Category: meaning in life

Arts, meaning in life, Public Speaker, therapeutic writing, writing exercise

Being Normal Doesn’t Feel Like Me, And I’m Happy About That!

carolyncordon

The idea od being judged as ‘normal’ is of no interest to me, I don’t ever want to be ‘normal’ it feels so limiting! I’m a Word Nerd (a term I’ve only recently come across, and I know willingly embrace it! Words are the thing that draws all of the best things in my life togerther.

From reading and especially writing, to talking, and performing, and of course thinking, Words are what floats my boat! I love new words and ways to say things, I love intellingent conversation, listening to clever radio is my idea of the perfect driving companion, some of the time anyway.

Lots of people I know, ad those I don’t know (yet), might say the same, but I suspect I might take all of that in more unusual directions at times, that many others wouldn’t envision ever doing themselves.

The most obvious one is probably the Art Installation I Created, and am now Curating (a work in progress, and I’n expecting lots more actuon will be coming along on that one later on this year. And of course my desire to do work as a Stand Up Comedian is probably not what the average 60+ year old wants to take up doing …

But I have plans at foot, and hope to have a lot of fun doing this one for sure. The idea of performing as my persona of Nanna Carreau fills me with happiness! I offer humble thanks to Martin Christmas for his assistance with getthing the idea of this persona up and running!

That’s me dressed as Nanna Carreau on the left, the man on the right Len Dix is far better known than me (in motorsport circles especially)

This occasion was in Mallala, when there was an afternoon of classic cars when one of the roads was closed and the cars were there for people to see and learn about. So, with encouragement from someone I know, I dressed up and Nanna Carreau and had fun, and gave some of those in the crowd a bit of a giggle too!

Taking opportunities is something I’ve learnt to grasp with both hands, and am enjoying where some of it takes me! Soon, there may be something happening for me in the Barossa, if things pan out well for me, and if they don’t there will be other times, in other places!

Having books, and doing things with, and in libraries, that seems to be quite a good thing to do! And given the fact that I like talking to others, and I have books and thoughts, and a somewhat interesting life, well I think so anyway, I should be taking about it to others!

And who knows there may be book sales to come of doing that! Book sales and author talks, as well as doing writing related workshops are all classic ways for writers all around the world to earn money.

I’m a writer, and I know about these things. I’m just not that good (yet) at the marketing side of things. I’m working on that though, and I hope by the end of this year, I’ll be much better at it!

I’ve had a life, and I’m still having one, a different one in new ways, and I’m loving it! Not everyne would say the same, and I’m sad for those people. Perhaps a session with Nanna Carreau would cheer them up, and make them laugh!

meaning in life, Philosophy

Some Day …

carolyncordon

There are a number of things on my ‘Some Day …’ list. It isn’t a ‘Bucket list’, there aren’t any big and amazing things on this list, but it’s just a list of things I think I’d like to do, some day. One of the things I’d like to so some day, is to go up on a hot air balloon.

This is one that is also on other people’s Bucket Lists, so the two things, the lists, are not entirely different things, I just think the term Bucket List is a clumsy title for a list of good, or exciting things to do, some day.

It sounds like a container for waste products, not a holder for possible wonderful things to do. So the hot air balloon one is there. I’ve toyed with idea of going up on a glider. I’ve seen them up in the sky, not to high up, but floating up where birds might be. That seems lovely and peaceful, although I believe it might be a little bit more noisy than it is in my imagination.

I like birds, a lot, and the idea of sharing the sky with the birds is a think I’d like to do. some day. Being in a plane doesn’t feel anything like that, it is a totally unnatural thing to me. But I like being with birds on the ground too, so that’s what I do, I watch them as they get about at my place, which is also their place. I live here, and the birds (many of them) live here too.

Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com

I see so many sparrows, every time I look or go outside. Some people think sparrows are boring, but they have their own interesting lives, and I enjoy watching them, and the other birds that live around here, all doing their own things.

Maybe some day I’ll do some study, and learn more about these birds who live here at and around our place. Or perhaps I’ll just go on being here with them. watching them, providing water to them, enjoying them …

I love observing Nature!

inspiration, meaning in life

Watching the Footy, Thinking on Role Models

carolyncordon

When young people see their heroes on the football field, they may decide to model themselves on their heroes. In terms of their sport, this is an excellent thing, to try to make yourself the best player you can.

But a good football player, is a person who is good at football, and their abilities at their chosen sport may have no relation at all, to indicate what kind of a person they may be. They are merely human beings, who have great skills to enable them to play well.

Certainly, some of them may have exceptional skills at being a good team member, or a great leader, who shows their team the way to win. But they might simply be really good at kicking goals, and is terrible at most other things. Certainly there are AFL players who I feel do great things away from their sport, as well as when they’re playing, and those are the players, I hope young people will follow, as they go through their lives.

Above and beyond …

But truly, the people we could all be thinking of, if we wish to have good role models for a good and worthy life, are those people who do good things that have long lasting benefits for others, rather than simply helping their team to win a game. People who work in the public arena, working hard and well to help other people to have better lives. There are Australians who do wonderful things, helping vulnerable people in many ways, to enable the ones they work for to have better lives. They are my role models, humble people doing wonderful and selfless things.

In this Covid-19 time, many of us are staying home, as safe and sound as is possible, while nurses, doctors, and other essential workers do their work, never knowing if, or when, the coronavirus might be there to infect them. Good role models, all of them. Working hard to help other people, above and beyond what their job requires of them – risking their lives to help.

I’ve had people call me an inspiration, does that make me a role model of sorts? Well if others can emulate me when I’m at my best, that would be a fine thing. (Just don’t look too closely at me when I’m slacking off!)

We all have our moments, good and bad, and surely having others copy us when we’re at our best, would be a time to be proud of, both for ourselves, and the others who follow, and do good also … I’d love to know what you think about these ideas, please leave a comment!

inspiration, meaning in life

Is Life Planned, or Random?

carolyncordon

Seasons come, seasons go, we know what to expect, and can plan for that. We sow our seeds, the earth and the sun so what they do, clouds bring shade and rain. Things happen, seeds become plants, become food and we thrive.

Or it doesn’t go that way at all, sometimes, the rains don’e come when we expect them to, no clouds, a blazing sun, viscious winds, the ground an empty womb, nurturing only starvation … Can we plan for such times, never knowing when they may come, or not with any certainty. Random is always the unplanned thing, that brings changes, ones we’d never expected.

Is this a bad thing, or good? Change from farming, sell up, move, become something else entirely, but holding within you all of the knowledge gained, watching, working with Nature and using such gained wisdom in new ways. Unplanned, random good coming from bad.

But really, the things are only what you name them, and many are too quick to name, write off, move on, forgetting the possibility of good coming from bad, and only remembering the bad, hating it, blaming it, reviling it, railing against it, making it the main focus of life. But that bad season, could have been a good season, if you’d learned from previous ‘bad’ seasons, and planned for whatever might come, rather than the planned thing you expected to come …

We plant the seed …

I’m not a farmer, I’m a writer. I’ve written about many of my life experiences, the ‘bad’ ones the most, particularly early on in my writing ‘career’. Abuse, illness, accident, they’re there, but the words that came from those remembered experiences have brought peace of mind, understanding, and even joy.

Abuse, disease, good things from bad …

Life has happened, in unplanned and random ways, as it always has and always will. Randomness is the truth of these things, that’s what I believe. Nature goes with what happens, plants release seeds and sometimes they fall on barren land, with no rain to nurture seed to plant, to food, to plenty. Animals, including this human animal we are, deal with what is there, when it’s there, working to provide for the ‘bad’ times in and when we can, if we think to do so.

These things are what happens, some of them shaped by us, or more likely by Nature, and we deal with them, as best we can. Or we don’t, forgetting what we should always remember, from what our random lives have shown us …

inspiration, meaning in life, Writing

My Next Book (after the current one)

carolyncordon

I’ve begun thinking it may be time to get on with a new writing project, something different to my current, big project, one that is different to that current project, in many ways.

So my current project is working on an anthology, where I’ve asked for the work of others, to come to me, so I can work with those words, and make a beautiful book. The book will be “Plague Invasion – Creative Writing Responses to Covid-19”. An important book, for sure, an historical book, that will be a record of what people have been doing, thinking, and writing about in this difficult time.

But with that project at a waiting stage (waiting for what? Waiting for me to work out what the next step was), I’ve been thinking about putting some of my thoughts about what life was all about, into a book, a new book. Writers write, editors edit, and those you do both of those things, well they self-publish …

Three of my self-published books

I know how to write, how to put a book together, and I know a printer who knows me, and has worked with me on most of my self-published books. I trust him, and he does a good job. Marketing is a problem, for many writers who have to take on that role, but writing and getting the writing made into a book, what a lovely time that is. But marketing the book … It has to happen though, doesn’t it? If you want to sell your new book, you have to show it to people.

And of course, having a blog, obviously, that is useful, to show your work, your words, to other people. So here I am, talking about my previous books, my current book-in-progress, and the one that may come after the current book. I’ve written about a number of different things. In the photo above we have “Mick Jane and Me”, which is a memoir talking about my life with Multiple Sclerosis. And “Precious Gems” is there too, a poetry collection about child sexual abuse, and other abuse too. And then, for something completely different, is “Dig It!”, an amusing little book with illustrations I created with my clever friend Ally Hean who did the pictures.

All mine, all self-published, and all available too, if you’re interested in having a copy go to this page and find out how. So books are my thing, books and words. If only marketing was as natural to me … I’m trying though, and if anyone out there would like to have me talk to a group about my writing, I certainly am a natural at doing that, for sure. I can talk about anything, in interesting, and amusing ways, if I’m asked, and it’s something I love doing!

Libraries, service groups, school students, I’ll happily talk to them about writing, poetry, and my books! Once upon a time, I was a shy and retiring little mouse, who never said boo to a goose, now, talk, talk, talk, I can go on for as long as I’m asked to, and I’ll be interesting, informative, and maybe even funny!

So my next book, that began this blog post, has a working title, which will not be its final title (Life Is …), and it has some chapter headings. five of them, in fact. And some of those chapters have brief notes on what they may be about. And of course, I’ve just remembered, I actually have another book-in-progress, which still seems unlikely to become my ‘current work-in-progress’ still, the first in a series of murder mysteries. Time still feel to fraught for that one.

Although, there’s the next book in the Buster the Dog series, that began with “Dig It!”, nd that one will not be a serious book, but a funny one about Buster the Dog, and McTavish the Cat, and the troubles they have learning how to live in the same house, after Buster’s ‘owner’ finds a new woman in his life, and moves in with her (and her cat). At the moment, this is still a project to come, as I’ll be writing it with my friend Janette, who is doing the McTavish side of the story, and both of us are working on other things.

And thinking about that thought, I almost had a title for that next book, but it drifted in and then drifted out again, before I could write it down … Ah well, if it’s a good enough idea, hopefully it will drift back in, and I’ll write it down next time! Words come and go, don’t they? Words and thoughts, good ones, so so ones, terrible ones. And the title of that book may well depend on something that will come,and be appropriate when I’m writing the book. Time will tell … Hmm, Time Will Tell – could that be the title? Haha, who knows I have to write the book first!