Tag: love
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Finding My Voice
What’s something you’ve done that you never thought you could? As a child, I was shy and sensitive. I didn’t particularly enjoy being the centre of attention. I was more comfortable observing what was happening around me than drawing attention to myself. I certainly never imagined that I would spend much of my adult life…
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The Problem May Be the Same, But I’m Not
How do you manage stress? Stress is an inevitable part of life. I’ve learned that managing stress isn’t necessarily about eliminating the things that cause it. Sometimes it’s about finding a better way to live with them. Over the years, I’ve developed three simple practices that help me: Walk it off. Sleep on it. Talk…
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Where Do You Run? – Nahum
The waters came without warning,a torrent of mud and stone,sweeping away everything in their path. In the green miracle housea family climbed to the upper floor,huddled together,waiting for the end.Outside, the waters raged.The foundations trembled.But the house remained.A refuge in the storm. Once, Nineveh had been spared.The city heard God’s warning,turned from its violence,and found…
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Conversations I Keep Having
If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice,what would it be? If I could go back in time and give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to spend less time thinking about the past, unless it helps you move forward. I’ve spent far too much time…
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A Hope That Has Survived
What’s something you’ve done that your past self would be proud of? I have always been an idealist. I hold strong convictions about life and I try to embody them in the way I live. Sometimes my idealism has been a little naive. At other times, my convictions needed time and experience to mature. But…
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The Advice I Wish I’d Taken
What’s one thing you know now that would havesaved your younger self a lot of pain? If I could go back and give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be to get some good financial advice early in life. We’ve lived a rather unconventional life. For most of our married life, we’ve…
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The Long Mirror
Which relationship has taught you the most about yourself? Marriage is a long mirror. It involves the slow discovery of who you are through decades of shared life. You learn your habits, blind spots, strengths and loyalties. You also discover the difference between loving someone in theory and adjusting your life around another person in…
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My Anti-Life-Hacks
What are some life hacks that you practice? Most life hacks are designed to make life easier. Mine often do the opposite. I don’t have a bin in my office. This occasionally surprises people, especially new cleaners. It isn’t an oversight. It is deliberate. If I want to throw something away, I have to get…
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Dadirri
What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? Years ago, my wife and I were driving home from a weekend away when we stopped at an art gallery and café. I saw a painting I liked and bought it immediately. That was very unusual for me. Normally I would think carefully about something like that.…
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The Myth of the Maintenance-Free Life
How do you make time for self-care? When I was younger, I did not really understand the importance of maintaining a car. At the time I was a student and had very little money. I put petrol in the car, checked the oil and water every so often, and more or less assumed the rest…
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And Yet It Felt Like Home
What’s a place you visited that felt like home? Moshi in Tanzania felt like home. That is strange, because it is nothing like my home in Australia. Mount Kilimanjaro rises only about 30 kilometres away, so close that it seems to preside over the town. You glimpse it above buildings and along ordinary streets, its…
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When the Work Is Done
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you? I was strangely moved by a story our minister told recently. He had spoken with a 97-year-old man who had lived an extraordinary public life. He was a highly decorated naval officer, had served in several wars, and had eventually risen to senior leadership.…
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When Courage Becomes Contagious
What’s the most annoying trope in books or movies? I must admit that I am conflicted. When I was younger, I enjoyed the Dirty Harry movies. Harry Callahan is the lone, morally certain cop who sees what the system cannot or will not see. Bureaucrats, courts, procedures and superiors get in the way. Harry acts.…
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Brave or Foolish?
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching? I don’t know whether it was the bravest thing I’ve done or one of the silliest. I was walking along the main street of an inner-city suburb when I heard someone yell, “Stop!” I turned and saw a man running towards us, with…
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A Miniature Philosophy of Justice
What’s the best thing you’ve ever found randomly on the street? When I was eight, a friend and I were walking to school when we found a banknote lying on the ground. In today’s money it would probably be worth about $30. Not exactly a fortune. But when you are eight, $30 is enormous. It…
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A Platform of Kindness
What’s the kindest thing someone has ever done for you? Every Sunday my grandmother arrived with lollies. There were enough for all of us, and they were divided with great precision. At the time, that was probably what I noticed most. Grandmother had arrived. Grandmother had lollies. Life was good. I understood much less about…
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Work Worth Giving Yourself To
If the salary was the same, what job would you be doing right now and why? If the salary were the same, what job would I be doing right now? The same one. That answer is easy for me because money has never been the main reason I have chosen a job. Of course salary…
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The Week Someone Else Became Me
What’s the weirdest coincidence you’ve ever experienced? I have always had a fairly naïve faith that if you tell the truth, things will eventually sort themselves out. One small and stupid episode from many years ago shook that confidence. I received a court summons for fare evasion. Apparently, I had caught a train into the…
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The Last Day in Antarctica
If you could relive one day from your past, which day would it be and why? If I could relive one day from my past, it would be our last day in Antarctica. It was the culmination of a trip we had saved towards for fifteen years, a celebration of a significant birthday for my…
