Indelible Adventures: Fresh cut

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Growing up in rural Australia I was always surrounded by nature, whether it was the sweeping grasslands that surrounded our small community or the Eucalyptus bush that was visible on the horizon. In addition to this beauty dad always had a huge vegetable garden with every know variety of vegetable known to man growing happily in our back yard, or the unbelievable choice of fruit trees that provided us with fresh fruit and nuts for much of the year.

Mum, although not a huge gardener loved her peony roses, of which she had many growing close to the house. She also nurtured Jasmine, Rosemary, Tea Tree, plus her beloved Rose bushes around the house. Our yard was constantly awash in the scent of the various flowers, bushes and trees that were in bloom over the course of the year. It seemed as though when one was on the wane, another would miraculously figure out it was their turn to bloom and viola…

As a kid during the 1960’s every year on Arbor Day (last Friday in April) the school would provide each student with a small sapling and strongly encouraged to take home and plant in their yard. My brother James and I were no exception and happily took home these seemingly delicate little saplings home to plant each year.

The Arbor Day saplings were always Australian varieties of Acacia, Banksia, Jacaranda, Wattle and Eucalyptus (or as we always called them “gum trees” because of the sticky sap). We’d always find a spot to place them somewhere around the yard, and over the years some took and some didn’t depending the variety, prevailing weather that year or placement on our block.

Our block was on the edge of town and had a strange disposition in that half of the one acre block was rich brown soil that could grow absolutely anything in, hence the veggie garden and the vast majority of our fruit trees. Strangely though the soil in the other half was a flaky black soil that cracked easily, and I mean big deep cracks if not watered almost continually. The grass would always die on this side first under the hot Australian summer sun and once it died there was no amount of water that would resuscitate it until the next winter rains… Which was pretty odd don’t you think???

Ever since my childhood I've always loved the aesthetic appeal and beauty of flowers, but I’d like to think that growing up in this environment surrounded by the smells and beauty of the natural Australian bush certainly set and indelible foundation.

So here are three things that I do for myself and might be great additions to include in your new year.

Indelible Tip #1: Do something for yourself! I buy myself fresh cut flowers each and every week, so that I always have a variety of beautiful bouquets adorning my home . I buy them because I feel as though I deserve to be surrounded by the things I enjoy, and this simple act is about me loving me if you know what I mean.

It’s a rarity that someone actually buys you a gift, so why not buy one for yourself – no point waiting, as you can see I’m a big believer in doing things for yourself…you totally deserve it. J

Interestingly, when you get into a rhythm of having fresh cut flowers in the house it becomes part of the aesthetic of your home, with Zach and Sami now appreciating them as well. Maybe they’ll perpetuate the concept of fresh cut flowers when they get older and have families and homes of their own.

One of the other things I do for myself is spend time reflecting, some might call it meditation, but that would likely be too generous.

Indelible Tip #2: Find some time to reflect. I know I’ve spoken about this as well, but taking time for myself to reflect each week has really has been a wonderful thing for me personally. To help me get in the mood for reflecting I use a “Tibetan singing bowl”.
This simple iron bowl, when used just right creates a sound and vibration that you can feel from the tips of your fingers deep into your very being. All I can say is that it is incredibly soothing...

My final piece of advice is that life is short and so...

Indelible Tip #3: Follow your passions. I can't tell you how important it is to follow your passions, and do more things for yourself. Feeding your soul is an incredibly important thing to do. I realize we all have busy and hectic lives, but figuring out something that you love to do and ensure that you spend time pursuing this will not only give you immense pleasure, but it will also give you the emotional space to be more generous with those around you.

I hope that you all have a safe and prosperous New Year and that the coming year is your most outstanding yet!

Welcome to 2016!

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“Hanoi Posting”

A series of micro-stories by Terence Wallis

Episode 26: Distant Thoughts

Bill had been so caught up in his mission to Dhaka that on the rare occasions that he had time to think of anything but the death and destruction, his mind wandered back to the blissful afternoon spent with Mai. These fleeting memories became less and less the longer his mission had dragged on, and now felt completely bereft of any feelings as his body slumped into the hard seat in the Hercules transport plane as it sat on the tarmac at Dhaka airport. His exhaustion was complete as he fell asleep almost instantly the moment he sat down, which was more than surprising given the noise inside the aircraft as it continued to load its final cargo.

Bill woke with a start, his eyes adjusting to smiling face that loomed large in front of him as the Canadian loadmaster shook him awake and shouted something to him. Bill still half asleep didn't catch what he'd said, but assumed that they were about to land in Delhi as he could feel the plane slowly sinking toward to ground, and touching down a few minutes later with a slight bump. As soon as the plane landed and the tail gate touched the tarmac the aircrew began unloading their cargo with breathtaking speed, Bill watched in fascination as the busy crew darted back and forth in clockwork precision quickly unloading and loading the new cargo with minutes of touching down and reading themselves for the flight back to Dhaka. "Good luck to them" Bill muttered under his breath as he walked away from the noisy plane.

A driver was on hand to greet Bill as he walked from the tarmac, smiling broadly he directed him to the car that was waiting for him and his short trip to the passenger terminal to catch his flight to Bangkok.

His eyes still sore from the short sleep that he'd been able to garner on the plane, all he could do to keep awake was drink black coffee and walk the terminal until his flight was ready for boarding. God how he hated black coffee he thought to himself, he'd only really become accustom to drinking coffee in Hanoi then he smiled as he remembered his morning routine with Phuong and the Star cafe and how he was looking forward to seeing his old friend again. As he reminisced about seeing Phuong, he remembered the clandestine way Phuong had passed Mai's telephone number to him at the Star that morning and the strange manner in which he had told him about Mai on their walk around the lake. At the time he'd thought Phuong was just playing games with him, nothing like a little "cloak and dagger" he thought, but now on reflection Phuong had been more than serious about everything that had transpired. I suppose secrecy was just one of those things that came with living in Vietnam, after all the government was still far from being open and at times could be rather repressive.

Would life ever be normal again he wondered...

Next week: Episode 27 Status

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