The music floats timeless and free Seamlessly tugging and calling to me Emotions – Memories – Hopes & Dreams Fuel for the spirit pure motivation for me Changing the tempo altering the ride Stirring the blood that allows us to survive Sweet slow love lost in a mist Jive bunny rocking and doing her best Stories of legends both mythical and real Respecting the classics with their timeless appeal I listen in admiration I listen in awe I listen to his message from the bell of his horn
I had the opportunity to sit down and have a big chat with my sister Wendy ( Photo of Wendy and the Outlaw Mick ) the other day and as usual when Wendy and I get together and start our “ Little ” chats we end up talking for hours and in the process finding solutions to all the worlds problems.
Another magical thing happens when we get together too, I believe we open each others eyes to truths that sometimes are too close to see. To be honest, I think Wendy does the majority of the enlightening ( of me ).
Wendy and I can just sit and talk, talk like there is no tomorrow and talk in a way where there are no fences or boundaries. We can talk without fear of offending or of being judged by our comments even if politically incorrect or naive at times.
Our “ Chats ” flow like a mountain stream meandering down within a ancient rainforest, ever gathering speed and volume by connecting with other streams and topics of conversation until we are a raging river charging to the sea.
An amazing thing happens when you are blessed with the opportunity to openly discuss topics without fear or judgment or ridicule. You get to wade through the collective mud of beliefs, experiences and misinformation ( which is life ) and eventually exit the other side with the truth. A clarity which can only be achieved by carefully peeling away the prejudices and biases until you are left with nothing but the core truth.
I don’t really have words for how much I enjoy these chats with my Big Sister, I always walk away feeling relaxed, cantered but most of all I walk away feeling heard which in today’s society I find is a rare commodity.
How many times have you had a conversation or greeted someone only to get an automated reply or response, you know they hear you but they have not heard you.
When was the last time you stoped and asked someone how their day was going and actually stoped long enough to hear and care about their answer.
How often have you passed by someone and said “ Hello, how you going ? ” but then kept on walking without missing a step, not waiting for an answer or listening to it even if you hear it.
How often have you been asked how your day was and just auto replied “ all right thanks and you ! ” even though you have heaps on your mind and would love to have a receptive ear to talk to !
We rush on by with our lives in auto mode more and more these days and fail to stop and smell the proverbial Rose, but why ? is life really that urgent these days compared to parents past.
It’s the same with our kids, how often do you pick your kids up from school and ask them how their day was but not actually stop and listen to what they have to say. Especially with kids, what they say and what they are trying to say are two vastly different things and unless you actually STOP, clear your mind and listen to their meaning the whole exercise can end up a wasted effort and leave the child feeling valueless and voiceless ( same goes for adults too ).
The joy of talking to a small child is innocence, most haven’t been exposed to the prejudices of every day life to the extent that their minds are closed to the truth and to simple emotions. Barriers haven’t been built yet to guard them against the cruelty that life can at times throw your way. They still naively believe in truth, honesty, openness and dreaming.
I honestly believe as a race we are loosing the art of conversation and interacting, more and more our worlds are based around the impersonal computers technology.
Without leaving home we can now be educated, shop, pay our bills, socialise, research and the list goes on endlessly, but at what cost with the loss of the personnel interaction we have lost from the experience.
It’s time to stop and talk people, to stop and talk with 100% of our focus and involvement within the conversation.
I’m about to head off for a “ Walkabout ” with my son in two days, we are going to jump in the car and just drive with no plans or set destinations. All electronic devices are being left at home and we are just going to cruise for a week and see where life takes us.
Traditionally a “ Walkabout ” was a coming of age for the indigenous Aboriginals here in Australia, a time when a young man would walk off from his tribe to discover life and themselves. While not quite so adventurous as their efforts but I too hope that this trip will be a coming of age ( to a degree ) between my son and I. He has just turned 13 years and is more ways then I am ready for he is becoming his own man ( Attached is a clip of how HE wanted to celebrate his 13th Birthday )
I enjoy talking to my son as much as I enjoy talking to my sister Wendy, his view is unique in many ways and valid although at times vastly different to mine, we are constantly teaching each other and reminding each other of the benefits of keeping an open mind.
So here is to Long Open Debates with my sister, youthful honest conversations with my son “ Grub ” and always being able to keep an open mind and a full week of Walkabout Discovery.
Till then, thank you for taking the time to read my Blog !
I’m feeling pretty nostalgic at the moment, my son “ Grub ” ( who is an only child ) is turning thirteen tomorrow and already stands at 6 foot and weighs in at just under 100kg. He is only about 1 inch short of reaching my height and his voice is already starting to drop to match the facial fuzz.
Yup there is no doubt about it and as much as I’d like to pretend that it will never happen, my boy is now very much a young man.
I’ve found myself looking through old photo albums, watching old video footage and generally reminiscing about my boy and wondering where the years have gone, wondering where my baby boy went.
It honestly only feels like yesterday that Rachael confirmed that she was pregnant and we started to plan for our little bundle of joy. I remember the setting up of the nursery the painting of his cot and the general getting prepared for his arrival.
The cot was a work of love, Rachael and I sanded the whole thing back and painted each piece of timber a different colour with the theme of Bananas in Pyjamas a kids TV show here in Australia.
I remember the day he was born just as much in wonder today as I did back then. I was in total awe of Rachael’s strength and ability to create and deliver such a wonder of life.
When Grub was born he instantly looked at the world with clear deep eyes and soaked in the wonder around him. He did nothing but smile, laugh, talk to invisible people above him and sleep. He slept 8hr plus form about 1 week and pretty much just seemed to cruise along.
Grub at 15min old
I know a lot of people probably say it but honestly, Grub has never been anything but a pleasure and honour to parent.
I also remember that life was simpler then, certainly it is easier to satisfy the needs of a infant than that of a young adult. While they are still never rejected we’ve suddenly reached a stage where a simple cuddle and reassurance of being loved doesn’t always fix the problem at hand.
Mummy and Daddy can’t always scare the bad monsters away and I guess when your as big as the person giving you the cuddle, their arms don’t seem quite so big and strong anymore.
I find myself more and more looking at society, noticing the changes which unfortunately seem to be more for the negative than positive and genuinely questioning whether I would like to be a young man in this world. I find myself wondering what wonders and challenges lay ahead for Grub and as a man how he will face and handle HIS new world & while I sincerely hope it is a very long way away ( for his sake ) I have oddly enough even been thinking about one day being a Grandparent.
I wonder how far he will push his dreams I wonder if he will find the love of his life I wonder if life will treat him fair and just I wonder if he will live true to himself I wonder ……….
After being asked to write a guest article for Sharni at Sharnanigans I was motivated to ask the one and only " Grub " ( My one and only son Dylan ) to write a piece on being a teenager in today's world. He has been reading all the blogs that I follow and has been really impressed with a lot of the entries and enjoys creative writing, drawing and photography. So without further ado I give you Dylan " Grub" Swansson's first public article.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Teenager’s life ~ My life
As a teenager I've come across a lot of obstacles such as drugs, drinking, peer group pressure and the growing popularity of gangs etc. Some obstacles are bigger than others to deal with, some just make me want to cry and others some times make me want to laugh. The important thing to always remember though coming into this age is to remember to “ Always stay true to who you are, always live my life as I wish and not as others wish, always respect people and always respect property ”.
When I started to become a teenager I " freaked " literally because I saw my friends around me drinking, doing drugs and joining gangs and I was scared that I was going to be forced into doing these thing but then I thought about how it's my life and how my life is not theirs but mine.
I bet most of you are thinking “ it's not that easy to say no ” but actually it is. I have been through a lot in my life already and the thing I have seen and felt have made me a stronger kid mentally and physically. But keep in mind that all kids aren’t like me, I have been shown both what not to do and what is ok to do by my Mother and Father. A lot of kids feel very confused, left out, neglected and scared and I too have felt this way at times.
This generation can be hell at different times and I believe it is a lot worse now. No offences intended but back in my Fathers day school fights were mainly a push and a shove. But now we are faced with school fights with knives and fists where the winner doesn’t stop once he knocks the other person to the ground they keep going until the victim is brutally hurt.
Being a teenager today scares the life out of me at times, it is a time when every seems hell bent on taking drugs, drinking beer and lieing to their parents ( who they feel do not understand them ). It is a time when a lot of kids are slipping away further and further, more than you probably realise and more than you probably want to know. Rather than criticise our difference, support us let go of us and let us be free to move and learn at our own speed. That doesn’t mean don’t stop loving us or stop baking us cookies just means let us move on and start to make a life of our own choices. Teenagers hide our feelings through the use of drugs, drinking, smoking and more but if you just simple ask them to talk to you, you may actually get a conversation from us. Remember to tell your kids that you love them before its to late because we do like that, its something we all want to hear.
