Tag: life

Sunflower Magic

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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.

Christmas Calendar #13

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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.

Christmas Calendar # 8

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Many years ago I did a Dale Carnegie course. I loved it. and it certainly helped develop my people skills. For me, it was fascinating to learn and truly understand the power of asking people their story. Even a small question can led to a totally different story line.

People won’t tell you if you don’t ask, especially if you’re too busy talking about yourself. Everyone’s story is unique and helps us to understand what makes them tick.

Christmas Calendar # 5

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When I was much younger I sailed with my father. He had sailed for Australia so knew a lot about how to manage the winds. I remember it fascinated me the difference a slight adjustment would make to give you an edge. My other memory of this time was that we never sailed in a westerly as they were too changeable and could easily do damage to the boat.

Christmas Calendar 2020 # 1

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Back in 2016 I began what I hoped would be a tradition on Inspiring Max – my Christmas Calendar. A month of positive quotes. One for each day in the lead up to Christmas. My version of our family’s other Christmas tradition, chocolate advent calendars.

As we end this very difficult year let’s think about how we want 2021 to be. My plan is for it to involve more regular blogging and writing. What do you want to create in your future?

Coffee Catch-Up #30

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If we were having coffee we would be meeting in an airconditioned place this week not my home. The reason, in Australia this weekend we are having an extreme heatwave. I live on the east coast which is usually cooler than inland and it’s been 41C (106F) both days this weekend.

If we were having coffee I would show you this social distancing poster. I love it. It’s unique and I thought it was fitting for a country café.

I also loved this creative Covid Marshall at the same café.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about my upcoming Christmas calendars. This tradition I began in 2016 as Inspiring Max’s version of an advent calendar in the countdown to Christmas day. I love selecting the quotes and putting the posts together.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how proud I am of my daughter as she is now a registered nurse, just like me. She was also successful in obtaining the new grad placement of her choice in regional NSW.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about my son’s favourite birthday present, a black mini lop rabbit. He and his wife had been looking for a rabbit for several months. Every time they went to buy one, it was sold. Then just when they were thinking it wasn’t meant to be, they found him. To their surprise he was born on my daughter-in-law’s birthday. He is so cute.

Interestingly, the first pet my husband and I had when we married 30 years ago was a rabbit, only ours was white.

If we were having coffee I would ask you if to have to wear matching or odd socks. It was a conversation started last night at a family gathering. My brother deliberately mismatches his socks. My son and most others preferred matched ones. My sister then decided she would poll her friends and I thought I would ask you when we had coffee. Let me know your preferences in the comments.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?

Remembering Helen Reddy

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Helen Reddy was one of my favourite singers growing up. She sang many songs I loved. And I was super proud she was Australian. I am Woman, her most famous song has been the theme song to my life and woman everywhere. It was first recorded in the early 70’s when I was becoming a teenager and adjusting to my unique personality. I love the chorus:

“Oh yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong
(Strong)
I am invincible
(Invincible)
I am woman”

After listening tonight to the first and last versions, more than 50 years apart, I think I like the later version better. Not something that can be said about many singer’s voices.

I also love Helen’s version of You and Me Against The World. She stated that she changed it to be about a mother and daughters relationship. I am sure it will be a song that is giving her family peace as they deal with their loss.

“And when one of us is gone,
And one of us is left to carry on,
Then remembering will have to do,
Our memories alone will get us through
Think about the days of me and you,
Of you and me against the world.”

Amazing woman, amazing life and unforgettable music.

Let’s Get Organised

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Let’s get organised. This is going to be my focus from now until the 2021. If 2020 is remembered for anything, I want it to be making a road map for my new life.

In general, I am a happy, positive, successful person. However, there is another side to me. I am a great procrastinator and leave many things to the last minute. The side effect of the later is that many things I start or want to start don’t get completed.

So to help motivate me on September 13, Positive Thinking Day, I am going to use the following quote.

Prior to going on holidays, I was exhausted and my life seemed to involve: work – rest repeat. The resting part however involved hours of watching TV. This was a habit I have only recently developed and although it was fun, it didn’t make me the best version of myself. In hindsight, I needed an injection of organisation.

Since returning from holidays where I broke these bad habits, I have returned to blogging and I am motivated to do things differently. As part of my work life, I am frequently telling others that they need to prioritize what they want to have in their life. So now it is my turn to take my own advice.

My secret mantra will be: Prioritize! Prioritize!Prioritize!

To help I have a new way to focus on my accountability when it comes to my organisational skills. After all, I only have me to blame.

Blogging

Learning

Activities

Meal Preparation

Exercise

Does anyone else want to join me in reclaiming 2020 for good?

Opening Up

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In New South Wales, Australia, today is the day we have all been waiting for. We can start going to cafes or restaurants to eat in, have 5 people visit our homes and enjoy the loosening of restrictions in many other everyday activities and events.

This process throughout the world is known as opening up. As I begin to get excited about the options of our increasing freedoms, I considered what the phrase ‘opening up’ means. After all, nothing in life can happen if we don’t do something different or let someone in.

Here are my thoughts arranged in an acrostic poem.

OPENING UP

Ordering thoughts

Planning to make changes

Endeavouring to cover all options

Negotiating any obstacles

Intuitively doing what needs to be done

Not letting fear stop us

Going ahead with the plan knowing it is as good as it can be

Understanding the risks

Positive thinking about the outcomes

Christmas Calendar 2017 #11

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Personally I love Christmas. But as we get nearer to the day itself, let’s consider why we put all the effort in to make our Christmas day special. I agree, it’s love. Let’s face it, if we didn’t love the people we spend Christmas day with, we wouldn’t be bothered putting in the time and effort to create our Christmas every year.