The Dead Parents Society


What do you talk about around the dinner table or consequently avoid discussion like the plague? I was having a catchup at Macca’s AKA a coaching session when this subject came up. Her dad had passed recently and mine were well gone so It was safe to discuss our feelings towards them.

It is something that is not on the list for a mention, Gardening, House ownership, and even sex are okay. But dear old mum and dad are not on the agenda. Is it because it hurts too much, they say it takes a few years, but my dear old dad passed 11 years ago, and when I think of him, which I must admit is rare these days, it still hurts.

AMarc and Amgel list, they are from the iconic tome:: 1000+ little things Happy Successful People do differently. google Life hack.

  1. The most beautiful thing is to see a person nearby smiling. And even more beautiful is knowing that you are the one behind it
  2. 2. If you have the power to make someone happier today, do it. The world needs more of that.
  3. Some people build lots of walls in their lives and not enough bridges, there’s no good reason to be one of them. Open yourself up. Take small chances on people.
  4. 4. Never stop doing little things for those around you. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.
  5. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of love – all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
  6. Be present, be thoughtful Compliment people. Magnify their strengths, not their weaknesses. This is how to make a real and lasting difference in your relationships, new and old.
  7. We don’t always need advice. Sometimes all we need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen to, and a heart to understand.
  8. Today, just be 100 per cent present with those around you – be all there. That is enough.
  9. There is no such thing as self-made Someone else believed in you. Someone else encouraged you. Someone else is invested in you. Someone else prayed for you. Someone else spoke life over you. Be that someone for others too.
  10. It’s practically impossible to love your neighbours if we don’t know them, and yet that’s often the case We live in such a hyper-connected world with such limited or nonexistent communication Remember this. Relationships matter. Stories matter.
  11. In human relationships, distance is not measured in miles but in affection. Two people can be right next to each other yet miles apart.
  12. Stay in touch with those who really matter to you, not because it’s convenient, but because they are worth the extra effort.
  13. The single greatest problem in communication is the illusion it has taken place. Too often we don’t listen to understand, we listen to reply. Bring awareness ti this. And listen for what’s truly behind the words.
  14. Set an example. Treat everyone with respect, even those who are rude to you not because they are always nice, but because you are. And do your best to be thankful for the rude and difficult people too, they serve as great reminders of how not to be.
  15. 15. Sometimes it is better to be kind than right.
  16. People are much nicer when they are happier, which says a lot about those who aren’t very nice to you. Sad, but true.
  17. The real test always comes when you don’t get what you expect from people. Will you react in anger? Or will calmness be your superpower?
  18. The way we treat people is the way we treat people we don’t understand is a report card on what we’ve learned about love, compassion, and kindness.
  19. Be kinder than necessary. What goes around, comes around. No one has ever made themselves strong by showing how small someone is.
  20. The best relationships are not just about the good times you share, they are also they’re also about the obstacles you go through together and the fact that you still say I love you in the end.

Now for the quotes and the songs, I promise to not get too morbid.

I missed doing this, I feel sad often. At 68nits too late, baby.

It has been eleven and four years for the Williams siblings since we became the elders. Each and every day.

Plum village, such a wisw nman. R.I.P. THich.

How many ways can you say, I love you mum and dad.

I did some terrible things to my mum during my teenage years, I call it our black vs. white time.

Lots of truth in this statement.

In my Buddhist years Pema Chodron always said this

They mostly always know already, they just love you for who you are.

Unrequied love by any other name.

Great image of motherhood.

For you, Karina.

Unfortunately , we do not do this all of the time, then we have to have our wounds healed.

Early days, it’s up to mum and dad.

over to my words. The first slogan I ever got paid the princely sum of AUS25 dollars for It’s up to us, Because we Can, It’s our time. The ethos of Interculturalosism: Love and Respect for all, everybody included. Leonard – The light gets in, Gil Scott Heron: The revolution will not be televised Me- fuck Rupert Murdoch. It is an interesting time in our lands: WE are charging the machine guns, and some of us will not make it. There are more of us than them, They know they have lost. If you enjoyed this I would appreciate s donation towards the 1 million dollars I am raising for the ASRC in 2023/ The button os on our website.

Until next time, my dear friends.

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Day 200, and its not over!!!


Last Thursday in my home town of Preston, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia we reached a notable breakthrough. It was 200 days we have been in Lockdown since the start of the pandemic, number six in fact with short breaks in between. You could let this take you on a deep ride of despair or contemplate what your new future will be after the light has returned..

So how do you find strength in hard times It is these losses that make us stronger and eventually move us toward future opportunities for growth and happiness. here are some thoughts to get through this stage:

  1. You are not what happened to you in the past.
  2. Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t.
  3. Struggling with problems is a natural part of growing.
  4. It’s OK to fall apart for a little while.
  5. Life is fragile, sudden, and shorter than it often seems.
  6. Emotionally separate yourself from your problems.
  7. Don’t make a problem bigger than it is.
  8. View every challenge as an educational assignment.
  9. Things change, but the sun always rises the next day.
  10. Giving up and moving on are two different things.
  11. Perfect relationships don’t exist.
  12. You must love yourself too.
  13. Don’t let others make decisions for you.
  14. Resentment hurts you, not them.
  15. Consciously nurture your inner hope.
  16. It’s better to be hurt by the truth than comforted by a lie.
  17. Not getting what you want can be a blessing.
  18. Laughter is the best medicine for stress.
  19. Worrying is literally a waste of energy.
  20. Even when it’s hard to move, take small steps forward.
  21. You are better off without some people you thought you needed.
  22. You are only competing against yourself.
  23. Life is not easy.
  24. Your future is unwritten.
  25. You are not trapped, you just need to relearn a few things.
  26. Everything in life is two-sided.
  27. You always have a choice.
  28. Let others in when you’re in a dark place.
  29. If you ask negative questions, you will get negative answers.
  30. The end is a new beginning.

As Lockdown is a relatively new term in our vocabulary comments made on it come from our current time, but there are people who have come up with some classics, let’s have a look:

1.Dolly is like a walking quotesayer.

2. Each day is what you make of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qupH9aLF4hA

3. Especially written for our friends during Lockdown.

4.Where we hangout these days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Eo9M4-BrJA

5. Not the thoughts of a certain premier in our country, Go you good thing Gladys B.

6. And each day there are COVID reports from all around the country: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ity-l7be1z0

7. Ellen Burstyn is an American actress. Known for her portrayal of complicated women in dramas, Burstyn is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two Prime-time Emmy awards, and a Tony Award, one of the few performers to achieve the “Triple Crown of Acting”.

8. A bit over the top but relevant in it’s meaning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKdknYaSHgE

9. How much would we all love a hug and kiss!!!

10. And actually watch the air stewardesses do their routine:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr7SgQewSEc

11. You can never go back to whence you where.

12. A question often asked on social media:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7TarriXFME

13. We have several of these signs in our neighborhood.

14. And for the anti-vaxxers reading this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDktBZzQIiU

15. And we finish with a quote by the famous Ms. Unknown.

Spend your time wisely today and pause long enough to appreciate it. Every moment you get is a gift. Don’t waste time by dwelling on the past. Spend it on things that move you in the direction of your future.

Today’s playlist contains 4 gods and queens of Rock.We begin with Lou Reed and Pavarotti, a mighty combination. Then the first of two Covid parodies, Coronavirus Rhapsody. Joe Cocker is next then followed by our next duet John Denver and Cass Elliot. Plane Music flies away next. The penultimate tune is the second parody by Ariana Grande and we complete with Johnny Cash: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrt3Nm36QtzpKaeQy7e89nwm

With the world covered by lock-downs I sense that the world need my ethos: Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included and my two Facebook groups that spread it around the world Interculturalism: https://www.facebook.com/groups/183421768519278 and Thriving People – People who wish to make a difference to humanity: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949, you are invited to join our merry band. Till next time, my dear friends.

Is it still important to you all these years later?


Those things I did 20 years ago, what I considered good or bad too often let me hide the beauty that was in front of me. I got caught up in my own head thinking that the few things that weren’t going my way were worthy of creating a manifesto of my life.

Here is a list of several things that this manifesto was made up of:

  1. The inevitable frustrations of an average day.
  2. The little failures you often feel self-conscious about.
  3. How “perfect” everything could be, or should be.
  4. Having complete confidence before taking the first step.
  5. The intricacies of what’s in it for you.
  6. Being an only-only activist for good causes.
  7. The pressure to make a big difference all at once.
  8. The temptation of quick fixes.
  9. Having a calendar jam-packed with exciting, elaborate plans.
  10. Being in constant control of everything.
  11. Blaming Others.
  12. Winning everyone’s approval.
  13. Saving overly dramatic people from themselves.
  14. The selfish and disparaging things others say and do.
  15. Winning arguments.
  16. Judging others for their shortcomings.
  17. Society’s obsession with outer beauty.
  18. Fancy and expensive physical possessions.
  19. All the shallow relationships that make you feel more popular.
  20. Distant future possibilities.

So what has the human race said about what is important later in life, let’s have a look:

1. They are way out in front!!!

2. And the greatest opponent to this is the anti-aging industry: https://youtu.be/awzNHuGqoMc

3. Over and Over again, yet we seem to forget fairly often.

4. The Africans sure know how to articulate their wisdom: https://youtu.be/3XIkYCFDMnA

5. This is why your teachers are older than you at the first stages of your life, to teach you this lesson.

6. And you get closer and closer each day of your life: https://youtu.be/VlD2GYtD29Q

7. And all indigenous tribes fight this world-wide.

8. All original preachers thought these things: https://youtu.be/VptisJUx3CQ

9. Well said, Garrison.

10. What is pleasing does not count as wisdom: https://youtu.be/q3NTVkHwD5I

11. Do you remember those things your parents said that you promised you would never say, sprung.

12. That’s when the respect for each other kicks in: https://youtu.be/P6zaCV4niKk

13. How soon we forget who got us to where we are in life.

14. A big thing for the most popular man in the NBA at his time to say: https://youtu.be/tzq7e86m_W4

15. It’s like a third stage in life, but you can’t life the third with out the first two.

As you continue to travel the road of life, do your best to avoid letting anyone or anything get in the way of your joy. Life a life that rocks and makes you laugh out loud every day of the year. Here are some things that will help with that:

  1. Think Deeply.
  2. Speak gently.
  3. Love Lots.
  4. Laugh Often.
  5. Work Hard.
  6. Give Back.
  7. Expect less.
  8. Be present.
  9. Be Kind.
  10. Be honest.
  11. Be true to yourself.

Today’s playlist contains two spoken word pieces, both very different in origin. We begin with one of the U.S.A’s biggest recording star Tim Mcgraw. Kings and Queens follows from Africa then Jamaica’s Capleton and Chronixx – Help the Weak. Dhar Mann learns a lesson next. WE then travel back in the decades to The Beatles and Cat Stevens. We complete with the fame of
Julius Erving: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYruLSCPtLlJbkIxfk9D8EFXw

So this blog definitely fits in with my ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included. Remember you can join my two Facebook groups I have created to spread it across the universe. The first is Thriving People – People who wish to make a difference to humankind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949 and the second Interculturalism: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Interulturalism. You are invited to join and add your countries version of these. Until next time my dear friends.

Your Contribution is a gift to the Community!!!


Several years ago I fell in love with a social enterprise in my home city of Melbourne called Lentil as Anything, a chain of restaurants run on a pay as you feel philosophy. The title of this blog is part of their ethos. A question for you: do you walk around thinking my contribution is a gift to the community or more like thinking I don’t really make much of a contribution. What is it that shifts you from the latter to the former.

When life pushes you over, stand up and push back even harder. When there is a fork in the road, make the ones your future self with thank you for. Today, start:

1.Choosing you.

2. Appreciating what you have.

3. Believing in yourself and your dreams.

4. Being Positive.

5. Taking Action

6. Letting Go.

7. Picking Yourself Back Up.

8. Ignoring Negative People.

9. Staying in touch with close friends and family.

10. Making Time for Fun.

11. Spread Love and Kindness.

12. Being the Change you want to see in the World.

I can imagine this is a battle that has gone on between our consciousnesses for a very long time, Let’s have a look at what people of note have said about it over the years:

1.I think this depends on who you ask?

2. Mr I am not your Guru who appears to be worshiped by his followers as a guru :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9lNbNGbo24

3. Reading his history Arthur Ashe, tennis player extraordinaire was a remarkable African American in a time at best they were called negro if not worse.

4. In history the first wise people were not remembered for what they achieved but what they contributed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMLChxRHnWM

5. The first female high school principal in the U.S.A., Ethel founded AARP, an elder activist organization which with membership of 28 million making its magazine and bulletin the two largest readerships in the USA.

6. Gautama Buddha chips in from 2,400 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzrCRDGctNE

7. I do not believe we have studied this one very well.

8. One of 15 surviving sailors on the battleship Arizona at Pearl Harbour, his book The Strangest Secret is considered one of the greatest motivational books of all time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc&list=PL3DDj3bwnjI1ywrjlCUY_9SX4OQgHr5KJ

9. The best remembered wife of a POTUS, Eleanor Roosevelt never began to die until she did.

10. And they left a word out of this quote, HER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLYqTZKEpvs

11. Live long and Prosper was made famous by Leonard Nimoy’s character Spock in his 50 year acting career.

12. No levels of government are contributing to their community if they have laws that do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpfpqsSALuY

13. Makes sense to me, but does it happen?

14. Another deep question to answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZrPDjyffI

15 And the most famous POTUS with a very obtuse question to finish.

This collection of quotes shows that we have thought about contribution being a gift for a long time as a human race, I think we will for a long time in the future and perhaps even resolve the issue.

Today’s playlist goes all over the place, contributions of spoken word, the 80’s, the East and a very education video on black music. We begin with none of these, firstly is Gang Starr, then followed by Marianne Williamson. My unknown is next the Isha Foundation. My favourite Black Eyed Peas song leads us to Darryl Hall and John Oates. The penultimate song is Massive Attack and we finish with Music is Black History: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtUz0w9taVPwST5DJcBuhWd

I believe my contribution that is a gift to the community is my ethos: Love and respect for All, Everybody Included and my two Facebook Groups: Interculturalism: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Interulturalism and Thriving People – People who wish to make a difference to humanity: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949 to allow anyone across the planet join our merry little clan. Until we neet again, my dear friends.

We Grow Every Day!!!


Does the statement that is the title of this blog frighten you. In scientific truth in regards to age it is until we pass, but does it feel like that in other areas of our life. They say we develop our characteristics by the age of five, Earlier temperament seems to affect later life experience. For example, one 1995 study published in the journal Child Development followed children from the age of 3 until the age of 18. The researchers found, for instance, that children who were shyer and more withdrawn tended to grow into unhappier teenagers. 

In those first few years everything is new and vital, and then the harsh truths of life start to kick in. What do we learn in this new sector of our life:

  1. Life is not Easy.
  2. You will fail sometimes.
  3. Right now, there’s a lot you don’t know.
  4. There may not be a tomorrow.
  5. There’s a lot you can’t control.
  6. Information is not true knowledge.
  7. You can’t be successful without providing value.
  8. Someone else will always have more than you.
  9. You can’t change the past.
  10. The only person who can make you happy is you.
  11. There will always be people who don’t like you.
  12. You don’t always get what you want.
  13. In life you get what you put in.
  14. Some friends will come and go.
  15. Doing the same exact thing every day hinders self-growth.
  16. You will never feel 100 percent ready for something new.

So what has society said about this period over time, lets have a look:

1. Interesting comment from a man who has been involved with baseball his whole life.

2. A great question, Which is your voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuAH21DkJow

3. A man who made billions speaking to people’s inner child’s.

4. Lev Grossman (born June 26, 1969) is an American novelist and journalist who wrote The Magicians Trilogy: The Magicians(2009), The Magician King (2011),and The Magician’s Land (2014). A strange statement from someone who writes about magic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPE9a_epmWw

5. One day seems like a minute and sometimes like a week on this journey.

6. At Sixty-Six this has happened to me a lot, Dr Seuss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlPhMPnQ58k

7. I think I was about 11 when this powerful statement by Iranian born Cassandra Clare kicked in.

8. You go from a whole school to one or two precious ones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNHBT7wjqVI

9. a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.

10. Boom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoUH9b6xHyg

11. He is best known for his works of fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy, and for his non-fiction Christian apologetics, such as Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain. Lewis and fellow novelist J. R. R. Tolkien were close friends. Two of the great fantasy writers of their time.

12. How old were you when this happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Xb_7YDroQ

13. The magnificent Maya Angelou.

14. And it’s popularly called our Inner Child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0cBhdvXfJA

15. Sir Peter Brian Medawar was a British biologist and writer, He is remembered for his wit both in person and in popular writings. Famous zoologists such as Richard Dawkins referred to him as “the wittiest of all scientific writers”, and Stephen Jay Gould as “the cleverest man I have ever known”.

I’m getting to the point of knowing all that I may know but playing my great uncle role on Sunday with my great niece Tawara who is all of six months old I must admit it takes you back to that period in your life when it’s all about Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included, It’s so beautiful watching her natural joy.

The playlist today is young, old and smarmy , we begin with Pink then fly back to the sixties with Steppenwolf. The first of two rock groups is next with Maroon 5. Back to the 70’s with Dione Warwick and Friends, we stays there with Peter Pan and Friends. The penultimate number is Eve 6 and we complete with Shaina Noll, which some people may find a bit smarmy: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrsSwgrDaJJ_VQtjpbCMe57v

Thank you for waiting a few weeks for this blog, until we meet again my dear friends.

What Interculturalism could provide?


I have started watching Al Jazeera News broadcasts because I was sick of the mindless photo opportunities our Prime Minister down here in Australia, nicknamed as Scotty from marketing uses main stream media in our country for. Today I say an item where the Italian ambassador for the Republic of Congo had been ambushed and killed on a country road and it made me think would these people have done that if they knew why the ambassador was in their country, fundamentally to provide aid in the name of doing good deeds between the two countries.

Then I thought about as to why had I named my blog I am an Interculturalist all those years ago. The definition of Interculturalism goes as follows: Interculturalism refers to support for cross-cultural dialogue and challenging self-segregation tendencies within cultures. … It is based on the recognition of both differences and similarities between cultures. It has addressed the risk of the creation of absolute relativism within post modernity and in multiculturalism. Cross-cultural dialogue is what drew me to the Darebin Intercultural Centre after attending a Colombian film night at which there were about twenty cultures hanging out and being friends, all I can say is that I was hooked from that night.

So what does society say is the value of living an intercultural life, Let’s have a look:

1. Terminal Uniqueness sounds like it would get in the way a lot.

2. Ruth Benedict was a interculturalist of the early 19th Century, She studied the relationships between personality, art, language and culture, insisting that no trait existed in isolation or self-sufficiency, a theory which she championed in her 1934 book Patterns of Culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgkThdzX-8

3. Such a beautiful quote!!

4. Many races, One planet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8xnsvDdPu0&list=PLxRZFM2I_PNdIcCrvc6p-SPzKUvsSe4jX&index=4

5. And we take the best of each country.

6. And they can come from any walk of life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Qkf2Jm6pc

7. Do you have to understand them all, not really.

8. How do you cook your chicken?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YewVugPHon4

9. Just 7 billion of us.

10. We have all seen that meme, seems they drew imaginary lines on the planet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PDdCmJ84LI

11. Do you?

12. Some of the things that Interculturalism can solve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHbiUvXlhM

13. This is what Interculturalism battles with each and every day.

14. Its not all in the words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8AOAap6_k4

15. And we finish with some fine words from Maya Angelou.

Life is full of positive experiences. Notice them. Life your life to the fullest potential by reveling in the beauty of these experiences, and letting them inspire you to be the most positive version of you. Living a positive life is all about creating positive habits to help you focus on what truly matters. Interculturalism is this for me. Here are some simple ideas to help you life this life:

  1. Wake up every morning with the idea that something wonderful is possible today.
  2. Celebrate your existence.
  3. Appreciate life’s perfect moments.
  4. Embrace life’s challenges.
  5. Become addicted to constant and never-ending self-improvement.
  6. Live and breathe the truth.
  7. Fill your own bucket.
  8. Help the people around you smile.
  9. Spend time with positive people.

I have included two of Australia’s musical secrets in the playlist today: We commence with John Lennon, then follow with one of Australia’s best, Murray Kyle. Back to the last century for Dionne Warwick and Friends, Culture Club and Bob Marley. The penultimate track is a band I spent a lot of time watching in my youth in Melbourne – I’m Talking and we finish with Womack and Womack with that song: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtVIdAvmWWOGAUdwvsPovnM

So I have created a Facebook group called Interculturalism which has the ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included, Here is the link to join it and share your examples of it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Interulturalism Until we meet again my dear friends.

With a Little Help for my Friends!!!


Lockdown number three in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia, bummer. Only 5 days this time, but the dreaded stage four: 5 kilometres and four reasons to leave your home. Even for that short period of time it severely effected two musician friends of mine earnings, they had to cancel their main income making events for the month. When contacted bt them I offered the first to keep the money and send me a download and the second I gave a donation to because she sent us a download for being on her dance crew.

These people keep our hearts open and alive and I am so willing to support them when life gets in their way as this five day hiatus has. I have been a Patreon contributor for over two years for two other friends and Amanda fucking Palmer. This is an excellent way of contributing to people who use these funds to do the work they need to do in the manner that allows them to be most creative. So over time how has the world looked at creativity, lets take a walk down that path:

  1. Musicians impress me in the fact that they are willing to do this for days.

2. There has been no one like you on this planet before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIj4ojGFdDY

3. Maya knows best.

4. Rain and art, two useful cleansers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGB59HuKu-I

5. Being good is enemy number one – Pablo.

6. Being emotive brings out your creativity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vjPBrBU-TM&list=PL9A6W9rJ8TCvgGp2wo8IXenyGHqw-v_B7

7. Creativity is a unique form of breath-work.

8. Pablo was as much a philosopher as an artist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc2iLAubras

9. Why would you need one if your life is art?

10. An essential part of your daily diet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPUmE-tne5U

11. Art is made up of all colours, or not.

12. He nearly did with that mustache: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6T97kHjKiY

13. A fun creativity list to live life from, Yummy!!

14. Lailah Gifty Akita is enthusiastic inspirational writer, born in Accra, Ghana. She is the author of ‘The Alphabet of Success’ , ‘ Think Great,Be Great; Beautiful Quotes Volume 1 and ‘The Wings of Hope:Survivor’. She is passionate about empowering the mind of young people to fulfill greatest mission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76RTRjj7Jmw

15. It is in the eye of the beholder.

So we have the opportunity to be creative day to day, here is a list of questions to ask yourself each Sunday as to how you went:

  1. What did I learn last week?
  2. What was my greatest accomplishment over the past week?
  3. Which moment from last week was the most memorable and why?
  4. What’s the number one thing I need to accomplish this week?
  5. What can I do right now to make the week less stressful?
  6. What have I struggled with in the past that might also affect the coming week?
  7. What was last weeks biggest time sink?
  8. Am I carrying any excess baggage into the upcoming week that can be dropped?
  9. What have I been avoiding that needs to get done?
  10. What opportunities are still on the table?
  11. is there anyone I’ve been meaning to talk to?
  12. Is there anyone that deserves a big thankyou?
  13. How can I help someone else this coming week?
  14. What are my top three goals for the next three years?
  15. Have any of my recent actions moved me closer to my goals?
  16. What’s the next step for each goal?
  17. What am I looking forward to during the coming week?
  18. What are my fears?
  19. What am I most grateful for?
  20. If I knew I had only one week to live, who would I spend my time with?

Take thirty minutes every Sunday and give yourself the gift of self-reflection.

Today’s playlist is not a playlist, it is seven songs because YouTube is playing up: We begin with a new pop diva to me named Lenka. We then go back in time to 10CC. Sia is great next, then two bands, Modern Lovers and Katrina and the Waves. We finish with two international numbers by Mecano and Kuami Eugene.

So we have many opportunities in our lives to give to others, to me give and you will receive helping my world ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included spread to the other 46 countries it has not been read in. Here is the link to join our Facebook group – Thriving People: People who wish to make a difference to Humankind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949

Until we meet again, my dear friends.

You can dance if you want to!!!


I must admit we are lucky in Melbourne, Australia to have basically come out of Lockdown because we put in the hard yards of Stage 3 and Stage 4 for a period of 7 months. Can you imagine not being able to go more than 5km for months on an end, we did that and it worked The second wave began and we ended it whereas other places with the same number of cases have gone from hundreds to thousands in the same time frame

Now we are out there is a follow up crisis, now that we can go out I and other people I know are hesitant to do so on a regular basis so I reached out to the one thing I know my body loves, Conscious Dance. The first dance I attended I had to eave because it became a Contact Improvise demonstration not a dance, the two are totally different to me and it had become false advertising that it was a dance. The one I found to replace it is called Open Floor and as it is summer here the first dance was in Park-lands. I have since returned to one of my old stomping grounds at Rosina Auditorium on a Wednesday night.

I also make used to make chai for three dances, two of them clashed last Saturday so I chose the one I had been doing the longest, Mojo Dance – The dance of connection. So what have communities said about the healing power of dance over the generations, lets have a look:

1. 194 countries planet wide, each with their own language. 1 dancing soul.

2. Dance gets you out of your head and into your heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz6_AUsLQ8g

3. Because they are getting in touch with their Angel spirits.

4. This magic show is priceless time and time again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdpjXLbxDq4

5. Lyall Watson wrote the iconic book Supernature and is credited with the 100th monkey effect. He spent a lot of his life studying the many different cultures on the planet.


6. Some forms of dance are competitive, not Conscious dance though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICjyAe9S54c

7. The ultimate exercise workout.

8

8. It’s the journey not the particular steps you take on the way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXOAnVI3boM

9. Your choice of dance mantra.

10. From the African dances I have attended I can believe there are 31 core values: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWSYCp-46h8&list=PLme-1fWBofIw1jJy5v-2LEv2jervh7WBC

11. My body is a bit too old to create that move.

12. We put on our invisibility cloaks and disappear into the magical void: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93DWZtavaoU

13. Have you tried it?

14. Alvin Ailey (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989), a.k.a. Alvin Ailey Jr., was an African-American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater(AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Ailey School as havens for nurturing black artists and expressing the universality of the African-American experience through dance. His work fused theatre, modern dance, ballet, and jazz with black vernacular, creating hope-fueled choreography that continues to spread global awareness of black life in America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n30NKg4Boqs

15. Here or hear the music, it doesn’t matter, I am insane.

Dancing is not something to postpone for the future, it is something you design in the present, starting today:

  1. Appreciate what you have.
  2. Focus on things that really matter.
  3. Define your own meaning of life , and pursue it.
  4. Embrace life’s challenges.
  5. Find the balance that allows toy to be who you truly are.
  6. Love your body enough to take care of it.
  7. Limit your time with negative people.
  8. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
  9. Set a good example
  10. Accept what is, and live for the possibilities that lie ahead.

In the playlist I thought I would give you a taste of what Conscious Dancers dance to. On most play lists Desert Dwellers will appear. Followed up by Shaman’s Dream. Moby crossed over into popular music as well. Then a short festival set by DJ Drop G. Off to Africa for Psquare, the penultimate track is Basher Toe and we finish with a dance routine choreographed by Alvin Ailey: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrvCZsxOmI3PAvbn-8YB2eqS

As one of the quotes says, dance is the music of the soul, if we take it on the ethos Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included has a chance. My new Facebook group, Thriving People – People who wish to make a difference to Humanity uses this as its premise, here is the link to join us if you wish: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949, Until we meet again, my dear friends.

Ending Things!!!


Well, we are nearly there, the end of 2020, some say the worst year we,as a species have gone through. For me, it meant a visit to the Melbourne Clinic, a beautiful relationship with Amy, a period of time alone, English tutoring weekly,then when COVID went away in our state of Victoria, Australia the opportunity to dance again, one of my favourite things to do.

So, as always, things ended. Some I wanted too , and others I didn’t. I was a prat and I learnt some good things. Looking up the meaning of prat I confess I did not know of the second:

  1. an incompetent or stupid person; an idiot.
  2. a person’s buttocks.

I was referring to the former in my use of the word, some may say I behaved in the manner of the second at times.

So what has society said about things ending over the centuries, let’s have a look:

1. Conrad Potter Aiken was an American writer and poet, honored with a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, and was U.S. Poet Laureate from 1950 to 1952. I like his comment on aging.

2. Do you let go when your heart feels like letting go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7frF7Ir2oA

3. Stand by your she/her or he/him..

4. A or B, which describes your life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FMGYycBAMU

5. This happens, send me an email and ask.

6. Or cease or speed up the inevitable due to behaviors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ga62NUGZjk

7. Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is a British folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for the same award at the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Brit Awards. Great insight, Laura.

8. I love stories, reading them and writing them, do you?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h64s0U1IarQ

9. And you were unforgettable and unique!!!

10. Poignant image of the verse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u3TiRrh7jQ

11. Dark or Light, which is your favourite role?

12.Oops, failed this one badly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U&list=PLR8zgCuNIFtG0XSj73-VNzpCzAk1bp1n2&index=3

13. It’s was just a perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with you.

14. Proof that not only babies and dogs dribble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9PD7J2XfUY

15. The latter becomes for the former.

Nobody gets through life with out losing someone they love, someone they need, or something they thought was meant to be. But it is these losses that make us stronger and eventually move us towards future opportunities for growth and happiness. Over the past 6 and a half decades, I’ve had my share of painful losses. When my time of mourning was over in each circumstance, I pressed forward, stronger and with a greater under standing and respect for life. Here are a few lessons I learnt on the way:

  1. You are not what happened to you in the past.
  2. Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t.
  3. Struggling with problems is a natural way of growth.
  4. It’s OK to fall apart for a little while.
  5. Life is fragile, sudden, and shorter than it often seems.
  6. Emotionally separate from your problems.
  7. Don’t make a problem bigger than it is.
  8. View each challenge as an educational assignment.
  9. Things change, but the sun always rises the next day.
  10. Giving up and moving on are two different things.
  11. Perfect relationships don’t exist.
  12. You must love yourself too.
  13. Don’t let others make decisions for you.
  14. Resentment hurts you, not them.
  15. Consciously nurture your inner hope.
  16. It is better to be hurt by a truth than comforted by a lie.
  17. Not getting what you want can be a blessing.
  18. Laughter is the best medicine for stress.
  19. Worrying is literally a waste of energy.
  20. Even when it’s hard to move, take a small step forward.
  21. You are better off without some people you thought you needed.
  22. You are only competing against yourself.
  23. Life is not Easy.
  24. Your future is unwritten.
  25. You are not trapped, you just need to relearn a few things.
  26. Everything in life is two-sided.
  27. You always have a choice.
  28. Let other’s on when you are in a dark place.
  29. If you ask negative questions, you will get negative answers.
  30. The end is a new beginning.

Today’s play list visit the seventies quite a bit, no Spotify playlists unfortunately, but one long live version of the classic ending song. We begin with Sir Paul McCartney, then move on to the Doors and finish the 70s with Eric Clapton. Two great Australian talents for our overseas listeners in Marie Hoy and Murray Kyle. We complete with two of my faves Eminem and Rhianna as the penultimate number finishing with Maroon 5. enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtMgN6Th9fo7YNZ-6cq7kPA

Would there be less ending if we lived from my world ethic, Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included. I think so, I have even created a Facebook group for 1,000,000 people to sign on board: It is called Thriving People – People who wish ot make a difference to Humanity. Here is the link if you would like to be one of them: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949 . Until we meet again my dear friends.

Have you ever been Crazy?


Psychiatric Units are not noble establishments, private or public. You lose all your rights when you enter both. Having been in both I vote for private over public, the public ones are heavily understaffed and all conditions are thrown in together, not a very practical healing space that leads to violence and sexual abuse on a daily or weekly basis.

I am a bad patient when I enter these institutions, all I want to do is lay on my bed and eat even though the meal times are ridiculously early. I don’t want to discuss my “problems” with the nurses or the mental health professionals or attend the numerous therapy information sessions to fill time in. I have been through this process five times spending a total of six months in different units.

Last time was during a COVID Lock down wave. I was there for 4 weeks and was told I would be released the following Friday. Filling in the release papers I felt I was lying about the questions was I ready to go home. I found out they were releasing patients they felt had made some progress as they did nor want them to become Institutionalized during lock down. Therefore I spent the next three weeks on my couch surviving on Uber Eats. Then,one day Uber Eats, the next day, miracle cure I was as I had been before the episode and no repercussions. My doctor said it was the meds kicking in and my therapists that my issues had died down.

So does the planet believe in miracle cures, lets look back over time:

1, By far the most popular miraculous quote, Louise Hay made a fortune late in her life on this subject.

2. And it may only be that far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clJb4zx0o1o

3. Is that what happened the morning it all went away?

4. And yes, it was totally unexpected. I was expectant to be ordering Uber Eats that day as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVUHWCynig

5. A warrior general philosopher – amazing!!

6. I think they travel together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3wKzyIN1yk

7. A bit of ancient miracle wisdom from Sophocles.

8. And thousands of people make their living from this belief: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6drfp_3823I

9. Health and Love – for me they seem to go together.

10. With curiosity in your life comes inner and outer health not boredom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqRn3qM7zBU

11. This is one of my healing centres.

12. Perhaps my superpower returned, mine is words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cs3Pvmmv0E

13. I can wholeheartedly agree with that.

14. In a recent talk at Ted x San Francisco, Mel Robbins, a riotously funny self-help author, mentioned that scientists estimate the probability of your being born at about one in 400 trillion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egMWlD3fLJ8

15. And for our final lesson – Self-Love.

One of the main things I have learnt over my mental health adventures. is that happiness is not something to postpone for the future, it is something you design into the present, starting from today. Here’s a few things you can try on:

  1. Appreciate what you have.
  2. Focus on things that truly matter.
  3. Define your own meaning of life, and pursue it.
  4. Embrace Life’s Challenges.
  5. Find the balance that allows you to be truly who you are.
  6. Love your body enough to take care of it.
  7. Limit your time with negative people.
  8. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
  9. Set a good example.
  10. Accept what is, and live for the possibilities that lie ahead.

I put a couple of my favourite songs in the playlist, see if you can guess which one’s they are. CCR starts from way back, Beyonce with her golden voice is next. Rag’N”Bone man , one of my favourite discoveries is next followed by a group I had forgotten about, London Grammar. My unknown group for today is 4 Strings. We end with two classics from George Michael and Steppenwolf, enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtg06WUA4QUXd6fJRee3zt5

When I go into these mental health free-falls is is the people who show me Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included that have helped me get through. Recently one of them died at quite a young age unexpectedly. I write this for you, Michael Arnould, until we meet again on some other plain, my dear friend.