Category: Life Lessons
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Flown the Coop – The nest is half empty
Last week our eldest child flew the coop. Empty nester stage looms large. But that nomenclature annoys me. I’m renaming it Graduated, and thinking of parenting as flight school, instead.
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Reflections on 21 years of marriage. AKA: growing old together is a privilege
It’s our wedding anniversary this weekend. From the vantage point of kids almost out of school, looking back across our lives together, I’m reminded that life is a winding, undulating road with ups and downs. And it takes commitment to the relationship, and respect for the individuals within it, to keep walking it together.
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Wise up chicken, said younger me to current me.
Something strange has happened to me since I turned 50. I feel quite disconnected from my old self. I’m finding myself breathless on occasion, struggling to work out who I am and what I’m good at. But then, my younger self said – wise up chicken, embrace joy. So wise, younger me!
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What is love, anyway? It ain’t Valentines day, that’s for sure.
The air last week reeked with overpriced roses and heart-shaped chocolates. Not in my house, as paying a $100 for 12 rose is legitimately ridiculous, plus it’s fun-free February, where champagne and chocolate are vorboten. … Still all these renditions of “love is in the air” got me thinking – what is love, anyway?
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New year, new resolutions, new you?
New year… new resolutions, new plans, new you? Even if you don’t tend toward that sort of thing, there is an impulse to think about starting fresh post the midnight fireworks. Of course, every day is the start of a new year. Each new dawn a full twirl around the sun since the last time…
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The power of perspective – refocusing on the upside.
Last month it was my dad’s birthday. This is the first time since he passed away (11 years ago) that I haven’t written some sort of a birthday tribute to him. I’ve been wallowing in a funk of negativity that has made it hard to write something meaningful. All around us humanity seems to…
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Everything Changes – how can we deal with it and still love life?
Everything changes. Acceptance. Gratitude. Things I’m learning, or at least trying to.
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Rituals, blessings and lessons in happiness from Bali
We are on a small island off the coast of Bali. Remote times two. It’s nice and warm here. The sea and pool both a balmy 27 degrees. The sun warm enough to make Sydney’s cold winter grip feel like nothing but a distant memory. If we leave the poolside, it’s to watch the sunset…
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Core beliefs and how they shape your reality
We all hold core beliefs. Unexamined, unconscious assumptions we make about the world and ourselves. Our core beliefs are a lens through which we view the real world. They create our reality and deeply influence our wellbeing. And if we aren’t careful, can make us unnecessarily miserable.
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The value of kindness
Kindness is not the default position of human beings, and I am no exception. But this year I made it my number 1 resolution.
Midlife Unpacked 