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i admire…

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Admiration is a beautiful opportunity in a world full of so much judgement.

I admire people for many different reasons…

Mostly silently whilst I walk the shops, times when I sit and watch a documentary, sometimes at the beach as someone walks past slowly.

I admire single parents. I cannot imagine the late nights, with a sick child alone, those times when there is no one to hold your hand, when you wait for answers from the doctors. I admire your tenacity, I admire how you keep on going. I admire the two jobs you juggle just to make ends meet. If you are a single parent, I have never judged or discounted your opinion, I admire every single part of your being.

I admire people over eighty. Even when they are a little cranky, I kind of like it. They have so much perspective to give. I ask my Grandmother questions all the time. Most responses come with a roll of her eyes, but I know secretly she loves it and even more than that I know she appreciates my attention. I especially love watching old people in love. It does something to my soul that I cannot explain. Seeing an elderly man, grab the hand of his silver haired lover, makes my heart race with romance and hope for the future.

I admire creative entrepreneurs. Writers, dancers, poets, social media content creators, film students. Anyone taking their view of the world and having a go. Anyone, who has written something and dared to press publish. Any one who has gone back to university in pursuit of realising their dreams. I admire the creative folk, who celebrate another persons weird. Who don’t back bite, compete, copy and compare. Who just run their race and make things happen. I admire the risk takers, the music makers, the mummy bloggers, the dance teachers. I think you are all rad.

I admire my husband and his work colleagues, who spend their days with young people at risk. People who take a chance on a young adult, who has attitude to boot and opinions bigger than the bell tower. I admire youth workers, youth chaplains, youth pastors, youth leaders, youth juvenile officers, social workers. People who create opportunities for the future of our nation to find freedom in the beauty of living a simple and moral life.

I admire cleaners. I watch and thank janitors, rubbish men and food hall cleaners all the time. I appreciate their attention to detail. I appreciate how hard they work for their families. I am humbled by their selflessness in taking time to serve another. Whether they are paid or not, I think they are the salt of the earth. Our country is blessed with the beauty of cleanliness, because someone cared enough to take our over abundance of rubbish away. The event managers, the program coordinators, the production personnel, all the people that create beautiful environments that we enjoy so often without attributing to their efforts.

I admire those in our community who overcome insurmountable odds. The mothers and fathers who have had sick children long term, the parents who were once orphaned who now raise a family with pride. The visually impaired, the hearing challenged, those who have lost limbs, those who have been in tragic accidents. I admire tenacity. I admire pure grit. I admire an overweight person jogging down our beach. I admire people who wear their bikinis with pride after a mastectomy. I admire the depth of the human spirit, to dig deep and push through even when it hurts. I admire people who don’t play the victim but get help and move past the tragedies that have ensnared them.

I admire the everyday person who is honest. Who tells the truth. Who isn’t trying to be something that they are not.

I admire the person who says sorry, who owns their part to play in the breakdown of relationship, who restores, forgives and trusts again.

I admire anyone who has been hurt in love, who loves again.

I admire kind humans. The person that believes the best and loves deeply.

If you are any of these things, it is quite possible I have spent time thinking about how amazing I think you are.

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my locals

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The more I settle into my beachside little village, the more I fall in love with its beauty, personalities and the perfection of the simple life it offers. When I bought a unit in a small group 1970’s Hawaiian beach flats, I never imagined that five short years later that I would call it home with my family of four.

I thought it would be a great holiday destination, when I came to visit periodically through the year. As I walk the beaches and stand in line at the shopping centre, memories of growing up, flood my consciousness nearly everyday.

I remember the lolly shop that was on the corner as I walk the beach. I walk past the little town hall that was the location of my amateur theatre company productions and remember how huge I thought it was and now it seems so tiny, so backward. I remember the forts and teepees we would build on the beach and the sand fights that would go on for days between my cousins and I.

Sometimes I feel like ‘Mrs Mangles’, as I walk the streets and notice the little things that make a community thrive. I love my locals. Our cafe, the bakery, the library, the parks, the Thai restaurant, the butcher, our little deli. My son does dancing at the yacht club every tuesday morning and we walk slowly watching the wildlife inhabit their island home.

My favourite local cafe called the pond barista, which has a completely gluten free menu has a little precious part of my heart. The owners are brilliant and the colour and life it brings to our local area is sublime.

These are the things that have made this ordinary tuesday, one that is full of life for this little Mumma. An interview on the radio this morning, walking down the beach to dance class with my toddler, bumping into a great friend and her dog at the coffee shop, filled with great conversation and even greater coffee.

Memories that make the ordinary beautiful.

A life lived intentionally supporting and encouraging our local businesses to thrive.

These now are the days that I will be making memories in my seaside town, that one day my babies will think back fondly upon.

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sleep o creative one, sleep

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Sleep is one of the most underrated health elixers in our society.

It is not until you have wrestled with insomnia or had a newborn in your house that you realise how important sleep can be to your productivity. The problem is sleep begets sleep and the other way round, the less sleep you have, the less you can sleep.

It is a crazy cycle.

One of my greatest struggles over the last three years in becoming a Mumma Bear, has been working out how to survive creatively on less sleep. I think my pregnancy weight has also stayed around longer, because of sleeplessness that bombards you with smalls in your world.

These are some of the little things I have been trying to do to help me sleep a little better, even when it is interrupted;

1) Put my ear plugs in and ignore anything that happens to my little people and let my husband get up. (smile not really.)

1) Seriously, remove my phone out of my bedroom. I have started charging my phone in our lounge room, rather than my bed side table. For many reasons, waking up to your phone and going to sleep with your phone, is a really bad habit for deep and restorative sleep.

2) Great Pyjama’s! I used to go to sleep in anything I could grab as I was tumbling into bed, old tshirts, falling apart gym/ yoga pants. I went through a wardrobe cull a few short months ago, and threw out anything that didn’t make me feel fabulous. Peter Alexander nighties are my current go to favourites. But intentionally putting on something that makes you feel inspired, comfortable and intentional is an important part of the winding down process.

3) I have been trying to read every night before I go to sleep. Reading really helps me relax and turn my worrisome mind towards more positive or interesting dialogues. Instead of the stupid status update that that random person in your world typed on facebook an hour ago. (smile)

4) No coffee after lunch. I am trying really hard, firstly to have only one, maybe two maximum coffee’s a day. And definitely not after lunch. Honestly caffeine doesn’t impact me that much, but I know the accumulative result in my body affects the overall quality of my sleep. A coffee doesn’t stop me from falling asleep, but it changes how well I sleep.

5) Having the hard conversations. Lately I have been really aware of the internal conversations that plague my sleeplessness or that make me restless. You know, that unresolved conflict. That worry, unspoken. That late night conversation with yourself that is never rational or helpful. I have been trying to stop pleasing people less and putting boundaries in my life to help me carry myself lighter. It is a battle I promise.

6) Being much more intentional about late night cravings, of chocolate or cheese or wine. Trying to work out where the hunger is coming from. Eating more intuitively rather than emotionally.

7) I have been trying to do some stretches before I go to sleep. Even just 10 minutes of stretching will increase your quality of sleep.

These are just a few of the small changes I have been making.

How about you?

How are you sleeping?

Is it affecting your productivity and relationships?

Let me know your tips.

Sleep well, o creative one. Sleep tight.

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friday faffing

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We went on our annual pilgrimage yesterday. We packed our lunch, the boys jumped on the train and the girls jumped in the car and we set our sights on meeting at the other end of the city.

We journeyed towards a place that needs a day set apart to visit and be overwhelmed by its storage and interior designing nick nacks.

Its the kind of store that you go in thinking that you will just get a couple of needed things, like photo frames and a new duvet for winter and you walk away with two trolley’s full of items you absolutely need.

Our destination was IKEA.

From photo frames, to new rugs, a whole new set of plates and gift tags, our car was brimming with bits and bobs to make our little abode much more organised and homey. A memory I will never forget, is the moment my little Maximus realised he has now turned three and is allowed to be  checked into little people’s land. He ran inside to discover all the new and wonderful toys and walked up to the glass wall and waved goodbye with ‘See you later Mummydaddy’ (he often joins our name together like we have only one name).

He was so excited and so were we until we had got half way through the maze, with a quick phone call saying ‘Mr and Mrs Viviers, Maximus has told us he is very sad, very sad indeed and wants his Mummydaddy to come back.’

Days full of firsts,

Beautiful moments I don’t want to ever forget.

So we made it through the maze with a seven month old, a three year old, a body builder and a writer all in one piece and we happily ate meatballs, chips, salmon and salad.

The adventure was complete.

Back to the train for the boys and the car for the girls. Team V, were sure there friday faffing was complete.

When we got home and opened the doors of our house already exhausted, we remembered with all things ikea purchasing the bits and bobs was just the beginning. Our friday faff had only just begun.

So screw drivers bounced and paper, plastic and culling began. Our little shack was given a post holiday makeover. Aunties and friends were called to come and collect little treasures we knew only they would love. Paintings were removed, plates were given away and new photo frames with gifts were hung.

Exhaustion reigned,

Take away thai was ordered.

A little drink was poured and the two heads of team v, sat and celebrated family life with two cherubs asleep and a house in absolute disarray.

I love friday faffing with my man.

Something I never want to grow tired of.

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me

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I’m the kind of girl who walks into a large setting, a big party, a massive event and wishes I could be anywhere else but there. Funny thing is, most of my life I have organised events, parties and big things. It’s like I get overwhelmed and don’t know who to talk to and what to say. The bigger the event, the more awkward you will find me. Until it is an event in it’s thousands, like tens of thousands. Then I float away in the midst of the crowd and love to be carried along.

We live at the beach, but for many years (like over a decade) I hated the beach. I have had to make peace with the beach and it took forever. One of my closest friends died at the beach when I was twenty one and it took years for me to recover. I have never been to the beach where he passed. Ever, and I’m pretty sure I never will.

I have a deep hunger for India, but I have never been there or know anyone there. I dream of travelling there and working, helping people to discover creativity and innovation. Help people discover their immense worth. Somedays from the minute I wake up, till the moment I close my eyes, I dream of distant far of places. This dream feels further away from becoming a reality than ever before in my life.

I love corn. One day after working hard in the slum of Thailand, I was completely overwhelmed from leading a team of creatives running a day camp for children, that I sat despondent just wanting to go home. Wanting to be as far away from that slum as possible. My husband (he was my boyfriend at that stage) went and bought me a corn on the cob and I started to cry. The corn made me feel like home. It made me remember Sunday roasts and corn fields of New Zealand. That one simple act of compassion, made me fall in love with him endlessly.

This is me. In less than five hundred short words.

I am awkward,

I am insecure,

I am brave,

I am colourful,

I am unique,

I am unsure,

I care way to deeply,

I am loyal to the core,

I hunger and dream of a generation who will rise up and advocate for the poor,

I sometimes cannot breathe because I am so invested in an idea and I have to give birth to it,

I am deeply spiritual,

I think way too much,

I hunger and thirst for righteousness,

I believe in love without borders, race, gender or religion,

I struggle with change, but also thrive in the midst of it,

I like to watch a television series, episode upon episode, day upon day, until it is finished,

I really suck at unresolved conflict,

I try desperately to please people,

I like to be alone but I love the company of a friend.

This is me.

In

five hundred

words

Who are you?

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