Author: Maureen Helen

More change creativity and play

Change, creativity and play. Three of my favourite states, which are also my current favourite words, hover on my horizon. For this, I’m truly grateful. My eighty-seventh year seems full of promise, and not at all like the gloom I dreaded just before my birthday a few weeks ago. Miserable, bored and fearful about what…… Continue reading More change creativity and play

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Categorized as life skills

Procrastinate postpone delay – or just do it!

Procrastinate seemed to be my new second name. For weeks or maybe months I sat in a heap with stuff to do piled around me. The longer I postponed tasks the more painful my feelings. A physical sensation like suffocation grew behind my sternum. It wasn’t just my creativity that was blocked, but the whole…… Continue reading Procrastinate postpone delay – or just do it!

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Categorized as life skills

Nothing dreadful about being 86

A week ago, or perhaps even as late as Friday, I dreaded being 86. And then, suddenly it happened, and the world didn’t fall off its axis. In fact, the day itself was mildly celebrationary and very pleasant. A hot day in early November, a gathering of people who love me, and messages from friends…… Continue reading Nothing dreadful about being 86

Songlines The Power and Promise -a review

Songlines form part of the culture of Indigenous Australians. If we want to know about our First Nations people, we can start by reading about their rich and beautiful culture. In their book, Songlines: The Power and the Promise, Margo Neale and Lynne Kelly provide an in depth discussion of Songlines. They also show a…… Continue reading Songlines The Power and Promise -a review

Subjects to write about when life’s in a deep hole

I’d been casting around for subjects to write about. Right now, they need to be things that give me joy even when life seems to have fallen into a deep hole. Finding topics rarely fazes me. Writing itself brings me great joy, so that to not write leaves me confused and flat. This blog, and…… Continue reading Subjects to write about when life’s in a deep hole

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Categorized as Writing

Seven ways to manage change and transitions

The ability to manage change is an essential skill. Change, like death and taxes, pursues us throughout our lives. Jennifer Katzenstein says, ‘A life transition is any major life event that alters our sense of self, our purpose, and how we go from day-to-day’. Nothing stays static. We move houses, change jobs, marry and divorce,…… Continue reading Seven ways to manage change and transitions

Write YES for social justice

Write YES on the ballot paper in the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum next month and vote for social justice. Social justice includes the concept that all people possess an equal and inalienable worth. Because of this dignity, each person has a right to all that is needed to allow him or her to live…… Continue reading Write YES for social justice

Seven ways to cultivate awe

Awe – the emotion we experience as reverential respect – always includes wonder. It sometimes, also, includes an element of fear. We feel awe when we encounter something which, often larger than ourselves, challenges our understanding of the world. Experiences of wonder and awe take us outside ourselves and into a different realm. They are…… Continue reading Seven ways to cultivate awe

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Categorized as life skills

Snow dream and family bonds

Snow fascinates me but I’ve never been to a cold country in winter. I’d seen snow on mountains in autumn from a train between Spain and France, and a few small patches of melting sludge on a trip to Canberra. But to really experience snow sat high on my bucket list for years. I feel…… Continue reading Snow dream and family bonds

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Categorized as travel