Spring and kitties

Spring is upon us...
The sun is out
We're about to enjoy the most beautiful couple of weeks that Melbourne has to offer.
As you would expect,
I'm looking forward to getting out there and soaking it all in.
Today, we're getting ready to go and feed ducks

For my entire 15 or so years in South Africa,
I don't recall enjoying feeding ducks, or birds or whatever winged creature by a river.
I do, however, remember feeding birds in Curepipe, Mauritius
I also remember trying to rescue many little kittens
There's something about feeding and taking care of little animals
that really capture the imagination of children

I still feel rather sad for the number of kittens that ended up dying, or leaving our house
despite my many attempts to clean them up, feed them, care for their wounds, and save them...

Nurturing, as it turns out, comes pretty instinctively to most of us
and some of my most rewarding memories has been when I've been taking care of others.

As a father, nurturing and taking care of my children and my wife is part of my every day life
And... is probably the single most rewarding thing I currently do
For myself  (and hopefully for them)

Giving,
And giving selflessly
can ironically be quite a selfish act.

[Although, many intelligent people have figured this out eons ago, and have written about it, 
It's one thing to read about it, 
and it's another thing to live it,
and it's something else to be aware of it as you're living it].  

Rush rush

It's all so fast
and moves so quickly
the bus, the car, the pram,
my life.

Slowing down has been rebranded
as 'lazy'.

So many people travel without bothering to look around
So many of us travelling without indulging in the company of one another
So many of us travelling without thinking why
So many of us travelling the wrong road
Just travelling
Because that's what we do

pausing
...
...
...
and thinking,
and being,
and playing
and laughing,
have become a luxury.

stop.

I climbed a tree

It's been so long since I've posted anything on my blog... Not because I've been devoid of any thought, but more because I haven't allowed myself any time to think lately. I thought I'd try and change that today...

Why you ask? Simple... because I climbed a tree! It was a warm Melbourne day (which, of course, started out as a crappy looking Melbourne morning), but turned it out to be a beautiful day. After we bought some fresh veggies (as we do every weekend), we went and got some fish and chips and decided to go and enjoy our lunch by the Yarra river.

For some reason, when close to water gushing by, surrounded by beautiful foliage and not too many people, men revert to becoming the boys they once were... so I climbed a tree (only for a little while - until I realised two things. 1) I'm not as agile as I once was and 2) the branches were not as strong and sturdy as I thought they were  [paraphrased: maybe I'm getting too heavy]). So I came back down...

But, it did remind me of my childhood, when we used to climb stuff all the time, fall most of the time and get to the top some of the time. It's times like these that I am reminded that I've put on a couple of years and that, although I probably have a couple of years ahead of me, I should take the time to sit and think hard about what I want to do with the remaining years before they rush by like the water of the river...

I didn't arrive at any magic answers, but I was happy to realise that I was on the right path! :) - How do I know it's the right path? Because it's the path that I am on!

I loved today... I loved seeing my son watching the flowing river, and I loved watching my daughter balance on the fallen tree trunk that we sat on. I also loved seeing my wife just chilling and enjoying herself.

At a time when things are a tough, and when the going sometimes gets a bit rough, it was a great reminder that we have many things to be thankful for.

Thank you world.
again.