Book Review: Seize the Day

                                  Seize the Day

Saul Bellows

(Thanks, Casey!)

Tommy Wilhelm has reached his forties and is scared. He considers himself a failure – at his marriage, at his career, with his father, and at his finances. He is a broken man, past saving himself. Rescued by the likes of a mentor/con man, he has one monumental day where he reviews his past mistakes in light of forgiving himself and learning to “live in the here and now” and “seize the day”.

The book ends with a beautiful scene in which Wilhelm stumbles by accident into a funeral procession. He is led towards the dead body, and after holding back his tears for most of the book, he breaks down here and cries his eyes out. In the end, there is no neat resolution of all his problems, but instead there is a moment of catharsis.

Bellows did a fantastic job in this short novella of characterizing the trenches we sometimes can find ourselves in. The main character was a sad, weak man, yet one that, in some moments, we can all identify with. He was not what he thought he would be, nor where he’d be and ultimately he was disappointed.

It has been said: “When the student is ready, the teacher will arrive.” I believe this to be true and this book was a great example

Filter for my World in Ti Tree

Book Review: The Songlines

The Songlines

by Bruce Chatwin

(Thanks, Ash!)

A highly touted book came as a complete let down to me. Maybe my expectations were too high. It is considered a classic in these parts and a "must" read by the driver who takes me out to my communities. I wouldn't agree. Less the book and more the prose; we just didn't jive.

The entire book is Chatwin describing a trip to Australia - mainly in the Northern Territory - which he has taken for the express purpose of researching Aboriginal song and its connections to nomadic travel. Discussions with Australians, many of them Indigenous, give insights into Outback culture, Aboriginal culture and religion, and the Aboriginal land rights movement.

Interestingly:
Songlines, also called Dreaming tracks by Indigenous Australians within the animist indigenous belief system, are paths across the land (or, sometimes the sky) which mark the route followed by a localised 'creator-spirit' during the Dreaming. The paths of the songlines are recorded in traditional songs, stories, dance, and painting. By singing the songs in the appropriate sequence, Indigenous people could navigate vast distances, often travelling through the deserts of Australia's interior. The continent of Australia contains an extensive system of songlines, some of which are of a few kilometres, whilst others traverse hundreds of kilometres through lands of many different Indigenous peoples — peoples who may speak markedly different languages and champion significantly different cultural traditions. (wikipedia)

Even more than the book, I found the author to be fascinating.



          'But if you took him blindfold to another country,' she said, ''he might end up lost.'  

" The dry heart of Australia, she said, was a jigsaw of microclimates, of different minerals in the soil and different plants and animals. A man raised in one part of the desert would know its flora and fauna backwards. He knew which plant attracted game. He knew his water. He knew where there were tubers underground. In other world, by naming all the 'things' in his territory, he could always count on survival.

'Because he'd lost his bearings?'


'Yes.'

'You're saying that man 'makes his territory by naming the 'things' in it?'


'Yes, I am!' Her face lit up.

'So the basis for a universal language can never have existed?'

'Yes. Yes.'


"Wendy said that, even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirring of speech in her child, she lets it handle the 'things' of that particular country: leaves, fruit, insects and so forth. The child at its mother's breast, will toy with the 'thing', talk to it, test its teeth on it, learn its name, repeat its name--and finally chuck it aside.


'We give our children guns and computer games,' Wendy said. 'They gave their children the land.' "

Shooting Photos In Melbourne

I feel like a photojournalism amateur, but above is my recent trip to Melbourne through my eyes.

Melbourne is my absolute favorite city I've ever lived. god, I love that place. enough said.

8 Track Mix - good stuff.

"31 by 31"

The following is a by-product of my reflection time on New Years Day. Although a month has passed and potentially this could be considered a bit overdue, I still felt the urge to post it given the timeless quality it embodies.

To explain: I was challenged by a special friend this year to re-live 2009 in a very concentrated fashion, focusing on the people, places, events, moments, books, and movies that made 2009 what it was. To simply “bear witness” to the year as it was for me. It was a huge mental push for me to think back through everything, reliving details of so many memories, trips overseas, highlights and lowlights, as well as having the benefit of seeing now with 20/20 vision. It took me all of 3 days to get my thoughts down in the varying formats that I chose.

Below you will find one of the many outcomes from these few days. I share this only because none of my biggest life lessons came easily. Many, if not all, came from years of varying reinforcements, a keen sense of awareness while out in the world and for some, many tears and much pain. I guess this is the process of growing up. I certainly don’t feel as if I have it all figured out, these are just the few things I know for sure. I have aptly named it “31 in 31”. Potentially what I’ve learned will strike a chord with some of you.

( I, no doubt, have many more lessons to go. )

1. True wisdom seems to be the byproduct of authentic life experiences. This is why I seek as many real world experiences as possible.


2. Money is nice, but only makes life easier when it is mine free and clear.


3. My attitude changes my reality.


4. I am capable of extraordinary things.


5. People deserve a second chance, but not a third.


6. My health dictates a large majority of my life.


7. Time heals all wounds…regardless of how I might feel at any singular moment.


8. The time value of money is the single greatest secret I have been privy to.


9. My actions now create memories I will reminisce on and talk about for the rest of my years.


10. If I never act on my desires, I will never truly know for sure what “could have been”.


11. I must, I must: Trust the process.


12. Hindsight is nearly always 20/20


13. Peace of mind is one key. Balance is the other.


14. No matter how hard I try, I cannot tell my heart who to love. Nor can I make someone love me.


15. No one is responsible for me, except me.


16. Nothing is more satisfying than regular bowel movements.


17. It’s not the big things in life, it’s all the little ones that count.


18. Time has absolutely no mercy as it marches on.


19. Not everyone has a 6th sense, but those who do have a really strong one.


20. I officially have my own drum and my own beat. And that’s OK.


21. Debt is the biggest weight in the world.


22. I am a culmination of many lives and many lessons learned by many souls.


23. Understanding the truth sets me free.


24. We as humans are so much more alike than different.


25. I am incredibly lucky to have the family and home life that I have.


26. I am what I eat.


27. If it’s right, it’s obviously right. If not, it’s obviously wrong.


28. A dog’s love and adoration is pretty much priceless.


29. True friends – the ones w/ no agenda, always reliable, and in every way edifying – are extremely hard to come by. These are the ones that matter.


30. When there is a will there is always a way.


31. Life will speak to me if I just listen.

On to the next spot: Ti Tree!

View Larger Map

I'm on to my next community: a tiny little spot right on the main Stuart Highway (that goes from Alice Springs to Darwin directly). It's me and 2 other nurses/midwife here at the moment, responsible for this plus 5 other neighboring communities. So far, all is well. I've already seen alot and realized again why I like this work so much.

I go home every night with so many stories in my head, but what made my day today was a 9 yr old little girl. She came in by herself after school, very poised and articulate, ready to show me the sore on her foot. Aside from the sore, she was so excited to show me she had 6 toes on the foot. Like, soo excited -- as in she was soooo excited! I thought it was the cutest thing ever. We both had a giggle. She left and I thought how much fun it would be to also have 6 toes to show off to unsuspecting strangers!

It reminded my yet again of how the little things are the most important.

The most exciting thing is that my sister will arrive this week. Actually, she is somewhere high over the Pacific as I write this. I am so super excited that I can barely stand it! For all intensive purposes she is already a little Miss MD (she graduates in May) but has arranged for this to be an "away rotation" for school credit. She will work out here for the duration of my assignment with us and have it count in Jackson, MS. How cool is she?

Thanks for keeping up!
Love, Stephanie