How do You ……..?

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Rod's World

The Challenge of leading in a culture of never enough is in chapter six of Daring Greatly which is headed Disruptive Engagement: Daring to rehumanize Education and Work. One of the questions asked in it is What’s the most significant barrier to creativity and innovation? The answer given is quite lengthy, but worth reading –

“I don’t know if it has a name, it’s the fear of introducing an idea and being ridiculed, laughed at, and belittled. If you’re willing to subject yourself to that experience and if you survive it, then it becomes the fear of failure and the failure of being wrong. People believe they are only as good as their ideas and that their ideas can’t seem too “out there’ and that they can’t ‘know everything’ The problem is that innovative ideas often sound crazy and failure and learning are part of revolution. Evolution and incremental change is important and we need it, but we’re desperate for real revolution and that requires a different type of courage and creativity”.

The rehumanizing of work and education will take courageous leadership, so who is out there commenting on it,, let’s have a look:

1. How did you act when you were challenged, did you lead others or were you a victim to it?

2. Always remember that people you are leading have qualities that you must take in consideration: Don’t you worry Child.

3. If your people are just coming to work to collect their money at the end of the week, you are not doing your job as a leader, you are managing the Titanic just before it sinks.

4. If you train people to replace you and make yourself redundant that is closer to the mark of leadership: Mother Teresa.

5. I used to try and run away from my struggles, sometimes over a thousand kilometres, the only thing was when I got there, the reason for the struggles was still there because it was within me.

6. When I saw this I just had to include it to showcase why we should be very very afraid: Trump on Woman.

7. They can give you tips and techniques but it is what you do with them after the event that matters.

8. If you are doing it for another circumstances in your life will start to get in the way, if you are doing it for yourself, well that’s a different matter: Pony.

9. This may be the only quote by Joshua J. Marine, there is little information about who he actually is.

10. Does leadership come from the head or the heart, I’ll let you answer that: Heart of Gold.

11. One word: Leadership = Oprah.

12. The road to Leadership is not the road of less. It is in being better, more skillful and wiser: Wiser.

13. The quickest road to true leadership is to learn the lessons the first time they are revealed to you.

14. There are many books on the art of leadership out there, this quote speaks to the fact that that is what true leadership is, an artform: Art for Art’s Sake.

15. As I mentioned before in great leadership there is a quality of redundancy, that it would happen if you were not there.

So, famous people and totally obscure people make comment on leadership which means you still have the time to exhibit yours this lifetime, Go for it , we need you and it to flourish.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

You are my greatest Adventure!!

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Rod's World

I am re-reading Brene Browns great book, Daring Greatly. I must admit I haven’t completed it in three tries because I get so much out of it each time I put it down and reflect on the wisdom received before I get to the end. The latest is a line: It’s not what you do, Its why you do it that makes the difference. It’s in the section about The care and feeding of our spirits. In it Brene talks about a distinction called shadow comforts – the difference between doing something to empower ourselves versus numbing behaviour.

What does life do to empower our spirits and what does it say about it, time to journey:

1. From one of the greats comes advice to believe our intuition first over others words.

2. When you behold a guru in action, passion grabs a hold of your spine and begins a kind of erotic pole dance and strip tease upon it, revealing more and more of itself in you, until you too become fully aroused to live. It’s your soul speaking: Soul Kind of Feeling.

3. Meher Baba said – There are two types of ego. The false ego has innumerable wants and desires. It says, I am a man, I want this; I am a woman, I want that; I am sick; I want to be happy; I am rich; I am very poor…. It is always “I.”

But when this ego is annihilated a transformation takes place: the false “I” is replaced by the real “I,” and the experience, “I am free from desires and wanting, I am infinite, I am one with God” is gained. That is the Real Ego.

4. Explains itself, really: Teardrops.

5. I went to a church service last Sunday for the first time in maybe twenty years. I loved the way they were so positive and spoke about faith and Love and not having to believe in the fire and brimstone God of my early religious days.

6. We have all seen those pictures of idyllic African children in circumstances we would not survive with our instant gratification upbringings: sage advice I say: Move On Up.

7. One of the great free spirits who fought against the bubble of the Royal Family she was placed in when she married Prince Charles. Sad ending!!

8: What’s your favourite song that touches you where words alone can’t: I’ve got the Music in Me.

9. “If you love a flower, don’t pick it up.
Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love.
So if you love a flower, let it be.
Love is not about possession.
Love is about appreciation.” – Osho

10. My essence is that of curiosity, that each moment occur as something brand spanking new: Curious.

11. Anger is very much a shadow comfort in that you are the one it hurts.

12. When you know everything about your life, you may have reached the last two words of this quote: Bad Habit.

13. To me this is the most essential part of our daily diet.

14. From little things, big things grow, start right now: From Little Things Big Things Grow.

15. And finally, Pastor Bob Marvel, what a name sums it up so coolly, put the cream in your spirit first, the rest will handle itself after that.

So a question from Brene – Are my choices comforting and nourishing my spirit, or are they temporary reprieves from vulnerability and difficult emotions ultimately diminishing my spirit? Are my choices leading to my Wholeheartedness, or do they feel me leaving empty and searching? It’s up to us to live a life that fulfils the former.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

A Compassionate Soul is Inner Beauty!!

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Rod's World

Where I sit and wait for my English students there is a notice board above me. I noticed a new flyer today: Sing along with the Compassionate Voice community choir. it started me thinking what have I done to express compassion in my life.

Over the years I have done a lot of voluntary work, but is that compassion for others. I also was a regular demonstration attendee, going back as far as anti Vietnam War and Apartheid rallies. I also tithe as much as I can of my finances.

A recent death very close to me has had me think more about this lately asking questions like could I have done more in the time that led up to it and how do I relate to the family of the person involved.

How does the world deal with compassion, let’s have a look:

1. The great gift the movie Avatar gave to the world, the saying I See You, this quote expresses that well.

2. I learnt this from my mum and dad. Edna was a brown owl and op shop volunteer her whole life until she could no longer do it and Ian was a member of Rotary: Hallelujah

3. This is the greatest compassion the world needs, Self Love 101.

4. And from the time before Women’s Rights one of the great philosophers points out the importance of compassion and it’s travelling companions wisdom and courage: Peace, Love and Understanding

5. Action, right now, are you compassionate enough to do it?

6. We and everything around us are starseed traveling on a rotating ball at 1,000 miles per hour, try and imagine that for a day and see what changes it brings in your life: Til It Happens to You.

7. One of the friendlier verses of the bible. Difficult to misinterpret this.

8. Self Love again, harvest it well and your heart and mind will be available to others as well: Harvest.

9. Let’s get out there and have humanity survive, my compassionate ones.

10. All of these things are powerful beyond belief: Turn Your Life Around

11. Nobility, beauty and grace: Beautiful things to have in ones life, well said John Connolly, Before becoming a full-time novelist, he worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a gofer at Harrods department store in London.

12. Dostoyevsky’s literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of philosophical and religious themes. He was a huge anti violence disciple. Good on him I say: Don’t Forsake Me

13. I can’t resist quotes with cute animals in them, there, I said it.

14. Raise your IQ with a daily act of compassion: Song of Joy

15. E.T. , the human one points to the necessity to suffer those moments of pain in our lives, they have made us who we are.

I like the music tracks today, sometimes I am not sure about them, perhaps I should show myself more compassion.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

I didn’t have to work hard for that!!

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Rod's World

Universal Lesson: When we forget our peaceful nature, we can ask the Universe to remind us of what is real. From Gabrielle Bernstein’s The Universe has Your Back it states if you have gone through a particularly rough period of time the act of praying to your dominant life reality soon restores your belief in the planet and yourself.

So how do we determine our realities? A lot of it is gained through our childhood, our formative years and our education. Yet many of us do not exist in these realities as life deals us another route. Can we get back to them, let’s have a look:

1. I am an English tutor, a Community manager, a dancer, a brother, an uncle, a son. What do you add after these two vitally important words?

2. What would it be like to free yourself from limitations and soar beyond your boundaries? What can you do each day to discover inner peace and serenity: Limits.

3. It is often what we are taught that creates our reality. Paulo Friere used critical pedagogy: Advocates of critical pedagogy view teaching as an inherently political act, reject the neutrality of knowledge, and insist that issues of social justice and democracy itself are not distinct from acts of teaching and learning.

4. Remember that you do not need to change your reality just because someone else disagrees with you, after all, it is only their opinion: All We Know.

5. Its interesting quotes can be printed with spelling mistakes, running is a way to change your reality, but I think the earth spins beneath your feet.

6. Probably the most famous reality quote in the world, Chinese philosopher is claimed to have written the iconic Tao Te Ching, which seeker of the truth does not have a copy of this in their book shelf: Forest.

7. Perhaps a little graphic, this quote points to the face that sometimes we are blinded to what is our current reality.

8. I sometimes hanker for childlike innocence over wisdom, how about you: Agnus Dei.

9. Joseph Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the human experience. His philosophy is often summarized by his phrase: “Follow your bliss.” Yes Please!!

10. I have found time and time again that this statement is true, my soul is where my reality lives: Heart and Soul.

11. We have a lot of realities during a calendar year, here’s a hint how many.

12. Imagine if all our realities were dreams competing with each other, that would be an interesting world to live in: Imagination.

13. How do you create your reality, with action or words? I’m a fan of the former.

14. Deepak Chopra questions standard medical genre with the belief that “human aging is fluid and changeable; it can speed up, slow down, stop for a time, and even reverse itself,” as determined by one’s state of mind. His books are worth a read: Re-inventing the Body.

15. Finally, let your passions create your reality, why wouldn’t you.

You and I , we are ultimately responsible for which reality we hang about in, a statement worth examining day by day.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Keep the Ones that Heard You!!

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Rod's World

I just read a beautiful story about the forthem butterfly A business consultant uses in his presentation. It looks remarkably like a Monarch butterfly but the ethos of his talk is that we are in life for them. In business, if it was not for them we would not have one. In our lives, for our families, our community and our world for them.

He transformed one of his clients mission statements from our goal is to help our client achieve their goals to We help our clients vastly exceed what they thought they could achieve so that they play a bigger game which is then reflected in their families, in our community, in our country and in our World. Definitely for them.

So how have we, as a planet looked at the for them formulae, let’s take a journey:

1. Doing it for them you discover your community, we used to call them tribes.

2. In this ever increasing world of instant gratification, being for them is considered an exception by the mainstream who force need more, but more down our throats, resist with all your heart: Dear No One.

3. This is the best age to teach people to be for them, when they believe in monsters, unicorns, dragons and stare at the stars with wonder.

4. Allow for mistakes: I’ll be there for You.

5. He’s still alive, many are not.

6. Actions not words are what really matters, don’t say it if you are not going to do it: Animal Song for Children.

7. If you do this for them, they will never, ever, ever forget you. For you have touched their heart.

8. From the world’s greatest philosopher Mr./Ms. Unknown comes how to listen for them, it’s important: Perfect.

9. She Walks in Beauty

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow’d to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

forthem10

10. That beautiful time in our life when we are free of judgement and full of wonder, bliss: The protection Song.

forthem11

11. Strap them on and fly. You can do so much more for them when you are soaring.

forthem12

12. Advice to give for them, to empower them in moments of doubt: Let It Go.

forthem13

13. Not really for them, but a worthy question.

forthem14

14. This is what your family and friends want from you. So lets be it for them: I Touch Myself.

15. I think this covers both of the species, male and female. Lets be weird and insane for them.

I predict we are transforming to a for them world, with all the chaos being the old paradigm screaming as it goes out of existence. Become a for them practitioner, It’s the way of the future.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends

namaste4

Why don’t you Understand?

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Rod's World

One of the most obscure and funny workshops I have done is a jargon workshop. Each person had to do a five minute talk using the jargon of their profession and the other participants had to guess what their profession or career was. The one profession nobody could guess was aeronautical engineer. It made me realise that jargon can be very costly when dealing with people who do not work in your industry. Little wonder that you see a lot of blank stares from people at shops, online and in government institutions.

So what has been said about the cost of using jargon over the centuries, let’s have a look:

1. While wading through the whimsies, the puerilities and unintelligent words of many documents to apply for most legal actions we know why lawyers are one of the highest paid professions.

2. Chesterton is often referred to as the “prince of paradox”. Time magazine has observed of his writing style: “Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out: Perfect Illusion.

3. What words does your profession confuse people with?

4. The curly haired genius , Albert points out why using jargon is not the way to go: One Little Finger.

5. Mason Cooley (1927 – July 25, 2002) was an American aphorist known for his witty aphorisms. Perhaps he was using some of his own when he wrote this quote.

6. I think I know what two of these words mean, not sure about the others though: So What.

7. I am a one on one English tutor to three Chinese mothers, I would not dare do this to them.

8.I didn’t know Helena began her cosmetic empire in my country. She migrated to Australia at the age of 30 and began her empire in Melbourne before moving to London: Lay me Down.

9. Don’t know about this, at least books you can usually understand the words contained in them.

10. The Irish have a term Anam Cara, it means soul friend, I have the honour of being declared one by a dear friend: Anam Cara.

11. the dumbing down of society, methinks.

12. What culture are these words from, do they relate to yours: Instant Karma.

13. Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim. She is known for her penetrating insight; her work deals with dark themes such as betrayal, death and the origin of human evil.

14. The recommendation these days is to write blogs, because they personalise events, even for businesses, they are fascinating stories: Amazing Grace story.

15. The jargon of twenty years ago is now obsolete, if we used it how would we explain the Iphone?

Jargon may be costing you meeting your Anam Cara, cut it out of your arsenal of words.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

Does it Violate the Golden Rule?

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Rod's World

The Golden Rule is to do unto others as you would want done unto you. Rules that elevate some while devaluing others are suspect as bullshit rules – such as rules that grant or restrict opportunities based on skin colour, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, whether a person has a penis or a vagina, or any other arbitary or subjective criteria

A passage taken from Vishen Lakhiani’s excellent book The Code of the Extraordinary Mind that I am re reading at the moment. Vishen sets the premise there are two sets of truths, the physical world of absolute truths and the cultural world of truths based on Belief, he calls the second brules, aka bullshit rules that we adopt to simplify our understanding of the world.

He lists four major ones, 1. The college brule – we must go to college to succeed in life, 2. We must be loyal to our culture Brule – Our nationality is better than the others, 3. The religion brule – My God is better than your God, and 4 The Hard Work Brule – If you are not working hard all the time, you are lazy.

So lets see what sort of life we could set up with the Golden Rule:

1. Why talk and say the unsaid words in haste when silence can speak the unspoken words?

2. Ready, Steady, Go: Ready, Steady, Go!!

3. George Bernard Shaw , known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic and polemicist whose influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1903), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation. He was the first person to be awarded both a Nobel Prize and an Academy Award, receiving the 1925 Nobel Prize in Literature and sharing the 1938 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film version of Pygmalion.

4. Self Love , one of the major golden rules. Have this and you will know how to deal with others: Born This Way.

5. Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

6. The only time you should put others totally before yourself, if you wish them to spend their money: Keep the Customer Satisfied.

7. Instant Karma – It’s going to get You – John Lennon.

8. Actions not Words, my friends: Shake your Sillies out.

9. Are you willing to grant your golden rules to others?

10. If all these religions followed these rules the world would be a different place, we could Lose ourselves to dance!!

11. I find this quotes extremely powerful, especially the what you see in others – exists in you.

12. Do you catch yourself saying those things to your children you promised yourself you would never ever say. Stop It: See You Again.

13. Three Super Golden Rules.

14. From Texas, The state where everything is bigger that everywhere else. The request is don’t get dirty: Dirt off your Shoulders.

15. Can your Golden Rules be heard over the screaming your actions create?

I recommend you buy and read his book Link to freight free site. It just may allow you to see where you have followed your brules in life and give you another chance.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

A Gold Coin to a Cat!!

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Rod's World

Luma Mufleh (born March 1, 1975) is founder and director of Fugees Family, Inc., (“The Fugees”) a non-profit organization devoted to working with child survivors of war. Mufleh founded Fugees Family in 2006 and is currently head coach of the Fugees soccer teams.

In the book Mistakes I made at Work Luma makes the statement – I’m always pushing our teachers: How can we create an environment where everyone feels capable? This is totally against the base of the education system of my country, Australia. It is purely rote learning to get a score to get into uni. The great teachers battle against this, trying to have kids see that education is about feeding their passion and going out and fulfilling them.

So how has capability shown up over the centuries? Lets travel down that well worn path:

1. Napoleon Hill (born Oliver Napoleon Hill; October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American self-help author. He is well known for his book Think and Grow Rich (1937) which is among the top 10 best selling self-help books of all time. Hill’s works insisted that fervid expectations are essential to improving one’s life. Most of his books were promoted as expounding principles to achieve “success”.

2. What were you going to be when you grew up? Are you doing it. As children, we believed in our capabilities. What is our society doing that we belittle them through our education system: Astounded.

3. I hope they mean everybody’s god, here are some facts regarding gods

Using the ratio of current population to the total number of people who have ever lived, we get an estimate of 63,000 religious groups throughout human history. (Only Homo sapiens’ religions are being considered. It may well be that other hominids believed in god or gods, but it would be pure guesswork to estimate the number of gods they believed in.)

The modern dominant (that is, have the most adherents) religions are monotheistic, but they are few in number. Wikipedia lists 309 Hindu deities. The ancient Hittites claimed to have 1000 deities in their pantheon. So for a rough estimate of the average number of deities per religion, we’ll take the average of these 3 figures, giving 440 deities per religion.

This gives an estimate of Gods = 28,000,000.

4. Kurt Einstein is definitely not Alberts son, but delves in the same area as his quotes. Its a bit like choices we make based on fear versus those of love of life: I’d love to change the World!!

5. Another by the great philosopher, Unknown. This quote reminds me of circling the wagons to defend yout life against the Indians in Western movies.

6. How old were you when your beliefs took over from your capabilities, I reckon I was about four. Before then I could save the planet because I was Superman, sorry about the Fanta ad.: What Now.

7. Hold the press, my first ever Donald J. Trump quote. Is this Fake News?

8. Carl Philipp Gottfried (or Gottlieb) von Clausewitz; 1 June 1780 – 16 November 1831) was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the “moral” (meaning, in modern terms, psychological) and political aspects of war. He believed in European Enlightenment , this quote is definitely from that school of thought: Hot and Cold.

9. 7,000,000,000 unique capabilities walk this planet. Make yours as might as it can be!!

10. Very similar to the ethic if someone asks you to do something, say yes and learn on the way. Gandhi must have done this time and time again in his pursuit of freedom for India: Beginnings.

11. Do you know those people who can do anything. My brother in law was like that. He used to buy piano’s off Ebay, when he found out how much it cost to tune them , he googled it, and became a piano tuner.

12. Over the years, the slender, bespectacled Holtz has become known for his quick wit and ability to inspire players. He led six different American Universities to football titles. I think he spoke from mastery of the subject. That Fanta ad again: Irreplaceable.

13. One of the more profound proverbs I have ever read.

14. Surprising that one of the great singer songwriters would make this statement. I love pop divas,so I agree wholeheartedly: Don’t Cry for me Argentina.

15. At One Roof, the work co-op I hang around there is a statement, Jump off, and learn to fly on the way down. Learn as you go, and never stop learning.

Remember your capabilities as a child, the dreams, your imaginary friends, dragons and unicorns, you can walk on the moon.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends

People are your Assignments!!

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Rod's World

You are always being guided, even when you don’t feel like it. It comes with being part of the human race, a unique human being. We are all in a large classroom called Earth and the people you choose to know and even those we do not give us our assignments in life. How often do you become frustrated with our political leaders even though we have never met them?

So who do we choose as our most personal assignments? Often it is our family, as they are in our lives the longest, even though it may be at some distance later in life. So let us take a journey through our assignments:

How many people have you met in your life, when you have thought, OMG, I am so glad I am nothing like them. They are there for that exact lesson

2. Joel Scott Osteen is an American preacher and televangelist. He is the Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church, in Houston, Texas. Osteen’s televised sermons are seen by over 7 million viewers weekly and over 20 million monthly in over 100 countries. He gives you some sage advice as how to handle fear as an assignment in this quote: Fear and Love.

3. Number ten is the only one you can read clearly, that’s enough.

4. Listening to your mind, trying to work out what others want to hear is not the assignment. Deep down in your soul is what you have to say: Shake It Off.

5. The old 24-hour formulae, we all have the same time in a day, so each of us has the chance to inspire others with our actions.

6. Self Love first is the prime assignment, hard to give it away if it is not part of our inner being: Stronger.

7. This is why the idea of war is corrupt as an assignment, we need to end it ASAP.

8. The second evangelist today, Myles Munroe is slightly more controversial for his stance against gay rights. He is also the author of over twenty philosophical and biblical books. I like this quote though: Ride on Time.

9. This falls in the category of don’t listen to people’s words, watch their actions. Dreams without actions are very shallow.

10. What if all mothers had told their children this, what a different world we would live in. Motherhood is a vital assignment: Imagine.

11. Sometimes assignments with each other can be frivolous, this is one of them, or is it?

12. I am finding it easier to recognize the latter these days, It’s worth the effort: Adventure of a Lifetime.

13. Confucius’s principles had a basis in common Chinese tradition and belief. He championed strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, and respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives. He also recommended family as a basis for ideal government. He espoused the well-known principle “Do not do to others what you do not want to be done to yourself”, the Golden Rule.

14. Jean-Luc Godard once wrote, “Robert Bresson is French cinema, as Dostoyevsky is the Russian novel and Mozart is German music.” Two of his films were listed in Sight and Sounds 100 greatest film ever made: Invisible.

15. And here is your final assignment, remember it as often as you can.

Remember to work on at least one new assignment AKA personal relationship a week, it will transform your life!!

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.

When I am sad I eat Chocolate!!

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Rod's World

” I recognise my anger and I honour my reaction to the darkness. I know my true power lies in my capacity to be the light. I call on the energy and thoughts of love to pour through me and inspire me to take action from a place of true power “. This powerful prayer is from Gabby Bernstein’s The Universe Has Your Back, it comes from Step 2: Remember where your true power lies.

I think that what we have to offer the world comes from our remembrance of it. If we are eternally sad, that’s how the world occurs for us. Why not be curious in our remembrance of events. How they affected us, why they made us joyous or sad, we have examples of them all.

Let’s strap on our memories and go on the journey:

1. I remember a drive from San Fransisco to Los Angeles down the coast road on a foggy day. We picked up a hitchhiker going to his Narcotics Anyomous meeting. He was a local and took us to all the places people didn’t know about. The connectedness to the people and the area was remarkable.

2. This song was number one in our country for a lengthy period: Beautiful People.

3. Imagine if you walked the streets doing this, what a difference a day would make!!

4. There is that really bad 90’s Arnie movie End of days. I can remember moments for decades ago, and forget what I did last weekend: Moment of Clarity.

5. I was born in the 1950’s. Lots of truth to Brue lee’s statement. I remember the people I know and not many others who did not live a life worth remembering.

6. What memories live in your heart. then can be from your childhood or yesterday, they say time is a made up concept anyway: Memories of a song in my Heart.

7. My friend and I went on a cricket trip in the 80’s to Sydney, 1,000 kilometres away. He met our friend’s sister, fell in love and moved to Sydney three months later.

8. I have this vivid memory of Ken, the American Vietnam veteran who rescued us from the bush in New Zealand after our two-day hike in the mountains went bottoms up: I Remember You.

9. How often does this happen? Besties one day demoted to part of the pack six months later.

10. Is this the ultimate state of being? I use giving and receiving, better at the first, not so great at the second: Giving and Getting

11. People remember what you do, not what you say. A powerful memory.

12. Memories are made of this, but your future isn’t/ Fulfil your dreams: Follow The Sun.

13. Whilst writing this I received the phone call from one of my sisters I had been dreading. My beloved brother in law passed from cancer last night.

14.Lessing was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, the Swedish Academy described her as “that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny”. Lessing was the eleventh woman and the oldest person ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature: I remember when I was Young.