonia then moulds boots for their feet that match their outfits.

Photo Credit: Sonia Singh

Below is a sample of Sonia’s Tree Change family playing in the great outdoors—where kids used to play.

Photo Credit: Sonia Singh

Since Sonia created a Facebook page and Tumblir for her Tree Change Dolls in a no time they went viral. Everyone wants their own natural doll—the problem is she wasn’t expecting this level of support and isn’t sure what to do about it. Personally I think this is a great way to move froward. Reverting back to kids being kids and not the sexualised images of the original Bratz dolls. It has my support and is the reason I would put it in my time capsule today.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/time-capsule/