Your well-being is the most important determinate for the future of your family and the world.

Two weeks ago I took time out to visit extended family in Melbourne and to attend a conference for my own self development. It’s always grounding to spend cherished time with family, especially when they are so far away and catch-ups are rarer than you would like.

The conference had me reinvigorated, inspired and keen to put what I learned into practice. I met some wonderful people and learned many profound lessons; one is the quote from today’s post and many more I will share through this blog in time to come.

On my last morning staying with my Dad’s side of the family, my beautiful cousin Rachael was leaving for school.  As we said our goodbyes I gave her a big hug and she said to me “thank you for being happy”. Wow! Talk about teenage wisdom. Rachael, that means more to me than you will ever know!

Up until then, I had been thinking hard about what I could buy for my husband as a present to say thank you for supporting me and “holding the fort” while I was away. I am always grateful for being given the freedom to follow my dreams, even when that means taking time out, and spending our money, to do things that interest me.

Rachael helped me to realise that I didn’t have to buy anything. Simply coming home a better and much happier person was the greatest gift I could give him!

There are times when I battle with the guilt that arises when making a decision to do things just for me. I have many friends who are the same (you know who you are!). But it’s not selfish and you’re not doing something just for you, because when you look after yourself you become a much better Wife, Friend, Cousin, Teacher, _________________ (. . . Mother, Sister . . . fill in the blanks for yourself).

So do the world a favour. What is one thing you can do for your own well-being this week? Now, go out and do it - guilt free J

Thank you!

Photo Seals South of Bruny Is © Renee Chamberlin 2013.

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The question is are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?

 

Last week was an amazing week, the highlight being an evening with Sir David Attenborough.  He has some amazing stories to tell, one of the most special being his encounter with Dian Fossey’s wild Gorillas in Rwanda. He was in absolute awe of how these huge, powerful creatures were so gentle when interacting with him.  It reminded me of my own life-changing experience . . .

I was very fortunate to do my high school work experience at SeaWorld. It was a wonderful time, but also not exactly the type of ride you might think.  Yes, there was the glamorous side of the job: observing training sessions with dolphins, conducting health checks and feeding penguins. There was also a large proportion of the day spent doing less than desirable tasks such as scrubbing algae off pond fixtures, “breaking out” the boxes of frozen fish for the next day’s feeds and scrubbing down the stainless steel food preparation areas. Just to be clear, I am in no way complaining, just pointing out that this job which so many people desire is not all fun and cuddling dolphins.

On the very first day, the keepers taught us that dolphins aren’t exactly the sweet, gentle animals they’re made out to be. They can be very cheeky and like to give a little nip here and there with those exceptionally sharp teeth that are designed to hold on to slippery fish and squid. We were warned not to be tempted to touch the dolphins if they approached us while we were working near the pools on our own.

Another day, I was sent to scrub the algae off the side of the stage in the show arena.  This pool was open to the animals to access even if there wasn’t a show taking place. They watched with curiosity while I worked and even tried to “offer” behaviours in case I had a fish handy to throw them as a reward. 

Then along came Mia. Mia was the only false killer whale at Seaworld and she was absolutely beautiful.  I fell in love with her from the very first day. One of Mia’s favourite things was to rest her chin on the side of the stage with her mouth wide open and the keepers would stroke her on her very large tongue. And this is exactly what she wanted me to do.

I stared into her huge mouth and couldn’t help but notice her many, sharp teeth. There was absolutely no way I was going to put my hand in there! I imagined what might happen . . . Mia closing her mouth over my hand, pulling me to the bottom of the pool and holding me there until I drowned. With no keepers around and that very stern “no patting” warning in the forefront of my mind I looked at her and said “no way Mia”. 

But she wouldn’t give up. I noticed there was a gap between her front teeth about the width of two fingers. Against my better judgement, I decided to place my forefinger and middle finger in the gap, as a sort of compromise, hoping not to get caught out by the keepers. What happened next I will remember forever. Mia ever so gently closed her huge mouth around my two fingers in the gap between her teeth and just held them there for what seemed like an eternity. It was as if she had recognised my fear and took what I was able to offer her.

. . . Animals possess much greater insight and intelligence than we give them credit for.  It is for this, and many other reasons, that each species we lose from our planet is an absolute tragedy.  It is also every person’s responsibility to do what we can to conserve them all, even the ugly, small, annoying or little-known ones. So please go about your week remembering who you share the earth with, and do what you can to lighten your impact.

     Thank you!

Photo Elephant © Renee Chamberlin 2013.

Images are available as prints, canvases, cards and calendars.

For purchase enquiries click here

 

Comments & feedback are most welcome, select "Anonymous" or "Name/URL" if you don't want to log into a google account when posting.