Meeting your future friend
When we meet someone for the first time, how often does it occur to us that they may become a significant part of our lives? What would change if we approached first meetings this way? Continue reading Meeting your future friend
2019: Highlights from a humdrum year
In thinking about the year just past, my first thought was that it was a boring year. Not bad as such, but I felt like I went through the whole year without a satisfactory answer to the perennial question: “How have you been?” In other words, I constantly had nothing new to report. Whenever I responded that I’d been “good”, I meant it literally rather than as a polite non-answer.
2018 provided plenty of change in significant areas of my life so 2019 was certainly dull in comparison. And really in comparison to the whole previous decade of my life, which barely saw me doing the same thing for more than a year.
But I don’t want to be ungrateful. If I pause to ponder the last 12 months a little more, I’m able to find a few highlights. They may seem simple, but they have nonetheless enriched my life and I am thankful for these little things. Continue reading 2019: Highlights from a humdrum year
NYE lessons from Ecuador
Australian New Year’s Eve traditions mostly involve drinking hard, watching fireworks and calling it a party. This is followed by spending 1 January sleeping it off. Where Christmas Day is family time, NYE Down Under means time with friends. In Ecuador, I was introduced to the tradition of making and breaking monigotes (mon-ee-GO-tez): life-sized replicas of yourself and people you know. These effigies are also known as muñecos … Continue reading NYE lessons from Ecuador
Chasing wonder
Concepts create idols. Only wonder grasps anything. Gregory of Nyssa This quote struck quite a chord with me when I came across it again recently. It captures my thinking in developing the theme and content for two of our major events at work this year. I truly believe cultivating wonder can do more to educate and mobilise people than concepts can. Part of me absolutely … Continue reading Chasing wonder
How tacos can change your life
I’m not really sure why World Taco Day is a thing. It’s probably just a marketing device to boost sales at restaurants, Mexican or otherwise. The same goes for Taco Tuesdays – why not #TequilaTuesdays? #TeaTuesdays? #TiramisuTuesdays? I don’t understand it, but I’m okay with it. In fact, Taco Tuesdays have become a beloved part of my week. Method: Head to local pub after work. … Continue reading How tacos can change your life
Angry enough to be free, safe enough to thrive
Safe enough to thrive I read Greta Thunberg’s UN address today and I’m glad I was looking at the transcript rather than the video. The words alone, sans any added emotion in her delivery, were jarring enough. Sure, it was designed to be a slap in the face to dawdling political leaders. But while I agree we need to take stronger action to counter climate … Continue reading Angry enough to be free, safe enough to thrive
Marketing is broken. Can we fix it?
Me and Marketing To be honest, I would never have guessed that I’d end up with the word ‘Marketing’ in my job title. It reeks of big business. Chances are, I’m not the only one who feels this way. See how many of the following statements you agree with: Marketing is persuading you to buy things you don’t need. Marketing is about getting you to … Continue reading Marketing is broken. Can we fix it?
House rules
To this day, I still remember the round of UNO with my old youth group in which one poor soul had to draw +26. The stakes mounted, and we held our breaths as player after player stacked Draw 2s and Draw 4s and the buck had to stop somewhere. Not only could you stack penalty cards, you could reverse or skip them, you could “cut” … Continue reading House rules
The art and the agony of anticipation
My manager’s kindergarten-aged daughter is a brave little one: she willingly holds her arm out for the needle at the doctor’s. While I don’t exactly freak out about injections and have donated blood a number of times, I am a bit squeamish when it comes to blood and the cutting up of my body. I don’t think I’ll ever get laser-eye surgery because the mere … Continue reading The art and the agony of anticipation
Internet trolls vs an unfair God
The internet troll is a fearsome creature. It is not unlike a werewolf in that it will go about its day as an ordinary human being, indistinguishable from the rest of us – but when it sits down at its computer or smartphone and enters the dark web of social media, it is transformed into a monster. I come across these from time to time … Continue reading Internet trolls vs an unfair God
