Tag: Family
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Oh, here I am…Empty nesting is a chance at rediscovery
The kids are out of the house and off to uni and adulthood. My parenting job is done. Suddenly, I feel like a whole new me.
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Notes on Cruising – AKA: Not everyone is a cruising person.
Cruising is all the rage. It has its upsides, and its downsides. And how that plays out probably depends on whether you’re a cruising person or not. This is my take on it.
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Rituals of Remembering
Remembering is not about replaying the past, but reconstructing it. It matters then what we remember. In each recalling we shape our sense of self. In a birthday tribute, I recall the good things about my dad and why this matters to me.
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The Fabulousness of Fifty Two
Yup, I turned 52 and what a joy it is to be in this decade of life surrounded by people I love.
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Embracing Life’s Meaning: Choosing lychee martinis and love and everything in between.
We’re of an age where we start to wonder “what’s it all about”. Joyfully, the answer is “whatever you want it to be.” And also lychee martinis.
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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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The times they are a changing…
This week our eldest child graduated from high school. There are still a set of exams to complete, but formal schooling is done and dusted. It is a momentous milestone in the life of any child. But it’s also a pretty huge “WTF??” for us. You don’t really notice time passing. You just notice the…
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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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Death and the Rituals we use to Navigate Life
Today my father would have turned 77. He died over ten years ago, not quite reaching his 67th birthday. It is somewhat alarming to think that in 16 years’ time I will be the same age as he was when he died. We are not very good at thinking honestly about death. But as I…
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A snapshot in time
Cleaning up, I found an old picture. A snapshot in time, unposed and unfiltered, framed in white edging now a little tattered and torn. In it, I’m about 3 or 4 years old, I think, which means the photo was taken about 45 years ago. Almost half a century. That’s a conception of time that…
Midlife Unpacked 