Tag: life
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P Plates, No Plates
Have you ever unintentionally broken the law? At seventeen I spent a summer working in a used car yard. Iād only just got my licence, so I was on my P platesāback when they were wired onto the number plate, long before magnetic ones made life easy. The boss told me I could take whatever…
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Tall, Dark, and Silent
If there were a biography about you, what would the title be? The first thing that comes to mind is something someone said about me years ago: āTall, dark and silent.ā It was meant playfully, not cruelly, but it probably caught something true about how I occupy a room. Iām naturally reserved. I donāt speak…
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The Shape of a Conventional Life
What were your parents doing at your age? At my age, my father had been retired for about eight years. Heād spent decades as a civilian in the Australian Navyādockyard work, public service, a steady and conventional path. But he didnāt retire because he ran out of things to do. He retired because he ran…
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Dream Home
Write about your dream home. I have never really dreamed about a home. Maybe thatās because I value other things. Maybe itās because Iāve been out of the market for most of my life. More likely itās because a home, for me, isnāt meant to carry the weight of aspiration. A home embodies values. It…
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The Day Radio Beat Homework
You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. Whatās the first thing you do? I tell the right person first. Not by email. Not by text. No social media announcements. If itās truly great news, it deserves a voice. It deserves someone on the other end who can hear it properly ā and share the moment…
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Hunting for Gems
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrownor lost interest in over time? I used to spend hours in the city, moving from one second-hand record store to another, scanning the shelves for comedy albums. Not music this timeācomedy. Victor Borge. Peter Sellers. Shelley Berman. Bob Newhart. They were old even then, and that was…
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On Being āOnā
Do you need a break? From what? I live with tension. Some days Iām tired and I long for a break. There are always things happening for people: students facing mental health challenges, students in financial crisis, the organisational imperative of keeping things running smoothly, strategic decisions that canāt be put off. It can be…
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The Hinge
Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end Iām a person with simple tastes. I donāt need much to have a good day. My ideal day is made of a handful of small scenes that, put together, feel like enough. Iām up at 4:30 or 5:00am. The house is quiet. I feed the animals…
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What Each Decade Taught Me
How do significant life events or the passage of timeinfluence your perspective on life? When I was 17, I thought focus was a virtue. Cut out distractions, study hard, give yourself to the things you valued. I did that. I achieved. But I also felt empty. In my twenties I worked at a major bank.…
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The Paperwork That Didnāt Matter
Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done Every day I tell myself Iām going to clean up the piles of paper on my desk. Most mornings start with the same small act of optimism: I write out a to-do list and work through what I can. Then the next day arrives and that…
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Late to the Party
Write about your first computer. I was late to the party, at least compared to the people around me. In 1981 I worked for a major bank as a computer programmer. Even in a small team, I was the odd one out. Everyone else seemed fixated on coding. They talked about it at lunch, took…
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A Measured No
Whatās the thing youāre most scared to do?What would it take to get you to do it? Every now and then someone says they went skydiving on the weekend like itās a normal weekend activity. Theyāll say it casuallyālike itās on the same level as trying a new cafĆ©. Iām always interested and usually ask…
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My Complaint
What do you complain about the most? I complain about people who are caught up in themselves ā people consumed by their own wants, always receiving, always wanting to know whatās in it for them. It feels self-indulgent, and it makes life harder than it needs to be. If Iām honest, I think I complain…
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Amplifying What’s Already True
What would you do if you won the lottery? Well, Iād be shocked for a start, because Iāve never bought a lottery ticket. Iāve just never been drawn to it. Even with a ticket, thereās more chance Iāll be killed by a vending machine than Iāll win a major lottery jackpot. When I was a…
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Australia Day
Write about a few of your favourite family traditions. As I write this, itās 26 JanuaryāAustralia Day. Itās the official national day of Australia, marking the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and the raising of the Union Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove. Itās also a contentious day which divides people. I personally…
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Two Kinds of Leisure
What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time? Iāve realised I donāt really have one kind of leisure. I have twoāquiet rest and active restāand I seem to need both. Quiet rest is where my mind gets room to breathe. Thatās mostly writing. Not writing to impress anyone, or to prove something, or…
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Five Kinds of Fun
List five things you do for fun. Body fun: Iām an active person. Sport is fun for me, especially football ā not just the contest, but the camaraderie of being part of a cohesive team. The best moments are when everything just clicks and you start playing attractive football without forcing it. Mind fun: I…
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Friday Night Makeover
If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be? You look beautiful when you let us brush you. Some households do Friday night footy. We do Friday night brush the dog (I know ā we live on the edge). Our dog has a beautiful coat ā dark on top, but with…
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Remembered Well
Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved? Iāve learned that being loved isnāt always a warm feeling. Sometimes it comes as a question. āAre you going to stay on?ā When people ask that, theyāre not only asking about a contract. Theyāre saying: weāve grown used to you. We trust you. Weād…
