I’m Alone, I’m Alone, I’m Alone!!!

Posted on August 30, 2020 by Rod's World

I can’t wait to read your fucking blog, here it is my beloved.

This is from a text I received yesterday. The same person who told me to fuck off and live my fantasy life and that’s she hates me, see my previous blog To Fuck Off, or Not. This was one of over 20 texts that started with my heart is breaking ending in the classic Fuck You posts. To me the above statement is a classic cry for help. I have worked out that my friend has three unique identities: The first being the Wise, Insightful, Compassionate, Sensual one. The second being the doubting Thomas one, this won’t work out which still contains some of the former, and the third, the cruel, sadistic Fuck You one who will say anything to hurt you, including you should kill yourself.

Am I being sadistic staying in communication with her, or Am I still in love with her. When I look into my heart, it is the latter. I don’t know how to fall out of love in a week and a bit, which she seems to have been able to achieve. So now we are both alone per say still talking to each other via text. So what does the world say about being alone, lets walk down that street:

1. I am slowly learning this, too soon, although we are in COVID stage 4 Lock-down in Melbourne, Australia.

2. You can offer this, but when they have made the decision to end it, its over, but in ours there seems to be residue: https://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=uzSgxvvTWvA

3. For me that I prefer a partner.

4. I sense I will eventually do this again:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQl3WQQoQ0&list=PLgP_WFDJWjxRBAnIeUupZ-XHAspFBJZ0i

5. Thats what my sister is saying to me about my current situation.

6. The joy of the previous months with my friend have ruined this for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSDgHBxUbVQ&list=PLgP_WFDJWjxRBAnIeUupZ-XHAspFBJZ0i&index=3

7. Not Yet, for me.

8. That is what crushes your heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2U0Ivkn2Ds&list=

9. Peace Out.

10. I so miss this, I am getting teary typing these words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGorjBVag0I

11. It goes back to my early childhood, being cared for and abandoned by my mum in the first three months of my life.

12. I have been told by many friends I should be doung this, not talking to her. My heart does not want to hear it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBumgq5yVrA&list=PLgP_WFDJWjxRBAnIeUupZ-XHAspFBJZ0i

13. Nothing, not even that person.

14. I do this so I don’t have to feel so sad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhcc1KQlCS4&list=PLgP_WFDJWjxRBAnIeUupZ-XHAspFBJZ0i&index=9

15. This is for my friend, a woman of faith.

So when life gets stressful and you feel like you’re losing your emotional balance, use one or more of these simple tricks to help you relax your mind and recenter yourself in an instant:

1.Wash your hands and face, annd brush your teeth.

2. Change your socks

3. Call a close friend.

4. Stretch.

5. Go outdoors

6. Take a light exercise break.

7. Dress to feel your best.

8.Listen to your favourite music.

9. Take a few deep,, controlled breaths.

10. Clear your stuffed nose.

11. Cook a good meal.

12. Walk away from energy vampires.

13. Complete an important piece of unfinished business.

14. Work in something that is meaningful for you.

15. Assist someone in need.

16. Think about your latest or (greatest success).

17. Act like today is already an awesome day

18. Notice what’s right.

Take a moment to acknowledge how far you’ve come.

Today’s playlist is dripping with Pop divas: We begin with Beyonce followed by Adele, Ed Sheeran and Christine Aguilera. We travel back in time for Leonard Cohen classic and end with Passenger and Andra: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrsGy-xwtyPoagX95P3KDfEs

Still haven’t worked out the links issue, My mission is not to be alone, it is to have 1,000,000 state they will live from the ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included, you can join our tribe here; https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126100227764949. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

To Fuck Off, Or Not!!!

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Rod's World

What do you do when you have been told to fuck off and live in your fantasy world and the person hates you. You feel broken for a period of time because you remember when life was not that way. You search for what went wrong and hope it will return to the latter. Then you begin to realize that it cannot as much as you wish for it to. So you go about rebuilding your broken heart and hope that the. person who said it will leave your heart space in a reasonable amount of time.

I’m still working on that because I felt that this was the person who would live there for the rest of my life. So I admit it my heart is broken at the moment. What have people said about having their hearts broken over the years, lets have a look:

She was not the wrong person to me.

2. We spent glorious days together, and then it went awry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZInWGC5L2T8&list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtoQ_FvfKkG7omrzyX-Yusa

**4. Lawrence of Arabia was a wise man:**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Rch6WvPJE&list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtoQ_FvfKkG7omrzyX-Yusa&index=2

5. No I didn’t I spent two hours on a station where I could have been arrested for breaking the COVID lock-down laws.

6. Yes, that is how long I put her in my heart for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQHsXMglC9A&list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtoQ_FvfKkG7omrzyX-Yusa&index=3

7. And don’t forget the tears as well.

8. I am beginning to realize this as time kicks in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBumgq5yVrA&list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtoQ_FvfKkG7omrzyX-Yusa&index=4

9. It was the best two months of my 66 year life.

10. No words can explain the feeling in my heart and soul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvj6PE3gN4o&list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtoQ_FvfKkG7omrzyX-Yusa&index=6

11. My glasses used to fog over when I was wearing my COVID mask, perhaps they were warning me.

12. and the answer is a fucking lot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXzC2eiHBG8&list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtoQ_FvfKkG7omrzyX-Yusa&index=6

13. There is always that missing part.

14. Thats what it feels like now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e9_jfzFr0g&list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtoQ_FvfKkG7omrzyX-Yusa&index=7

15. Her denial that I ever Loved her hurts me a lot, I will not let her take it away from me.

As we mature in relationships, we realize it becomes less important to have more friends and more important to have real ones. Remember, life is kind of like a party. You invite a lot of people , some leave early, some laugh with you, and a few stay to help clean up the mess. The ones who are your real friends in life. They are the. one who. matter the most. This is what they do for each other:

They face problems together.
They give what they can because they truly care.
They make time for each other.
They offer each other freedom
They communicate effectively.
They accept each other as is.
They are genuine, and expect genuineness.
They compromise.
They support each other’s growth changes.
They believe in each other.
They maintain realistic expectations of their relationship.
They honour each other in small ways on a regular basis.
They listen, and they hear every word.
They keep their promises.
They stick around.

So, as I read through this list, I know and wonder where I did not fulfill all the expectations of a mature relationship. I am still deeply in love with the woman this is written about and have no idea how to get her out of my heart.

Today’s playlist contains some classic songs about broken hearts. We go back a long way to the Bee Gees, and follow up with the soulful voice of Toni Braxton.They the vocal power of Adele. We return to a rock ballad next with Passenger. Forward to the present and Billy Ellish. A newbie for me, Tate Mcrae and we finish with SIA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJlQ3F9bKYrtoQ_FvfKkG7omrzyX-Yusa

WordPress have changed the system I use to write my blog so the links are different, I will read up on it and hopefully it will change back next week. Being in Love is part of relationships as is love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

What the Fuck is Intimacy, anyway?

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Rod's World

I spent the day with the remarkable woman who has come into my life. In new relationships often the sexual side of it is what is most relevant, as the lust factor is high. The question I asked her before I went there last night was would she read me the bible, as she is a woman of faith. She agreed, and it didn’t happen as many other wonderful things did.

What is intimacy, anyway? Here is a shot at four different types:

Experiential Intimacy: When people bond during leisure activities. People may “sync up” their actions in teamwork or find themselves acting in unison.
- Example: A father and son work together to build a model train, developing a rhythm to their teamwork.
Emotional Intimacy: When people feel safe sharing their feelings with each other, even uncomfortable ones.
- Example: A woman confides in her sister about her body image issues. She trusts her sibling to offer comfort rather than using her insecurities against her.
Intellectual Intimacy: When people feel comfortable sharing ideas and opinions, even when they disagree.
- Example: Two friends debate the meaning of life. They enjoy hearing each other’s opinions and don’t feel the need to “win” the argument.
Sexual Intimacy: When people engage in sensual or sexual activities. When people use the word “intimacy,” they are often referring to this type.
- Example: Two lovers engage in foreplay, knowing how each other prefers to be touched.

So can you guess what we did? We did the dishes, set up a piece of furniture, discussed how we were feeling and why was, mainly me resisting being present to it, massaged each other, cleaned the stovetop and went for an hours walk. It was serene and magnificent in its intimacy.

How does the world relate to intimacy, lets walk down that road together:

1. I met you six years ago. It was definitely worth the wait.

2. When I reach this plateau, my body tingles all over: Soul Kind of Feeling.

3. A writer of words, a poetic soul, an emotive expressionist, Ranata Suzuki is a poet and quote writer whose eloquent words form with painful clarity the sad yet beautiful world of the broken heart. An anonymous writer based in Sydney, Australia, Ranata is known only by her avatar of a bird carrying a book.

4. How does the end of someone’s hair, become erotic. It’s easy in the land of intimacy: What Am I?

5. I confess I have made those 3am texts.

6. Especially now in lockdown in Melbourne, Australia we have to wear a mask when we leave the house: Bette Davis Eyes.

7. When you get into this kind of intimacy sex feels redundant at times.

8. Be weird with me, baby: Love is a Battlefield.

9. We did this for part of our walk today.

10. At times, I caught myself falling into hers when she looked back at me: Soul Man.

11. And then there is the ultimate love, love of self.

12. I am actually feeling the I Love You’ in my heart, Yum: I Love You.

13. And it takes work to achieve this state, AS Katie Byron says, time to do Te Work.

14. Snap: Hurt.

15. I took trust out of the picture, she told me to fuck off until I had got the cost of this in our relationship, lucky for me she has an awesome heart.

So I am on a journey of intimacy, perhaps for the first time truly in my 66-year-old life, it feels magnificent.

Today’s playlist begins with an Australian classic from the Dynamic Hepnotics, followed by Edie Bricknell and the New Bohemians. Two classic female rockers from last century are next, Kim Carnes and Pat Benetar. Sam and Dave then lay some funky R and B on us. We move back into the present with Billy Ellish and complete with the Man in Black, Johny Cash: What the Fuck is Intimacy, Anyway?

So the purpose of my ethos for the world: Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included is to have more intimacy available in the world. Until we meet again my dear friends.

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart!!!

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Rod's World

You may have noticed my past 5 blogs have been about growing friendship with my friend Amy. It moved quickly and then spectacularly into becoming lovers against all the reasons the world tells you that a friendship between two people 28 years apart in age should. Being used to a single life, where you domestic actions didn’t have a lot of repercussions to being in a partnership saw me totally do some things that have unfortunately taken it from you are the greatest lover I have ever had and talk about moving in together to stop treating me like I am your mother in a period just greater than 24 hours.

Did we really love each other, yes we did, but I allowed my actions to move our relationship from our hearts to her head. I sit here writing this close to tears and I have cried about ten times in my 66 years, my parents once sent me to a phycologist to see why I couldn’t during my teenage years, it didn’t resolve anything and I am still a non-crier basically. The only thing that shifted it was the joy I felt in my love for Amy, I would be sitting on a railway station and feel tears of joy welling up, very un Rod Williams like.

My relationship consultant friend who is also a phycologist advised that we should not contact each other for 30 days as to go from the passion of a ten to the lesser feelings of friendship, say a three to a five we had to journey through our grief and sadness at to what we had lost, as moments this sacred are rare in people’s lives. I fight with the urge daily to break this especially when Amy contacted me. I wanted to write platitudes how I would do anything to get back together, but this is the act of 17-year-old first love. I must admit after 12 years it did feel a bit like this for me.

I realise I could write 1,000s of words what this woman means to me, I will journal them later, so what has the world said about relationship breakdowns and broken hearts over the years. Let’s have a look:

1. Oh, how I wished I could have stopped this occurring.

2. Oh, how my heart yearns for this: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart.

3. I love His Holiness quotes, but my heart does not want to agree with this one at all.

4. Crossed fingers, but it fucking hurts so much at the moment: Don’t Judge Me.

5. One of the things I did not do was break glass but forgetting to thank her most of the time was just as devastating.

6. And to me, it is you: My Immortal.

7. I am feeling this more and more as the pain slides away.

8. I am not ready for Amy to do that yet, I may not be responsible for my reaction in the emotional state I am in at the present: Run Through The Jungle.

9. This hurts in the I still love her zone.

10. I was the storm: Riders On The Storm.

11. I didn’t really do the second thing or did I, she has gone.

12. I lost in the first round: Street Fighting Man.

13. Ken oath.

14. We talked about our families a lot: We are Family.

15 And for our final lesson, well said Trent.

I spoke to a friend halfway through writing this for half an hour because I believe she has wisdom in this area. She advised me three things: 1. Take ownership for your part of the breakdown and look for the red flags that were there for it to happen. 2. Make agreements, keep them. If you are going to break them, communicate, communicate, communicate. 3. Take time to heal before you think about going back there, and do this day by day.

I am just doing these things now.

The playlist today is funk and rock and roll, we begin with the title track by The Bee Gees, then Chris Brown. Evanescence sneaks in this century’s rock track, then we go back in time to CCR, The Doors and the Rolling Stones. We complete with a ten minute epic by Chic and Sister Sledge, enjoy, it rocks: How can you mend a Broken Heart!!!

In my heartbreak, I have started a new tribe around my ethos Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included. It is called Thriving People – People who wish to make a difference to Humanity, my intention is a 1,000,000 people take up the challenge, here is the link to join, I would love you too: Thriving People.

Until we meet again my dear friends.

Are you present , or in your head?

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Rod's World

I recently invited a dear friend over for dinner, the second person besides my family I have had in my home in 6 and a half years. To say I was excited is an understatement and I was thinking about how I could make the night perfect. That was where I made my blunder, I was in my head about it most of the night and not very present at all. Surprisingly my friend did not say anything directly at the time but let me know later that I had been mostly not present for her the whole time.

I have spent most of my adult life trying to work things out in my head and now have the opportunity to do it from and open up my heart. When she asks me what are you feeling I have to fight the urge to look in my head for the answer and feel into my heart also not to tell a story from my past or speculate on the future, but to be in the present or as Eckhart Tolle tells us, The Power of Now. It is a journey that we have agreed to take together to deepen our friendship.

Friendship, what has the universe said about that over the years, lets have a look:

1. Christie Brinkley is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur. Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in the late 1970s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, ultimately appearing on an unprecedented three consecutive covers starting in 1979.

2. The letters IM drop out of your life when everything becomes possible: Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

3. They exist in that part of your heart that says, we will always be friends.

4. Do you wait?: A Song for You.

5. One is the most powerful number.

6. True friends are cemented together at the heart: That’s What Friends are For.

7. These are the people who where 5 years apart feels like 5 minutes when you meet.

8. They light the way and you need to no longer be afraid of the dark: I will Always Love You.

9. The Bible has some good stuff in it.

10. I have several of the atter family in my life, I love them: We are Family.

11. And you must keep proving it day to day if the friendship is to grow.

12. Disturb them with the question, what are you feeling?: Endless Love.

13. Like I will honour and love you, just as strong a promise.

14. My heart shuddered reading this one: Baby Please Don’t Go.

15. And for our final lesson today, the most profound statement of the blog, Hahaha.

So I am finishing this at 10.50 pm at night because I have spent many hours deepening our friendship over the past two days. It was joyous, confronting and loving and all the things in between. is it worth it, Fuck Yes!!!

The playlist tonight is dedicated to the BLM movement. Firstly Stevie Wonder leads off, following by the little known vocal genius Donny Hathaway. Dionne Warwick and her friends then hit the stage, handing it over to Whitney Houston. Chic and Sister Sledge then occupy the stage for a while, making way for Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey and we finish with a rocking tune by Muddy Waters and the Stones: Are you Present or in Your Head?

How changing is this journey of deep friendship I am taking? I intend that it transform my relationship to what friendship means and that my heart will be truly opened for the first time in my life. We have just begun but I am so more in touch with my world ethos of Love and Respect for all, Everyone Included. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

P.S. This one is for you, Amy.

Are you Enough?

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Rod's World

How often have you asked yourself this question? They say that you make your prime decision about your life by the age of seven years old, then spend the rest of your life surviving it via therapy or being in the winner’s circle.

Over to my friend Marc Chernoff to provide a list that will support us in this area. It is called 12 choices your future self will thank you for:

When life pushes you over, stand up and push back even harder, when there is a fork in the road and choices to make, make the ones your future self will thank you for:

1. Choosing you – The most exhausting activity is pretending to be who you know you aren’t.

2. Appreciating what you have – Sometimes, when you make the most out of what you have, it turns out to be a lot more than you ever imagined.

3. Believing in yourself and your dreams – Believe in you. Listen to your soul.

4, Being positive – You can’t live a positive life with a negative attitude.

5. Taking action – The happiest and most successful people are usually those who have broken the chains of procrastination.

6. Letting Go – The biggest step in changing the world around you is to change the world within you.

7. Picking yourself back up – Sometimes when things go wrong it’s because they would have turned out worse if they had gone right.

8. Ignoring negative people – You are not a rug; some people may try to walk all over you, but you don’t have to lie there and take it.

9. Staying in touch with close friends and family – There comes a time in life you’ll have to leave everything behind for a while and start something new, but never forget the people who stood by your side.

10. Making time for fun – Fun is way underrated.

11. Spreading Love and Kindness – The happiness surrounding you is greatly affected by the choices you make every day.

12. Being the change you want to see in the world – Don’t tell others how to live; live and let them watch you.

So what has the human race said about being enough, let’s have a look

1. Three powerful statements on self love there.

2. Love the last line: Never Stop.

3. Time to break down the walls.

4. And to stop pretending: Worth It.

5. Read the handwriting.

6. Having these in your heart definitely brings out the strength in you: You Say.

7. What a great name: Badass Warrior Queen.

8. I love memes with hearts in them: Fight Song.

9. Some powerful I statements here.

10. Some great words from our curly-haired genius: Somewhere over the Rainbow.

11. What are your personal avatars?

12. All hail Brene: Love Myself.

13. That why all the good books say self-love first and foremost.

14. These boots are made for walking: Boots.

15. And the last offering comes from the cardigan-wearing one, Eckhart Tolle reminding us of the treasure we all have within:

So choose to spread love to one person a day, beginning with yourself would be a grand idea. Imagine the amount of happiness you can spread in a lifetime, day by day.

Today on the playlist we have an all-women lineup. We have something for the young and not so young. Two bands unknown to me start us off. The Brand New Heavies and Fifth Harmony, both have millions of followers. Lauren Daigle and Rachel Platten belt out a couple of anthems next. Then back in time to Judy Garland, the penultimate number is from Hailee Steinfeld and we finish with Nancy Sinatra: Are You Enough?

This actually is take two of this blog, I got one quote from the end and poof, it disappeared. But I had to mention my ethos, Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included and my ever-growing Facebook group calledInterculturalism. We would love you to join us to spread love and respect around the planet.

Until we meet again, my dear friends.

Writing your Life Story!!!

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Rod's World

A friend just liked a meme I posted on Facebook. Its says the following: 4 Things you can’t get Back- The stone after it’s thrown; the word after it’s said; the occasion after its missed; the time after it’s gone. As I reach Age pension eligibility in four weeks they have made me ponder my life.

I like what my friend Marc Chernoff has to say about writing a life story worth living. I love this paragraph: When writing the story of your life, don’t let someone else hold the pen. Make conscious choices every day that align your actions with your values and your dreams; the way you live each day is a sentence in the story of your life. Each day, you choose whether the sentence ends with a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark.

Here are Marc’s ten suggestions for doing this:

1. Find a passion that makes you come alive.

2. Work hard on that passion.

3. Live happily in your own way.

4. Change your path when you must, but keep moving forward.

5. When the going gets tough, keep fighting.

6. Let go of the past and live consciously in the present.

7. Embrace new ideas, lessons, and challenges.

8. Appreciate the little things in life that mean a lot.

9. Live honourably through kindness.

10. Spend quality time with people you love.

So what has society said about storytelling over time, we have always done it:

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1. Yes, that diatribe in your head, that’s the story of your life.

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2. Yes, it is official, I have a crush on Maya Angelou: Maya on Words.

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3. How do you tell the world about your ideas?

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4. How’s the living going?: Staying Alive.

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5. A great reason for my ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included.

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6. Our stories have had the world evolve: World Turning.

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7. What do you do in creating your communities storyline?

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8. Remember as children how much we loved this, it is still available: Magic Carpet Ride.

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9. Love this quote, well done Christina.

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10. Wise words from one of the most amazing storytellers to have lived, think the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone: Steve’s Stanford Speech.

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11. Ground Control, to Major Tom.

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12. Where have you travelled in your reading?: 500 Miles.

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13. When I think of the big items I have brought in my life, this is oh so true in every case.

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14. And the bridge takes you over: Bridge over troubled Waters.

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15. And for our final lesson, we call on Ira Glass, host of This American Life and All Things Considered.

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs, and what every great story has, are characters that come alive in the pursuit of something that inspires them.

The playlist contains words today. Firstly we have Maya Angelou, then The Bee Gees. Fleetwood Mac are next, followed by a 60’s classic by Steppenwolf. Lots of Words from Steve Jobs, his Stanford commencement speech. Then an anthem from the Proclaimers and we finish with the dulcet tones of John Legend: Writing you Life Story.

My life story, Love and Respect for All, Everybody Included. Until we meet again, my dear friends.

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Who’s in Your Tribe?

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Rod's World

I recently posted a meme which said you are God to them all or God to none. I did not go to the Black Lives Matter rally, it was not because I don’t think they have a valid point, but because I think it misses the point, racism that is. I believe that it is a much bigger conversation and lives in the realm of the evil of tribalism worldwide. Events such as the 11 million person genocide by King Leopold of Belgium in Africa, the colonising wars in Australia and New Zealand received little mention in history books because they are written by the victors.

So I have posed the question: Who’s in your tribe as the title of this blog. I can answer everybody from within my ethos of Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included, the crux of Interculturalism. What actions do we have to take to achieve the seemingly impossible world my ethos speaks of. Here are twenty mantras from my friend Marc Chernoff that may help:

1. The most beautiful thing is to see a person nearby smiling. And even more beautiful is knowing you are the reason behind it.

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. 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 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, 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’s no such thing as “self-made” Someone else believed in you. Someone else encouraged you. Someone else 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 our neighbour 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 connection. Remember this: Relationships matter. Stories matter.

11. In human relationships, distance is not measured in kilometres but in affection. Two people can be next to each other yet kilometres apart.

12. Stay in touch with those who truly matter to you because it’s convenient, but because they’re are worth the extra effort.

13. The single greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. Too often we don’t listen to understand, we listen to reply. Bring awareness to this. And listen for what’s truly behind the words.

14. Set an example. Treat everyone with love and 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 on how not to be.)

15. Sometimes it is better to be kind than right.

16. People are much nicer when they’re happier, which says a lot about those who aren’t 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 we don’t understand is a report card on what we’ve learnt about love, compassion and kindness.

19. Be kinder than necessary. What goes around comes around. No one has made themselves strong by showing how small someone else is.

20. The best relationships are not just about the good times you share, they’re also about the obstacles you go through together and the fact that you still say”I Love You” in the end.

So we all live in communities, so what have we said about community spirit over the years, here are a few of my favourite quotes on the subject:

1. Do you know your communities vision, you can check it out on most council websites if you do not.

2. Gandhi’s freeing of India is the best example of this I know: From Little Things, Big Things Grow.

3. Martin’s wife said some cool things to.

4. How connected are you, how many people in your street names do you know?: In my Feelings.

5. Do you have people you really care for and would do anything for?

6. This one is an in your face take on community spirit: Just Stand Up.

7. And the others would answer…

8. In Melbourne, our community radio stations and local musicians compete in the Reclink Community Cup, it has very little to do with football and winning: My Immortal.

9. This one made me shudder.

10. Changes, of course, it can just be one song: Changes.

11. When you say I did it on my own, by myself hundreds of people sigh.

12. Another opportunity to feature the magnificent Maya Angelou: The Best Advice.

13. What is it that has you feel you belong?

14. What you give out you get back: Rain on Me.

15. And for our final lesson, its time to realise community makes you feel absolutely fabulous.

Since we all intellectually understand that we shouldn’t bypass or judge people too quickly, but sometimes still forget when we’re in the heat of a pressing moment, it would be a good practice to read this list several times a week until it has stuck.

Today’s playlist goes all over the place. We begin with Paul Kelly and Missy Higgins, yes that song, then Drake and over to an All-Star anthem. A group I am growing to like a lot, Evanescence is next. Then we finish with three legends: David Bowie, Maya Angelou and finish with Lady Gaga and Ariane Grande: Who’s in Your Tribe?

My wish is that our tribe is every other citizen on the planet, can this happen, I’m working on it: Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included.

Tough Times Never Last, Tough People Do!!!

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Rod's World

So, I promised a friend I would write this blog about how I was feeling, my identity is resisting it because I am not feeling full of possibility, I spoke to my mentor about it and he pointed out that the only way out of it was in. So here goes.

I feel stuck as I am basically doing what I was two to three years ago and my soul feels there is meant to be more to life than that. I went to one of my sources of inspiration, my friend Marc Chernoff and found an article 16 Harsh Truths That Make You Stronger. This is the shortened version of how it goes:

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than dominate them, more manhood or womanhood to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind -Alex Karras.

1. Life is not easy. Hard work makes people lucky – It’s the stuff that brings dreams to reality.

2. You will fail sometimes – The faster you accept this, the faster you can get on with being brilliant.

3. Right now, there’s a lot you don’t know – the day you stop learning is the day you stop living.

4. There may not be a tomorrow – Not for everyone.

5. There’s a lot you can’t control – You can’t control everything in your life no matter how many safeguards you put into place.

6. Information is not true knowledge – Knowledge comes from experience.

7. You can’t be successful without providing value -Don’t waste your time trying to be successful, spend your time creating value.

8. Someone else will always have more than you – Whether it’s money, friends or magic beans that you’re collecting, there will always be somebody who has more than you.

9. You can’t change the past – You can’t change what happened, but you can change how you react to it.

10. The only person who can make you happy is you – The root of your happiness comes from your relationship with yourself.

11. There will always be people who don’t like you – You can’t be everything to everyone.

12. You won’t always get what you want – Appreciate the things you have right now. Many people aren’t so lucky.

13. In life, you get what you put in – If you want love, friends, give love, be friendly.

14. Good friends will come and go – Most of your high school friends won’t be part of your Uni life.

15. Doing the same exact thing every day hinders self-growth – If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.

16. You will never feel 100% ready for something new – Nobody ever feels 00% ready when an opportunity arises.

Typing number 15 made me shudder, I have been in this rut for at least a week and keep telling my self I do not know the way out, which I know not to be true. So what does the world say about being in a rut and its effect on one, lets have a look:

1. I recommenced my daily walks today and am attended a Warrior Code session tonight, they are designed to shake you up.

2. I’ve set up a dinner with my siblings, they definitely do this: Glad To Be Alive.

3. Much to much comfort, why do I feel so bad then?

4. Take a dose, and the medicine goes down: A Spoonful of Sugar.

5. It’s how you relate to it that gives it the wonder.

6. It’s not always a win/win situation, how would we learn if it was: Seven Years.

7. It’s difficult to be what you are not.

8. At the top of my list at the moment: Rut.

9. Enoch Arnold Bennett was an English writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known as a novelist, but he also worked in other fields such as the theatre, journalism, propaganda and films.

10. I’m taking up the invitation: Grow As We Go.

11. Time for some explanation.

12. Time to stop waiting to be rescued and found: Who You Are.

13. Shayne’s Pinterest bio reads Author and Always the Good Girl. A firm believer in happy endings. Refuse to let your past define you. Be strong, take control, change your life.

14. Including yourself: Rise Up.

15. And our final lesson comes from running coach Ben Rosario, that it is the journey to your goals and dreams that got you there, so remember to have fun.

To me, the only difference between an opportunity and an obstacle is attitude. Getting a second chance in life is about giving myself the opportunity to grow beyond my past failures, It’s time to positively adjust my attitude toward future possibilities.

The playlist starts with some healing medicine from Teddy Prendergast and Marry Poppins. Then there are three pensive tracks from Lukas Graham, The Killers and Ben Platt. The penultimate track is Jessie J and we complete with some soul from Andra Day: Tough Times Never Last, Tough People Do.

So being in touch with my ethos for the world: Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included on a daily basis is the practice I will choose to climb out of this rut. Until we meet again my dear friends.

Springtime for Hitler and Germany!!!

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Rod's World

Why am I using a line from Zero Mostel’s iconic film the Producers as the title of my latest blog? I went to this inspirational event called Get Mic’d yesterday at which there was an opportunity for ten, which became 11 people because the presenter pulled out two names, not one for the final person to do a three-minute presentation and one of them tied the Fuhrer into their presentation on his love life. I cannot reveal any more due to privacy guidelines but it was epic.

What is speaking your truth? What do you have to give up to be able to do it? If you want to fly and move on to better things, you have yo give up the things that weigh you down – which is not always as obvious and easy as it sounds. My friend Marc Chernoff, author of 1,000+ little things Happy Successful People do differently makes this offering towards achieving the ability to do so:

1. Letting the opinions of others control your life – They know your name, not your story.

2. The shame of past failures – You will fail sometimes, and that’s okay.

3. Being indecisive about what you want – You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be.

4. Procrastinating on the goals that matter to you – There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.

5. Choosing to do nothing – You don’t choose how you are going to die, or when.

6. Your need to be right – If you keep on saying you’re right, even if you are right now, eventually you will be wrong.

7. Running from problems that should be fixed – We make life harder than it has to be.

8. Making excuses rather than decisions – Life is a continuous exercise in creative problem-solving.

9. Overlooking the positive points in your life – What you see often depends on what you are looking for.

10. Not appreciating the present moment – We do not remember days, we remember moments.

So what has society made of speaking your truth over time, let’s have a look:

1. We begin with one of the most recognised purveyors of the art alive on the planet today, Oprah Winfrey.

2. You know its close to your truth when you can make the energy in the room shift: You’re the Voice.

3. Self Love 101.

4. When you speak the truth some won’t like it: They Don’t Like Me.

5. Boom!!!

6. Liar, Liar, pants on fire: Beautiful Liar.

7. It is your life and your truth you have to live day to day.

8. Time for the title song: Springtime for Hitler and Germany.

9. With this attitude, he freed a country from servitude.

10. No void here: Not Afraid.

11. From the creator of two of the most well-known books ever, 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell calls out what speaking your truth really is.

12. Yes, you, the beautiful unique human being you really are: Human.

13. Naomi Wolf is a feminist author and journalist. Her career in journalism began in 1995 and has included topics such as abortion, the Occupy Wall Street movement, Edward Snowden and ISIS. She has written for media outlets such as The Nation, The New Republic, The Guardian and The Huffington Post.

14. From the 18th Century comes insight into how difficult it is to speak your truth in today’s society given the instant gratification society we exist in today: It Wasn’t Easy to Be Happy For You.

15. And from the worlds most famous philosopher, Ms Unknown comes to our final lesson and the reason you should always speak your truth.

Live authentically and cherish each precious moment of your journey, Because when you finally arrive at your desired destination, I guarantee you, another journey will begin. At least that is what I have found on my journey of spreading my ethos, Love and Respect for All, Everyone Included across the planet.

The playlist today has some of the biggies in it. In Australia, there is no one bigger than John Farnham. My unknown artist for this list is Cryptic Wisdom. Then possibly the two biggest pop diva’s combine, Beyonce and Shakira. The title song is next, Then across to America for our final songs from Eminem, Rag “N Bone Man and the Lumineers: Springtime for Hitler and Germany

Remember you can sign up to receive these blogs on my home page: until we meet again, my dear friends.