That's My Schtick....

Or what's my schtick...
For Rozie that was the big question.

What was she on about?
What were her defining qualities?
Was it action or opinion?.
She could often pick up on someone elses schtick...
but did she know her own schtick?

Saying Goodbye To Mum...

This is the way I remember her in my minds eye,
it's an older version of her "classic look".

She still holds that slightly cheeky playful side close to the surface,
 but at the same time having a way of seeing through to the heart of the matter.

It's only a few years since there was a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease,
which was later paired devastatingly with Alzheimer's.

 This photograph reminds me of the start of that journey,
A journey whos' final destination mum reached last week.

She didn't travel alone,
the journey overlapped into the life of family and friends.

Many were able to visit her over the last months
having time for quiet goodbye's.

Dad was ever by her side, giving love and encouragement,
his love never wavered, he always saw her beauty inside and out.

She took comfort in small simple things something soft to cuddle,
and a hand to hold.

Dad read stories from their past,
favourite hymns and scriptures, which brought her comfort.

These photos were taken in the hospital before she was moved to the high care facility.



Until she came peacefully to her final rest, in the presence of family ,
and it's suspected... visitors from the other side
to welcome and guide her home.

Surrounded by a wealth of family, she was carried by grandchildren to her earthly resting place.

Where prayers were offered and encouragements given,
and of course songs were sung.

Despite the sadness there were times of laughter, as we remembered and celebrated a life well lived.

Thanks mum, you were the best...
lots of memories to treasure as our journey continues
on the road  you showed us how to travel.

I decided to share this part of my life in this way and in this space

because as I experience  the passing of a parent I realise that it involves plenty of 

"tension in the negative spaces" .

It's been an emotional time, with both laughter and tears.

A time for connecting and re connecting with family and friends.

There have been so many things to be grateful for, thoughtfulness and kindness thats been shown in so many ways, big and small.  

Thank you to everyone.

The Elephant In The Room...

After an absence of about 5 months Rozie is making a comeback...
if you want to see more be sure to click on the heading
'Tension in the negative spaces'

Rozie decided she wanted an elephant on a stick,
as a means of perhaps addressing or at least acknowledging
with a quiet nod that there are so many topics which seem to be
conveniently surrounded by a thick layer of fog.

But are actually...
 inconveniently staring you in the face!.

Something up her sleeve as it were to tackle the
oh so often encountered cognitive dissonance.

She mostly thought it would be used when conversing with others,
but what to do when she encountered her own heard of elephants?

tension in the negative spaces: Lessons And Teachers...

tension in the negative spaces: Lessons And Teachers...: Trying to "get" the lesson of the day is sometimes like catching butterflies. The ideas, or lessons that you're grappling w...

Collaberation Is Better Than Isolation

Just something to think about...

Courage Is The Key...

Courage is the key!

It's about letting love win over fear...

Somehow finding a way to face all the feelings
of vulnerability, isolation and inadequacy...
and letting that open up what comes next.

It's the only thing that has any chance of unlocking your potential.

Just when you thought''great I've unlocked that door''...
you realise that there's another door ahead....
and so it goes...

Life will always have doors to unlock.
It's about moving forward and finding
''treasures in dark places''

Things That Make Me Happy...

This is a list of things that make me feel good and give me the ''up'', I'm going to add to it every day.

1 Candles

2 Velvet cats

3 Great music

4 The idea of things progressing...getting to the next new bit.

5 Working out more ''stuff''

6 Change that's positive

7 Friends that stay connected

8 Being warm and cosy

9 Things to do with ''the heart''

10 Having choices

11 Wine of course

12 Simple beauty

13 Complex beauty

14  Authenticity

15 People to share with

16 Celebration and Events

17 Things you know you're connected to

18 When you had a dream and you see it coming true, not necessarily in the way that you
     thought...but still it's exciting...it's connected to your vision and passion

19 Longing...when you can imagine how great something could be and you're happy to
     know that the idea will take you a long way and give you hope when you have to
     wait and have patience

20 Friends who ''get'' what you mean

21 Imagination and possibility

22 The feel of something silky

23 Sunsets

24 Dew drops on spider webs

25 Brewed Coffee in the morning

26 The smell of fresh herbs....particularly Basil

27 Having the luxury of ''waisting'' time....
     in other words doing things you want to do
     but that seem unimportant to others

28 Picnics

29 Fairy Lights

30 Recipe Books

31 Making Food

32 Sharing Food

33 Taking Photos Of Food

Initially...
what happened was quite unexpected,
and quite frankly left her wondering
and a bit breathless...

It was more about ''giving it time and establishing trust''...
well that's what she was thinking

However as time went on
she wondered about the outcome....
 and the big questions.

She wanted answers
but she knew that it was all
a work in progress.

 

Just Words....

Today it's just words....

I can't say yes,

and I can't say no.

I want to say yes to your tightrope to the edge.

To having too much fun.

To long lingering looks and soft touches.

Squeezes and deep kisses.

To being lost in a zone that's not often visited.

To being on the other side and to getting perspective.

I want to say no to my fears and convention.

To the unspoken broken trash heap that we've visited before.

No to usual, trivial, fearful.

Yes to acknowledging the complex.

To finding the balance and harmony in the tension.

To beauty and fragility.

To the bit that you let go in order to find the "sweet true spot'

In the other.

Connection and re-connection.

Individual yet seeking the other.

I want to say yes, 

I want to say no.

( To be honest it's not just words..

it's thoughts and wishes and dreams 

and a whole lot of what's hard to get right 

when dealing with relationships in the real world)

Guest Spot...

This is a reflection from "Maxie"
thanks for sharing darling...
love your work.

Ewe...

Faith gives ewe a tightrope to walk on...

The journey of life isn't just about
getting from point A to point B...

It's about lots of little things like...
 taking small steps, focus, balance and practice.

Having trust or belief that you're on a path
 that's meant to be...

That you're learning and noticing lots of little things along the way,
 staying in the moment.

Not being overwhelmed by the thought of what's ahead,
 realising how far you've come
 and that all of those little steps
 are going to make the next bit possible.

Rozie Does The Math...

Rozie wrote a "you and me" comparative list of priorities...

(Just to get the lay of the land.)

 She was hoping to get a bit of objectivity.

Really...  it didn't look promising.

Privately, she wondered about being back at square one...


Sometimes dear viewer you get disappointed,

For whatever reason in committing to a certain path of potential relationship
(read talking, texting and old fashioned.... "getting to know you")
you hope for certain relational  outcomes...

 You believe that there are reasonable obligations
 and positive ways of communicating 
that are ongoing...
( think flow and movement).

 When that flow or whatever,
 is interrupted with no explanation,
 one really does wonder what's going on.

  One contemplates the fact that one is dealing with
a distinctly difficult situation.

Which quite frankly has the potential to provoke feelings of rejection 
and loss that is all too painful.

It means one has a a whole lot of unwanted homework.

Join The Dots...

There's always a lot going on,
some good some not so good.

That's why it's important to take the time
  to find things and ways to celebrate.

Little Amelia...

Little Amelia felt a certain stirring of the winds of change.
She was restless with a quiet sense of hope and anticipation.

She knew that as all the little seeds
 were shaken loose and drifted on the breeze
they would eventually find places to settle.

  Growing and blossoming
into the fruit of dreams. 


That's the thing with hopes and dreams...
they start small,
but they're packed with potential.

What comes Next...

Little Amelia found she was always wondering
what was over there
and
what comes next...

She pondered, mused and used lots of imagination
 thinking about what might be possible.


In the end she realised that it was OK,
 she actually enjoyed the little distractions in her mind.

Although she still  had to deal with the
the present...
and do her best to live there.

Little Amelia...

She decided that she wanted to live life like she meant it...
with open eyes, arms, mind and heart...

She knew it wouldn't be easy,
but she believed that it would be worth it.

Life is always giving us opportunities
 to choose love over fear, it's never an easy choice,
but that's what's going to count in the end.