The greatest mistake – giving up
The greatest crippler – fear
The greatest handicap – ego
The most potent force – positive
The greatest thought – love
The greatest victory – victory over the self.
Source unknown.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Keep The Faith
Week Thirty – four: Sunday 20 – Saturday 26 May
The course I am studying has reached the ‘crucial’ point: the MA proposals have been presented to a panel of peers and tutors; supervisors have been appointed; teaching is finished.
We are now on our own, more or less, to sit down and write our novel, script, non-fiction book, or whatever. It suddenly feels like quite a daunting task.
Daunting tasks can lead to all sorts of displacement behaviour to avoid the daunting task in hand. But like a taxi driver who will only make money if they are in the driver’s seat of their cab with the ‘FOR HIRE’ sign lit, I will only produce my major piece of work if I sit on my desk chair in front of my switched on computer and start to write.
The presentations took place on Monday; the party afterwards went on until early Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday slipped by unproductively; Friday was taken up with some filming. Now it is Saturday already.
Time to get focused, disciplined and on with the job!
The course I am studying has reached the ‘crucial’ point: the MA proposals have been presented to a panel of peers and tutors; supervisors have been appointed; teaching is finished.
We are now on our own, more or less, to sit down and write our novel, script, non-fiction book, or whatever. It suddenly feels like quite a daunting task.
Daunting tasks can lead to all sorts of displacement behaviour to avoid the daunting task in hand. But like a taxi driver who will only make money if they are in the driver’s seat of their cab with the ‘FOR HIRE’ sign lit, I will only produce my major piece of work if I sit on my desk chair in front of my switched on computer and start to write.
The presentations took place on Monday; the party afterwards went on until early Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday slipped by unproductively; Friday was taken up with some filming. Now it is Saturday already.
Time to get focused, disciplined and on with the job!
Quote of the Week # 30
One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel all right.
Bob Marley, ‘One Love’
Bob Marley, ‘One Love’
Love IS All You Need
Week Thirty – three: Sunday 13 – Saturday 19 May
I’m not the biggest fan of The Beatles; that’s not to say I’m not a fan, just not the biggest fan. However, their song, ‘All You Need is Love’, is a classic in my view. It is right up there with Bob Marley’s, ‘One Love’, as an anthem for life and living. There are many other songs that have the importance of love as their theme, but you catch my drift, don’t you?
Love is always in existence, somewhere, somehow; even for those in horrible circumstances who may not feel the existence of love. Me, I am blessed: no doubt about that.
My wife and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on the 17 May and I took the opportunity to tell my wife one more time how much I love her and how much I appreciate, value and respect her love for me.
We are all guilty of complacency. It would appear to be one of the many afflictions of the human psyche. It is my aim to never get complacent about the love I am bathed in by my wife – and my daughter.
When you feel loved, know you are loved, receive love, and exist in a loving environment, it is equally as humbling as it is enriching. For the last five years that is the very environment that I have existed in. You can’t beat it. And what you give out comes back to you; I reciprocate the love my wife gives me, and vice versa. It is, I believe, what is known as a ‘virtuous cycle’.
As if I wasn’t fortunate enough to share my life with, and be loved by, a warm, intelligent, graceful, creative, calm, positive and loving, not to mention extremely beautiful, women, I also have the greatest love of all: the unconditional, unrequited love that exists between my daughter and me.
No human can stay alive without clean air and water, and some sustenance (but a lot less than the amount most of us shovel down our throats). It is hard, although not impossible, to live without a home and some recourse to finances. But love is all we really need.
Love is the beginning, the middle and the end.
I’m not the biggest fan of The Beatles; that’s not to say I’m not a fan, just not the biggest fan. However, their song, ‘All You Need is Love’, is a classic in my view. It is right up there with Bob Marley’s, ‘One Love’, as an anthem for life and living. There are many other songs that have the importance of love as their theme, but you catch my drift, don’t you?
Love is always in existence, somewhere, somehow; even for those in horrible circumstances who may not feel the existence of love. Me, I am blessed: no doubt about that.
My wife and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on the 17 May and I took the opportunity to tell my wife one more time how much I love her and how much I appreciate, value and respect her love for me.
We are all guilty of complacency. It would appear to be one of the many afflictions of the human psyche. It is my aim to never get complacent about the love I am bathed in by my wife – and my daughter.
When you feel loved, know you are loved, receive love, and exist in a loving environment, it is equally as humbling as it is enriching. For the last five years that is the very environment that I have existed in. You can’t beat it. And what you give out comes back to you; I reciprocate the love my wife gives me, and vice versa. It is, I believe, what is known as a ‘virtuous cycle’.
As if I wasn’t fortunate enough to share my life with, and be loved by, a warm, intelligent, graceful, creative, calm, positive and loving, not to mention extremely beautiful, women, I also have the greatest love of all: the unconditional, unrequited love that exists between my daughter and me.
No human can stay alive without clean air and water, and some sustenance (but a lot less than the amount most of us shovel down our throats). It is hard, although not impossible, to live without a home and some recourse to finances. But love is all we really need.
Love is the beginning, the middle and the end.
Quote of the Week # 29
He that will not apply new remedies must expect new evils; for time is the greatest innovator.
Francis Bacon, 1561-1626
Francis Bacon, 1561-1626
Back In The Working World
Week Thirty – two: Sunday 6 – Saturday 12 May
Took my wife and daughter up to Edinburgh for a week; I had a week of freelance work, and we three had a chance to catch up with family and friends. You know your place when you contact people to say you are coming up and they all immediately ask, “Are Toni and Kumali coming too?”
So while I jumped back into the working world Toni and Kumali spent their days meeting up with various people. A constant stream of tea and cake, lunch, then more tea and cake, and my beautiful daughter being fussed over and complimented on her beauty, grace and abilities.
It wasn’t so bad being back at work; I guess I have worked enough over the last twenty-five or so years for it not to be so much of a shock to the system. It has been a pleasure and a treat to be a full-time student again, and the nine to five routine does easily drop away; but work is not so strange as to be unmanageable.
The work involved managing the media campaign for a national event to encourage adults who are not normally associated with learning to return to learning. It is a worthwhile event to be involved with; the opportunity to effect real, positive change in people’s lives is high and that makes it great to be involved with.
I have also been doing this work every year for the last nine years; I normally fit back into the rhythm of the work easily enough.
What was most interesting about being back in Scotland was the fact that the elections had just taken place and the Scottish voting public made it clear they have had enough of New Labour. With proportional representation at local level Labour lost control of several local authorities; nationally the Scottish Nationalist Party won most seats, leaving them as the party to form the new government.
It is clear that the Scottish media are not keen on an SNP government; the fourth estate fearing the break-up of the union. There is no sense in any of that, in my humble opinion. Great Britain is a misnomer; it is not a country, it is four countries. Surely a nation state is entitled to run its own affairs? An independent Scotland doesn’t have to mean anything negative in relation to the historical links with England, and/or Wales and Ireland for that matter.
How much difference does any mainstream political party actually make? I read a quote from green campaigner Jonathan Porritt over twenty years ago. He said, “Political parties are like cars on a motorway; they might all be going at different speeds, but they are all going in the same direction.”
Say no more!
Took my wife and daughter up to Edinburgh for a week; I had a week of freelance work, and we three had a chance to catch up with family and friends. You know your place when you contact people to say you are coming up and they all immediately ask, “Are Toni and Kumali coming too?”
So while I jumped back into the working world Toni and Kumali spent their days meeting up with various people. A constant stream of tea and cake, lunch, then more tea and cake, and my beautiful daughter being fussed over and complimented on her beauty, grace and abilities.
It wasn’t so bad being back at work; I guess I have worked enough over the last twenty-five or so years for it not to be so much of a shock to the system. It has been a pleasure and a treat to be a full-time student again, and the nine to five routine does easily drop away; but work is not so strange as to be unmanageable.
The work involved managing the media campaign for a national event to encourage adults who are not normally associated with learning to return to learning. It is a worthwhile event to be involved with; the opportunity to effect real, positive change in people’s lives is high and that makes it great to be involved with.
I have also been doing this work every year for the last nine years; I normally fit back into the rhythm of the work easily enough.
What was most interesting about being back in Scotland was the fact that the elections had just taken place and the Scottish voting public made it clear they have had enough of New Labour. With proportional representation at local level Labour lost control of several local authorities; nationally the Scottish Nationalist Party won most seats, leaving them as the party to form the new government.
It is clear that the Scottish media are not keen on an SNP government; the fourth estate fearing the break-up of the union. There is no sense in any of that, in my humble opinion. Great Britain is a misnomer; it is not a country, it is four countries. Surely a nation state is entitled to run its own affairs? An independent Scotland doesn’t have to mean anything negative in relation to the historical links with England, and/or Wales and Ireland for that matter.
How much difference does any mainstream political party actually make? I read a quote from green campaigner Jonathan Porritt over twenty years ago. He said, “Political parties are like cars on a motorway; they might all be going at different speeds, but they are all going in the same direction.”
Say no more!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Quote of the Week # 28
Christians have only one spouse; this is known as monotony.
One eight year old boy's response among a group of children being asked about what they know about religion.
One eight year old boy's response among a group of children being asked about what they know about religion.
Gallery Girl
Week Thirty – one: Sunday 29 April – Saturday 5 MayI stood there, almost in a trance. My mouth open at first, then forming into a huge smile. My eyes wide, almost popping from their sockets.
I stared and stared; my smile constant and strong, the feeling of joy and happiness floating through me. Chuckles and giggles flowed through my smiling mouth.
The feeling was magical.
And that was just the first picture. I remembered my wife told me that there were five of my daughter's pictures on display. Five. The multi-award winning Falmouth Arts Gallery have a parent and child club on a Saturday afternoon. My wife and daughter go along. Every so often the pictures that the children produce are framed and exhibited, just like any exhibition.
I wandered round and round, making a point of looking at the other art work of the other children, but really only interest in observing and absorbing my daughter's work. Five framed pieces of my three year-old daughter's art work, on display in an art gallery.
What a genius idea. I don't know for sure what it does for the children, although I can't imagine it is anything less than positive, but it works for this parent. It made me feel so happy, so impressed by my daughter's talent (not that I wasn't anyway), and proud too, I guess.
I went straight home, collected my wife and daughter and went straight back to the gallery with them. The three of us wandered around smiling, nodding and pointing in approval.
My daughter, on display in a bone fida art gallery; they've even got a Picasso in there!
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