From Clutter to Clarity

I was asked this morning, what I would be getting my children for the 'silly season.' The truth of the matter is that I hadn't given it too much thought, mainly because it's still November but also because I don't want to think about it. My reticence is born partly of a desire not to buy into the commerciality of the process, of adding to the volume of 'stuff' in our lives but also because I again find myself borrowing from the 'Victorian' school of parenting and am running the gauntlet of judging and judgement. Presents are great, I love a good well thought out present as much as the next person. I am not proposing we should all turn into the Grinch or Scrooge and move away from all things gift like. But for a moment let's acknowledge the world has moved on, and while in the 1940's 50's and 60's a gift of chocolate or a toy was a novelty for children, in 2016 those things are readily available and our children are arguably ex...

It's been a while I know and what brought me back was a conversation I had this morning, with several parents, about children travelling on public transport and walking to school. I clearly missed the memo which said it was unwise, and unsafe to let a child use a bus, train or their feet to get to school. In fact I was quite shocked about the conversation and so have done some reading. It seems (according to the 'West') parents in WA are far more uncomfortable than our European and British counterparts at letting our children independently get to school. Why?  What is it about how we perceive our city and transport system which makes us so? Is Perth really more dangerous than London or Paris? Are our trains so inefficient we risk our child being stranded? Or are we simply worried the physical world is somehow fraught with danger? Dangerous, predatory people exist, they always have and always will, some of them will even catch buses and trains, ...

It is one of my pet peeves, so I can't help but comment on the debate which seems to be finally gathering some momentum in Perth. Please note the following comments refer to the majority of homework (some educators do it well) and homework within the primary and early secondary years. Homework sucks (on the whole!) and yes in my humble opinion it should be removed as a blanket approach to, well what? A ridiculous perception that it might make our children 'do better'- at worksheets maybe and that doing more younger will help them become more - well what? I am not against a rigorous curriculum or against our children being challenged and extended but could we please ask that qualified educators who are trained to do such things do it in the confines of the school day and if the school day simply doesn't fit in what we require our emerging brains to know then maybe like the French we need to consider modifying that! Parents and siblings are not and should not be exp...

 My challenge for the here and now is to take note of 3 things as you go about your day to day activities. Things you see everyday but pay no attention to: a beautiful set of stairs travelled up and down by generations of people all set about their own day to day; a century old tree who has cast shade on your route for decades; or a children's book which sits on the bookcase now collecting dust and when you notice them think about the value they give/ have given to you. It is incredible to think that in each day we follow the same path, be that on foot, in the car or through habit but often fail to appreciate the very things that make the path smoother. For those of you who like an even greater challenge pick a significant person and notice some of the 'overlooked' traits they possess, think about how those traits positively impact on your journey and if you are feeling really brave you could even tell them. Go on, it won't hurt that much.

Being actively busy is my excuse for not being on here for ages, but what does that mean and how do we reconcile the choices facing us when we get 'busy'? For many of my coachees the challenge is feeling comfortable with our existence when we 'fail' to maintain our very high standards and let something slip? Or when we take on more than we should and find ourselves not keeping in touch with friends who we would love to catch up with; missing out on down time with our partners/children, giving up our hobbies and leisure or not exercising. The crucial part is the process involved in the decision. Are you actively or passively allowing your time to be managed and how much priority do you give to some of those areas? Passive busy is where we have simply not bothered to consider what we are giving up as we are swept away on a raft of busy, drawn in by a perceived need to keep doing. Or we have not learned the skills to prioritise ourselves and en...

I am currently reading a book about presence... being present in the here and now and transcending our physical being into our spiritual being through retreats and other such malarky! What a waste of paper, I feel guilty about the tree which created this book! Unfortunately (or fortunately) most of us cannot afford the time and or cash to head out on a month long retreat to find our inner selves and to be honest the experience may fill our souls with wonder but it is short lived when we return to our here and now and our general lives. It is more important to find 'presence' in our existing lives, our realities rather than head off into the ether to discover it. If you suffer from living in the future, constantly striving, making no time for yourself in the now, please consider the following time effective but real ways to wake up to the now. Sit for 2 mins and focus on your breathing or your heart rate- nothing else- and if thoughts come into your head tell them yo...