Thursday, December 8, 2022

hang in there

Tentative steps forward, feet shifting to adjust as the heavy wings test the wind. I watched the hang glider with bated breath. Was he going to take off and soar out over the vast expanse of the deep blue ocean below that cliff?

I expected a quick run and expert lift off as I stood back observing. Then realised it was a training session. The instructor stood right at the edge of the drop off, carefully monitoring every breath of wind, coaching, encouraging and cautioning the learner flyer. A few tense attempts. 

His feet actually did get airborne once or twice but scrambled back to earth after barely
leaving the ground. His upper body certainly looked capable but it took every ounce of strength to control those big wings. It looked awkward and clumsy but I knew once airborne, hang gliding seemed effortless.


The pair backed away from the edge and the coach helped unclip the harness and talked the student through the manoeuvres as they packed up the cumbersome contraption. 

Another time. 

It’s all progress. Experience. Learning.


The conditions were not ideal. The timing wasn’t right. He wasn’t ready yet.





Our creative journey is similar. We want to fly, but first we have to take those important foundational steps. To launch early can be costly, even dangerous to our dreams.

Too much too soon and we can crash land, our ideas shattered and hearts bruised.


We need to invest, work, build up our skills and establish a good foundation. We need a lot of practice. Simply showing up and going through the motions some days. 


Inspiration is as fleeting as a good breeze.

It comes in its own time.


Opportunities and open doors are like that. When the time is just right, we simply step into and through the other side. It is amazing to experience that flow and favour. 

True, heartfelt success feels miraculous. 

Exciting, yet peaceful.


Meanwhile, get ready. Prepare. Keep showing up. Keep practising. Keep stepping forward. And trust. Trust the process and trust your Coach.

You’ll soar at just the right moment and it will seem effortless.

Friday, May 13, 2022

rain rain go away

It’s not raining. It’s more like constant water just flowing from the sky. I’ve been holding my breath all week as I think about those who may be flooding AGAIN. I can’t bear to think about their distress as families and business owners watch and wait. More cancellations and activities postponed. It all feels surreal.

We are thankfully well and truly high and dry here. Both dams are pouring over - you could kayak from one to the other now along the overflow. A mini version of white water rafting. The garden is soggily sodden and my husband turned the fountain on just because it’s chockas. I am wondering how on earth I am going to tackle the garden when it eventually clears up.

The whole microclimate has changed as shrubs and trees have overgrown areas that have now become deep shade. It feels very secret-garden-ish actually. All mysterious and rambly shambly.

It is an opportunity to reconsider the landscape. That’s a positive outlook I guess as I have been considering overhauling a few areas. The winter will see some destructive reconstruction. Things often look worse before they look better. We need to make tough decisions to progress forward into improvement.


Since I can’t be outside in the pouring rain, I have been pottering inside but I can’t seem to get stuck into anything. My work is gardening, so I subconsciously feel like I’m on holidays when it’s wet! 

I miss the light. Perhaps that is why I haven’t used this wet week wisely to be creative indoors, or get stuck into housework.


I have been flitting from one task to the other. Studying a garden design course online, (very boring and one dimensional for this people person), knitting, reading two books at once, writing, hemming curtains and too many mini-series. 


The house feels messy with the damp but if I wait until it’s perfect, I would never get anything creative underway.

And so - in the midst of it all, I sat in my multi-task space and picked up my paintbrush.


The sketch I had started stalled. I wanted to do justice to capture my daughter’s wedding bouquet. Tricky when the flowers were cream and white! But as I started dabbling last night -  it happened.

I clicked into the flow of enjoying the process. Joy!

It’s been so long since I have done any art that I am out of sync. It’s good to just do it for the practice though. No expectations. Aim high and have a reason, but just relax and enJOY the experience.


I love it. It’s not to do anything with - I will try another for my daughter. I’m happy to simply practice and improve. 





What would you like to get stuck into? Do you find overcast weather affects your mojo?