Otherwise...

 Otherwise...

Hi Readers,

Well, two posts in less than a week ! You can certainly tell that someone is not at work. 

To be honest, although I haven't been at work this week following operations to my hand and my shoulder, I have waited until I have caught up on all schoolwork that was in front of me before starting this. And upon reflecting on that last sentence, why do I feel guilty about putting work before this? I definitely know which one I like doing more!!

I'm still typing with one hand, to be more precise, one finger, so this post might be a lot shorter than usual.

Where does the inspiration for this post come from? Does it even make sense ?

Well it does to me, and I'll try to weave it into something readable, so be patient with me.

It all started when I was having one of my regular FaceTime calls with our 3 year old Grandson, Henry on Saturday night.

The usual babble and banter was going on between the two of us, probably more from me than him. I can't even remember what we were talking about when this exchange took place, but it went something like this.

"Have you been swimming in your pool today Henry ?

"Yes Pop. I did a big jump and splashed Daddy"

"Did you land on Daddy?"

"No Pop, I can't do that, otherwise he will get hurt"

Did I hear that correctly?

A 3 year old using the word 'otherwise' correctly in a sentence? And he used it just as if he was using the word cat, dog, and, car, truck etc.

It was used as if it was just another common and everyday word that he always uses.

That's why I can't exactly remember what it was that we were talking about, but I definitely remember that he used 'otherwise' !! I mentioned it to his parents and commented at how impressed I was, but also it was a great reflection on them as parents and the way that they do everything they can to enable him to develop in so many ways.

It even had me thinking that he has a better control of the English language at 3 years of age than his Pop does at 60 !

S, hearing this got me thinking about a few other things that I've been noticing over time, but just haven't had a context or connection to use them in.

Until now.

As you'd all mostly be aware, kids at school use so much technology. Our kids have ipads that they probably use just as much as their workbooks. Think about yourself. How much do you actually write in books compared to how much you use a device?

We can be as critical as we want about this, but it's just the way the world is changing these days. I look at Henry and actually wonder how much handwriting will be a focus compared to typing as he grows up?

In my own class I see handwriting that is exemplary, and other samples that could easily pass as doctor prescriptions. That's not being critical, it's just how it is.

When using the ipads I have noticed the kids are often so impatient waiting for a screen or site to load, that they often reload or delete things before they have even the slightest chance to appear. They get frustrated if something hasn't loaded in just a few seconds, whereas I see the download wheel spinning and am content to wait.

It seems that in this day and age we are becoming so accustomed to getting things immediately that even just the slightest period of waiting is unbearable.

My response when they do this ? I use the 'otherwise principle'.

eg "How about you just wait a few seconds, OTHERWISE you'll spend even more time doing it all again?"

Or "How about you just wait for this page to load, OTHERWISE you might end up on a different page that won't have what you are looking for?"

It's about being prepared to persist with other options rather than blindly following the very first option that presents to us. And I could confidently predict that when we look back on decisions that we have made in our lives they haven't always been the first options presented to us. Particularly in making decisions that are really important and that require exploring all or many possibilities.

In a previous post I discussed decision making and how we need to consider the effects of our decisions on all stakeholders. "I need to make this decision OTHERWISE..."

Just hearing this gem from little Henry a few days ago has been that slap in the face I need from time to time to remind me to think carefully before rushing into decisions. I'm sure that he wasn't thinking about the consequences "of landing on Daddy and hurting him" as he jumps into the pool, but the discussions have obviously been there and held in such a way that he understands them and they are embedded.

Hopefully this lesson is then transferred to other situations in his life where he is able to consider more 'OTHERWISE' moments that he will no doubt encounter in his everyday life.

This is not just a learning experience for a 3 year old Readers, I see it as a great learning experience for all of us.

How many times have you seen someone do or say something, and you are left pondering, "What on earth were they thinking???"

I think my colleagues think that about me many times every day !

I was listening to a radio interview this morning about the miners in India who have been trapped in a mine collapse for the past 17 days.

When it first occurred, a collection of smart engineers sat around and tried to figure out the best way to rescue them without causing further collapses. No luck initially until they reached out to one of the chief engineers who comes from Monbulk, on the outskirts of Melbourne. Rather than having some whizz-bang intricate plan, he kept it simple.

He implemented the OTHERWISE idea.

"This is what we'll do, OTHERWISE we risk losing them all, plus many rescuers"

He wasn't even prepared to sacrifice 1 or 2 miners in order to save the rest, such was the belief in his well thought out and considered plan.

By now they had managed to get a narrow pipe through to the miners so that they could communicate and get food and water to them.

His plan?

"What we need to do is get them to slowly, but carefully dig by hand just 100mm a day in order to maintain the strength and integrity of the rest of the mineshaft"

It must have sounded like this would take forever, but he had taken the time to consider so many options, OTHERWISE...

Who knows what the consequences might have been had they decided to bore in and risk the lives of everyone?

Readers, I'm not suggesting that we all go out and try to save the world. 

But if you can, then we will all be grateful!

What I'm suggesting, and what I took from what Henry said, and what I heard on the radio is that at times we could try to be less reactionary, and perhaps stop to think about things before responding. It doesn't mean that in an extreme emergency you go and make a coffee, open a packet of Iced Vo Vo's and calmly sit down to plan what to do next.

It's just to try and respond more rationally and in some ways, choose your battles.

I know this happened to me just last week when a kid at school did something that initially made me really annoyed, and just as I was going to tick him off, I stopped and just said those words to myself..."Is this worth the battle?"

And it wasn't, because in reality it was minor, and I was letting an ant become an elephant.

So Readers, two posts in a week, and who knows what could happen tomorrow ?

Time to rest this one finger that has typed this entire post and read some books to find some inspiration for the next post.

Otherwise...

Cheers 😁

Photographs and Memories

 Photographs and Memories

Hi Readers,

Once again an extended break between posts, but with end of year reports, school camp and a few other interruptions I have had to prioritise things a bit more, as much as I love doing this. There you go, a pitiful attempt at an excuse!!!

 Not so sure about how lengthy this will be (Hooray I hear you say !!) because I'm doing this one handed and it's a real pain trying to do capital letters as I can't always reach 'Shift" and the letter I want capitalised.

"Why don't you use Caps Lock" then?

Easy to say, but when it is a habit to automatically do it one way, it doesn't come easily to suddenly do it another.

And why one handed? And why is it a pain? You'll just have to read on!!!

And guess what I've just noticed that I haven't really noticed before? Another Shift key on the other side of the keyboard !!! DERRRRR!!!!

 Now I just have to develop some muscle memory to use it, not easy when one hasn't realised it has been there all this time. I expect most of you would have been screaming this at me in my opening paragraph.😖

Now to the point of this post, "Photographs and Memories".

A bit of a back story to start with.

When Jen and I first started going out way back in 1984, we'd share a lot of music and our tastes were quite different, but she did have some that I grew to love and we used at our wedding as well as her funeral last year. She didn't gravitate to much of my music though !

Out of the blue last week I was listening to a radio station that plays a lot of songs from the 60's to the late 80's, my favourite eras. On came a Jim Croce song from an album of hers that we would listen to a lot. I hadn't heard this song for so many years and it brought back so many memories.

The album ? "Photographs and Memories"

Later that day I was sitting with a work colleague and he was proudly showing me the new family photos that he and his wife had taken recently with their two beautiful kids. I commented on how special it is to do this at all stages of their lives as it seems like only yesterday that Jen and I were doing the same thing with our 3 boys.

The events of the past year where we lost my sister, then Jen, then her mum made me realise that when they are gone, photographs and memories are pretty much all that we have to remember them by. That's also why hearing this album made me realise this even more.

We often hear that with so much technology at our disposal nowadays, it is destroying  many elements of society. I sort of agree with some elements of this, but also embrace it.

Virtually every adult has a camera at their disposal in the form of a phone 24/7, and incidents can be recorded instantly.

Friends and colleagues of mine who are of a similar age often joke that we are so glad that the phones of today weren't around when we were at Teacher's College in Ballarat in the mid 80's, otherwise none of us would have got teaching jobs at all !!!! Some may have even copped a visit from the law, and I'm not joking !!!

But in a way I wish that we also took more photos than we were able to, because back then it was still the camera with a roll of film, and a bit of a wait getting them developed. Also, as we were all living on next to nothing, not many could afford the luxury of getting films developed. 

I really wish that I had more photos of all the life long friends we made then and the crazy things we got up to, and also more photos of Jen and myself in our early years together.

I accept that's not to be, so that's what makes those photographs and memories even more special. 

Photographs and Memories❤️

I've managed to scan most of what we have taken from those years and that in itself was a joyous and lengthy task as I'd just stare at the pictures and it would stir up memories of not just when it was taken, but also further memories of the people in the shot.

As I look through various files for photos to use in my different posts I'm glad that I take photos of most things that pique my interest, as you never know when you may want to pull them out for whatever reason. Unfortunately though, society is also loaded with those who use the opportunity to take photos so easily and then use them inappropriately . 

I suppose that's the price of progress.

I have been so lucky that our son and his wife in Qld send me constant photos and videos of them and our Grandson, and these images will be available to them forever, what a great way to collate a record of one's life. You could argue that we will have too many photos, but after losing someone, there are never enough photos. I just wish I took more video footage.

Another son also lives in Qld, and likewise uses photos and videos extensively to keep me in the loop about what he is up to. Photographs and memories that I'd otherwise miss out on.

So Readers, I'm not suggesting you all become paparazzi,, just that you take time to record moments that will be memorable over time. It's amazing how a simple photo taken a few years ago that seemed so irrelevant at the time now holds so many precious memories. Then there's the pile of photos that have been taken and I think "Why on earth did I take that shot?"

Photographs and Memories.  Thanks Jim. Thanks Jen.

Now to other things more boring.

It seems that my other favourite pastime over the past 12 months has been going to hospital to get bits fixed.

This week was no different so I've been in again for a day and a bit to get two procedures done.

Firstly, back in January I was admitted for surgery to my right hand as I had two fingers that kept locking into a bent position, a painful tendon problem. Just before the operation the surgeon was comparing this hand with my left hand, and he noticed that a finger there had the same problem. I hadn't mentioned it to him earlier as I didn't think it was as bad as the others. His solution ? Do it as well that day, meaning I came out of the theatre with both hands bandaged. At the time I was also on crutches/trolley following ankle surgery, so I was starting to look like a mummy!

Fast forward a few months and the finger problem surfaced again in one hand, another operation.

Fast forward again to yesterday and yet again another operation on my hand for the same problem. I can foresee needing at least one more op for the same problem as it's starting to develop in another finger. On the bright side, once all of my fingers have been done it will be the end of it all ✋

On top of the op on my hand yesterday, I also had an op on my shoulder that I bunged up when I took a tumble at a tennis clinic at school last year. Luckily it's all on my left side, but it has left me a bit incapacitated and in a fair bit of pain for the next few days. 

All is good though, I just remember that I'm not sick, just sore.

A funny thing happened yesterday when I was having my first tests when I checked into St John of God Hospital. My heart rate was low (47) and they asked if I’d been to a cardiologist to have it checked. Later when another nurse took my heart rate and blood pressure it was still low, so they called in another nurse to check. A 3rd time later on the same thing happened so the nurse did it on a different machine. I get into the theatre and I hear someone say  “Oh, this is the heart rate guy” 

I'm sure that I'm running out of things that need to be fixed, but they just keep finding me !

Well Readers, that's my waffle for this week, I might get another done in the next few days while I'm recuperating, but I see a pile of schoolwork trying to catch my attention that might get first dibs.

And if you want to listen to a great album, jump on Spotify and tune into Jim Croce, "Photographs and Memories ".

Until my next post,

Cheers 😀

 Success

Hi Readers,

Very rare for me to start a post mid-week, but like a nagging itch I just had to respond to the desire to bang on about something that has really resonated with me this week.

Or should I say, quite a few things have resonated, to the point where I'll attempt to pull them all together under the one heading.

What caught my interest first was when I heard the Collingwood coach, Craig McRae speaking about his team winning the AFL Grand Final this season.

Overseas readers, the AFL is the Australian Football competition, and Collingwood recently were crowned the Premiers (Winners of the competition, Champions etc)

McRae has quickly established a reputation as a calm, personable and engaging coach who lifted his team from near the bottom of the competition to Premiers in just two years. Even supporters from other teams find it hard to dislike him, amazing considering that his team is often derided by opposition fans!

The interviewer said something to him along the lines "It must have been so satisfying to finally be successful by winning the Grand Final recently?"

McRae paused for a while and said that winning the Grand Final wasn't his measure of success, although it was a major goal.

Where he felt and saw success was from watching the development of a list of up to 42 players over two years who worked together collectively to eventually create a team of 22 who would ultimately win the game that everyone strives to win.

He viewed success as a journey shared by a whole club over time, not just by 22 players in one game.

Many would argue against this and contradict him too, but he had managed to create a culture within a club and a style of play that saw his team dominate the past two seasons.

He said that he couldn't have won the Grand Final without doing everything that preceded that day in the previous two years with more than just the 22 players who played on the day. So yes, they were successful on that final day, but he saw his, and the club's true measure of success as how they transformed together from a mediocre team to a team that took all before them. 

He also said that success meant getting players playing beyond what they thought they were capable of, turning average players into players who were always picked, and also reigning in some who tended to get into a bit of strife on and off the ground. Australian readers will know who I'm talking about here !!

But, as a Richmond supporter, I take my hat off to the entire Collingwood club for what they have established over the past two years, similar in a way to what my team accomplished  2017-20. No coincidence that McRae was part of our coaching team in that golden era.

It's been two days since I began this post and even more tangents have come to mind about what success is. Something so basic slapped me right between the eyes this morning as I was going about the most mediocre of tasks. 

What came to me was that success in our own eyes can be practically anything. It needn't be climbing the highest peak on each continent, writing a best seller or whatever floats your boat.

 As I got up this morning, the first day of the weekend, I had made a little list of things that I'd like to get done today. (I keep the manufacturers of post-it notes in business!!)

Well, didn't it go off like a frog in a sock!!

Washing all done and hung up, the house vacuumed, mopped and all benches wiped down.

I even managed to wash my car and vac it as well. I just got on a roll, and after each job I just jumped into the next with enthusiasm as I was getting things done and feeling successful doing it. All the while with my favourite music blasting, which only added to my enjoyment. At this point you're all probably thinking "Who gets excited about getting their housework done??!!", and rightly so.

The past few weeks have had me feeling down in the dumps for the most part as my body continues to break down and fall apart (I can still laugh about it!)

Just as my hands were sort of recovering I find I need another op on one of them. No big deal, just another annoyance. I also need an op on my shoulder which will be a little more than inconveniencing, but I'm accustomed to this by now.

And two weeks ago while seeing the doc I mentioned about an itchy spot on my back that I just couldn't reach to scratch. He duly checked it and said that it was a mole that looked a little concerning and needed to come out. Okay, no big deal, heaps of people have all sorts of things cut off/out.

So last week I go in to get it removed, but as the two doctors doing the job looked more closely I hear a few "Hmmm's" and "What about those ones?"

Not exactly music to my ears, so I ask about what was going on and they said that there were a few to be looked at, and that one in particular looked 'angrier' than the others and that they'd remove it first and do the others next week. 

After some more discussion and poking around they got the job done and I couldn't believe the size of the piece of flesh that was removed. It was little bit bigger than a jelly baby (overseas readers might have to google that!) and because it left a decent hole, it needed to be stitched up again. Since then I've been so sore, which is to be expected as they just couldn't leave a crater there!

So what has this got to do with Success?

Rather than dwelling on what the possible outcomes could be once this mole and the others get checked, I just chose to look for success in other areas, and that's exactly what happened this morning. Such a trivial task as mopping my floors, or getting the housework done so efficiently, and better than usual I might add enabled me to feel like I had climbed the Seven Peaks or run a marathon again. I'll get the results of the moles in due course, so in the meantime there is nothing at all I can do about them. Worrying won't help, and might prove to be useless anyway if my results are good. If they're not, I'll deal with that when the time is needed. For the moment I want to bask in the success of having a clean house!!!!!

Which brings me to the point I'm trying to make.

To be successful at something usually makes one feel good about themselves ( look up the effects of dopamine) and I managed to achieve that by doing tasks that are often considered meaningless and trivial, but they altered my mindset to a point that the rest of my day feels just so positive.

Further trivial exploits from my day that have made me feel like there is some success going on.

As I was going out to the bins at the back of the yard I stopped to look around our garden, and I was taken aback by what was happening.

I'm by no means a gardener, Jen was and I'm just trying to maintain what was here when we bought the place and also what she established.

I didn't stop to 'smell the roses', but I did take time to look at them and I felt an element of success that I was able to "prune" them a few months ago, and now look what confronts me.

The photo doesn't do them justice, the colours and formation are stunning and just make our yard look beautiful. Definitely a bunch heading to her gravesite today ❤️🌹

This made me look around a bit and to try and take time to appreciate what I have a lot more.

Usually I only look at these bushes to check if they need trimming. Today I really took time to admire the growth and the array of flowers and colours. My recent trimming must have worked!

And then I notice that I've actually got a lemon tree. I don't use the lemons, but a close inspection revealed how good they are. Luckily a close friend came around to change the dressings on my back so she was able to take a bag of them home. It's amazing how much you see when you really look, and  and how much you how much you miss when you just do the usual mowing and trimming etc.

We had a good discussion about this, and how in the 'busyness' of life we too often fail to stop to really see things.

Just by having a bit of a decent look around the garden has given me new incentive to have even more success in trying to keep it looking good, I'll just have to ensure that I make the time to "see" more often.

And while I'm talking about the garden, we have these other plants called "Bird of Paradise'. Normally I just see them as bulky plants that get in the way when I'm trying to mow around the pond, but on closer inspection they really are plants to admire. I had it pointed out to me once that all they need is a pair of googly eyes and how we perceive them then would change dramatically.

You be the judge.

This is the view from our kitchen/living area, and I always feel that they are keeping an eye on me.

Put some eyes on them and....

As someone who always feels the need to be doing something active, not being able to do this at the moment was making me feel so much less than successful, but the change in my disposition didn't really come by choice, it was somewhat of a slow realisation that there are other things out there that can develop your mindset.

Little did I know that it would be a mop and a vacuum cleaner that awakened me!!!

Not only alert me that success can come in the simplest of forms, it can also awaken us to other skills that we may not have realised that we had.

I'm now getting ready to hit the garden again this afternoon because I'm feeling a tad more confident in guessing which plants are real, and which ones are the weeds. It goes without saying that some friendly fire might take out a few proper plants rather than weeds, but my mindset is based on success rather than failure, so I'm hoping that the overall result will be okay.

There are a multitude of jobs to be done around the house, so with an attitude of success, I can choose whether to aim high, low or somewhere in between, but I'm determined to find where that level of success will be.

The same can then be applied to other aspects of our lives. Work. Relationships.

I remember the saying "If you believe you will fail, you will", and that is very appropriate for this post. Try attacking a new task, job, relationship with an attitude that there WILL be a level of success, even if it is tiny. It might feel like it has gone ballistic. Look for the small positives and build upon them. I find that celebrating a small win feels a lot better than dwelling on a big loss.

Well Readers, I hope that you can look back over your day and identify some levels of success that you may otherwise have forgotten about completely, or not realised that they happened at all. Especially if you've had a crappy day, there could still be a small celebration tucked in there somewhere.

Over the past two years it has been very easy for me to dwell on the unfortunate things that have happened, but through it all I have always tried my best to find even just the tiniest bit of positivity. Trust me, it helps, even on those days when it so hard to find something. I even take time to laugh at my own situation at times with how I hobble about and creak and groan every time I get up from the floor or a chair😂

In class the other day one of my students came up to me all worried saying "Mr K, I've got a problem"

Without thinking, I just quickly said back something that I often say when I hear this, "We don't have problems, just solutions". That was it, then we sorted out what was troubling her.

A few times since then she has come up to me and said "Mr K, I need help with a solution".

This blew me away, as it meant that my simple response has in some way helped her in her approach to dealing with problems. 

Success.

For both of us.

Okay Readers,

That's it for today, I'll get off my pulpit and get some meaningful tasks done around the house. While writing this I've been racking my brain trying to think of what sort of exercise I might be able to do in my current condition. It's not much, but I think I've got a few I can do. Small successes, but success is success!!!

Until my next post...

Cheers 😁

 Legacy

Hi Readers,

One again the obligatory yet futile attempt at making an excuse for leaving it too long in between posts, so I'll spare you the gory details.

I'm trying to adopt a new practice and attitude of identifying things that need to be done and getting onto them straight away instead of stuffing around doing other things instead.

This post has been nagging at me since mid last week, and as I've been putting time into getting ready for my end of year reports, I just needed a break so what better opportunity than to do this now.

At our school, named after St Francis of Assisi, we have a massive day each year where everyone brings in their animals to be blessed, and we also give out awards to 2 children from each year level, our St Francis of Assisi Awards. These are prestigious awards and much thought and preparation goes into identifying and choosing the recipients each year.

The day looks like organised chaos with every sort of pet imaginable present, from dogs and cats, to rabbits, guinea pigs, various birds, snakes and even horses!! To the credit of each pet I didn't hear of any major toileting issues or predatory behaviour!!

Anyway, in class last week we were talking about this day and how it stems from the legacy of St Francis. What better way to make it more relevant than to talk about what sort of legacy we'd like to leave behind?

With my kids we just discussed what legacy they'd like to leave at the end of this year, how would they want to be remembered after a year in 5K?

To their credit they really embraced the concept, due mainly to the culture that we have developed in our class and their ability to openly acknowledge positive things about themselves. We'd discussed how easy it is to identify our faults, and even to brush off positive comments given to us. I must admit that I'm the worst example of his and I still feel extremely uncomfortable when a positive comment comes my way.

Why is this so?

For some reason, Australians are renowned for the 'tall poppy syndrome', where it's okay to do well, but don't overdo it. We seem to admire people who achieve well, but only to a certain point where we tend to start to view them less admirably as their success increases. There are notable exceptions of course, as criticism of some of our legendary Australians would be akin to killing Bambi!!

Who might slot into this category? As soon as I think of a name, criticisms that I've heard also come to the fore.

So here goes, some possible names of people who were universally appreciated...

Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop?

Victor Chang ?

Ash Barty?

Olivia Newton John?

Just to name a few.

Some of you may have even stopped reading already based purely on a few names that I've thrown up. What I'm suggesting though is that each person wouldn't have been as pure as driven snow, but in general terms they stack up well when compared to other 'good' people.

We could all name some of our favourite sports people, entertainers, giants of the economy and so on and then it all becomes subjective.

What one admires in one person might be totally missed by another. Is either terribly wrong?

When talking with my class we also discussed that their legacy might not be totally obvious at the moment and that it might not even be evident for years to come. We also discussed that one didn't have to be famous or great to leave a legacy. We all leave a legacy, and how different people remember and interpret us is completely up to them. Much of it depends upon what you know about that person, rather than what you hear about them.

For example, and I'll fly my Richmond flag here. 

Dustin Martin. I don't know him, never met him. However, he is generally acknowledged as a great footballer ( although I still hear opposition supporters still not able to say this) What I I have heard and read about him is that he is respected immensely throughout the club for the way that he treats others. Much of the disdain directed towards him does stem from some unsavoury events that have occurred throughout his career, and just by looking at him is enough for some people to not have a good word to say about him. A classic case of not really knowing about someone, but being prepared to make judgements about them. The same could be said for any number of other sports people.

Often what we hear about them is so far removed from our own expectations that we refuse to believe them, and I'll put my hand up for doing that.

Continuing on from the discussions with my Gr 5 class, we brainstormed for a list of people, past and present who have inspired us. There were the obligatory musicians, sports people, movie stars etc, but also put forward were the names of family members, friends, teachers, coaches and a multitude of names that you and I have never heard of and may never will.

Does this diminish their legacy?

Certainly not. 

I could put forward a few quick names of people that have left a lasting impression on me for a wealth of reasons, some you may know, others you will be left scratching your head.

Ray Carroll.

Sr Bridget

The Seven

D.R.

D.W.

A.T.

Hugh van Cuylenburg

Ant Middleton

Jen

I've just used the initials of some in order to protect their privacy, but I'm sure they know how much I value them.

The reasons for these are as wide as one could imagine. Some influenced me early in life, some many years ago, and some really came to the fore in the past two years when my life was turned upside down. If I could mould all of the brilliant qualities that I've recognised in each of these people what a super human being that would be, but I still prefer them all separately  because that's what makes each them so unique and special to me.

What I'm trying to point out here Readers is that we can be inspired by the legacy of anyone, no matter how well known they are or how insignificant they may appear to be on the global stage.

So who inspires you?

I'll imagine that a well known name might come to mind first, but let your mind wander and try to identify the qualities that you admire in those around you, because they are the people you are spending most of your time with.

If you are identifying a lot of positive qualities in those around you, then how lucky are you!!!

Now consider your own legacy. What's it like at the moment? What would you like it to be?

Chances are that you, like me, has come to the conclusion that you could pull your finger out in a few areas, but there are possibly also some areas where you might be thinking "Yeah, I think I'm going okay there".

Which brings me back to what I was mentioning early in the post. It's okay to say that you are proud of yourself in what you are doing. We don't need to "tall poppy" ourselves. Even though I'm the worst example of this, I'm happy to say that I'm working on it, and encouraging others just the same. Our legacy doesn't have to be as well known as someone incredibly famous or influential, it might only be obvious to as little as one person, and that's okay.

So, as usual, I try to leave a little thing for us to reflect on, or act on. Or ignore!!

What's your legacy?

Do you need to work on some aspects?

How will we know if it's happening? Often we won't know or never find out as it's mostly for others to judge.

As I was up at the cemetery this morning I looked at a few of the surrounding headstones and so many had a lasting quote that said something about the legacy left by the person buried there. I can imagine what the boys might put on mine...

"He eventually got fixed before we planted him!" 😂

And who we learn to admire can be as wide and as varied as anything. It still blows me away when I see the way some of the kids in my class treat each other, and me in certain ways. They may be 50 years younger than me but I'd say that I see an example each day of something that I should try and do that would make me a better person. Inspiration comes in many forms, we just need to be aware of them and be receptive to them.

I cringe at what they'll remember me for 😖

Our legacy isn't any less than the most famous people in the world, we can't control it but we can surely try and develop it. While we are all still above ground we have the opportunity to do something about it.

Bit of another banging on piece I know, but I'm glad I finally got it done. I actually get a bit uptight when I have an idea for a post swimming around in my head and don't get onto it for a few days. Today has been good.

Until my next post,

Cheers 😊