The Afterword

Tag: dailyprompt

  • Doing Less of â€œMore”

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    Peter
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    What could you do less of? My mother has always said that I do too much. She may be right. If the blog prompt asks what I could do less of, the honest answer is this: I could do less of “more.” There’s something in me—an impulse, a reflex—that thinks I can always add one…

  • The Hidden Wins of 2025

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    Peter
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    What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year? It’s been a tough year in places. My parents are going downhill fast, and my mother is now permanently in a nursing home. It’s stressful for them and stressful for us, yet I’m grateful that the whole family has shown up in…

  • The City Is Never Empty

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    Peter
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    Do you ever see wild animals? One of the quiet joys of living in Australia is discovering how thin the line really is between suburbia and the wild. We talk as if the bush is “out there,” somewhere beyond the edges of our cities, but the truth is that the wild never left. It waits…

  • Kanangra Walls

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    Peter
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    Do you have a favourite place you have visited? Where is it? Some places stay with you long after you leave them. For me, one of those places is Kanangra Walls. It sits in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park, only 200 kilometres west of Sydney, but it always feels quieter and more spacious than its distance…

  • Five Things I’m Good At

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    Peter
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    Share five things you’re good at. Some people’s strengths are loud. Mine have always been quieter—subtle things that don’t announce themselves, but settle into the background of a room, or a team, or a community. They’re not the kind of skills that appear on a rĂŠsumĂŠ, but they’re the ones that shape the way I…

  • The Quiet Thread I Would Change

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    Peter
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    What is one thing you would change about yourself? Someone once told me that when I get up to preach, it’s like watching someone flick a switch. One moment I’m my usual quiet self, and the next I’m fully present—clear, confident, grounded. Here’s the funny thing: that version of me on the platform is the…

  • The Ritual of Being a Morning Person

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    Peter
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    Are you more of a night or morning person? I am definitely a morning person now. It wasn’t always that way. There was a time when I pushed myself late into the night, convinced that productivity came after midnight and that mornings were an inconvenience to be conquered. I would stay up long past what…

  • Honouring The Land That Feeds Us

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    Peter
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    What are your feelings about eating meat? I’ve eaten meat all my life.Not because I made a decision about it —simply because it was there,on the plate, part of the rhythm of childhood. Food was uncomplicated then.It appeared. I ate it.No ethical considerations. No questions.Just the comfort of routine and a full stomach. At some…

  • Two Items, Two Stories

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    Peter
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    What are your two favourite things to wear? If you asked me for my two favourite things to wear, the answer doesn’t come from my current wardrobe. It comes instead from two garments that hold stories — one formal and academic, the other casual and sun-faded — each stitched with memory. 1. The Graduation Gown…

  • Independence as Headspace

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    Peter
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    What technology would you be better off without, why? When we talk about technology we could live without, many people think of screens or apps. But the technology I would be better off without is much more familiar. A car. I didn’t always think this way. Like most people, I inherited the assumption that a…

  • A Decision That Wasn’t Really a Decision

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    Peter
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    What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why? Hard decisions come in all shapes. Some are true crossroads. Others pull good commitments in opposite directions. And some don’t feel like decisions at all—they’re simply heavy because of love. Eight years ago we rehomed a border collie named Dakota. Gentle, chocolate tri-colour, quiet as…

  • A Light Australian Dessert

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    Peter
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    Do you or your family make any special dishes for the holidays? Christmas in Australia arrives in the middle of summer—long, hot days when the beaches are crowded, cicadas are loud, and markets overflow with seasonal fruit. While much of the world is roasting chestnuts, we’re trying not to roast ourselves. At times like this,…

  • A City That Never Sleeps

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    Peter
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    If you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time? If none of us needed sleep, the whole world would tilt on its axis.Cities would become genuinely twenty-four-hour places—not because of the nightlife, but because people simply had more life to live. We’d grab a coffee at midnight without thinking twice.We’d…

  • Pet Peeves That Reveal What I Value

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    Peter
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    Name your top three pet peeves. I don’t get particularly irritated by these things, but I notice them—mainly because they hint at something larger. They remind us of how our shared life works, and how easily it frays when we forget that we live together, not alone. 1. Abandoned Shopping TrolleysI understand why people wheel…

  • Postcards to the People Shaping My Life

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    Peter
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    Who are your current most favourite people? Sometimes the people influencing you most aren’t the ones you see every day, but the ones whose words you carry quietly in your pocket. If I could send postcards to the thinkers and voices grounding me right now, they might look like this. Postcard to Kate Bowler Dear…

  • My Favourite Animals

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    Peter
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    What are your favourite animals? There are so many animals I love that it’s hard to know where to begin. But when I think about it, my favourites aren’t just species—they’re moments. Each animal carries a memory of a place, a glimpse of beauty. Dogs are the obvious starting point. They’re uncomplicated creatures—give them food,…

  • Beach or mountains?

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    Peter
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    Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer? Why? On the surface, my answer should be simple. I’m Australian, and for over 30 years I’ve lived in beachside suburbs. The ocean has been the backdrop to my days—warm, lively, full of movement. There’s a sense of community at the beach that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.…

  • Three Dishes for Three Moods

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    Peter
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    What are your family’s top 3 favourite meals? 1. Garlic Sesame Crumbed Chicken with Mango SaladYou always know summer is on its way when the roadside stalls start shouting the news before anyone else can: “Mangoes.  $10 per tray”. In our family, that’s the signal. The starting gun. My wife will inevitably call out, “Mangoes…

  • If I Could Meet a Historical Figure

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    Peter
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    If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why? If I had the chance to meet a historical figure—even for only a couple of minutes—I would choose Henry Lawson. Not because he is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers, though he is. Not because his poetry captures the hard, unvarnished truth…

  • Do You Trust Your Instincts?

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    Peter
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    Do you trust your instincts? Yes, but I can’t fully explain how they work. I don’t always understand where they come from. But again and again, they show up—especially in the places where I seem to be wired to see clearly. When it comes to ideas or new ventures, something in me recognises them before…