Gratitude

Glebe Foreshore where I often walk after a heavy Zoom day

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson (sourced from Good Reads)

Today I feel grateful. Very grateful.

I was hoping that Labor (Queensland) would open the borders to the entire state of NSW after the election, but unfortunately those of us in Sydney are not invited in…however country NSW is!

And I am grateful!

I am going home! Soon!

I plan on having some heavenly time at a yoga retreat in Byron Bay with the incredible Judy Krupp, who runs The Yoga Room in Sydney. Judy was the first teacher to inspire me to embrace yoga teacher training several years ago, and because I am back in Sydney I have been again working with her. And even more wondrous, Maxine, one of my oldest friends (and a dear friend of Judy’s) who sat by the sideline watching me NOT do yoga for many years, is going to be my roommate!

Friendship is home.

Cremorne Reserve walk with Maxine after work

After that I shall spend time with my sister, who has moved to the country of NSW, after she tired of Sydney traffic.  My sister is a brilliant gardener, and every home she has ever lived in she transforms the garden. I have been inspired by her dedication to gardening, and have now made it part of my own life.

Gardening is home.

My growing iso garden in Sydney

 Home… a word that has so much resonance. Where is home? I spent seven plus years focusing on home and belonging, culminating in a PhD called “House of Homes”…still, years later,  a definitive definition of home eludes me, because it is constantly a moving landscape. 

 I belong at home both in Brisbane and Sydney, though to be away from Brisbane for so long (since July 5, when I ventured south of the border to visit my grandchild for three weeks, only to find myself still here due to COVID restrictions)…to be away from Brisbane for so long has been challenging in many ways…missing my BBA, a partner who is not only a husband but also my best friend. Two of my children who are now staying in Brisbane due to COVID. My dogs. My garden. My friends.

Family is home.

 Luckily my arts community is flexible, and despite the distance, I have held dozens of zoom workshops and zoom sessions with dear clients throughout this time, developing ways of creating a sense of intimacy through the screens.  The opportunity presented itself to also work with postgraduate students at QUT on Zoom, sharing new ways of seeing our research at the same time as turning up as the best version of ourselves. Brisbane Festival came and went, and I witnessed from afar the joy and delight as local artists created magic, sometimes even weaving in my voiced contribution. We experimented with directing on Zoom, and the show “How To Spell Love” by Anisa Nandaula was launched at Metro Arts with Brisbane Festival.

 So, more gratitude.

Gratitude for my family, gratitude for my homes of belonging, gratitude for my artists who work tirelessly with me as we co-create new and exciting ways of appreciating the ordinary moments…making them extraordinary. Gratitude for Zoom.Gratitude for my eldest son who endured lock down in Melbourne (thank you Victoria!) Gratitude for my daughter and son in law lending me their dog Ollie.

And.

Most of all.

My grandchild.

 Gratitude. 

Ollie, my granddaughter’s dog…and Sibi.