Miss Mandie

It’s not often that I repost things from YouTube on the site, but this one caught my attention. Of all things – it’s an ad to get more people to wear their seatbelt. Not the most exciting topics I realise, nor the most uplifting. I haven’t watched a lot of television this past year, given I don’t have one, so forgive me if the Australian state governments have changed their strategy for raising awareness about road safety. But last I was aware, seatbelt ads in this country would have involved a lot of dramatic footage, death, carnage, fake blood and distressing wailing. Seriously, I often wondered how they could be allowed to put such graphic ads on when kids could still be watching.

Then enter the ad below, from Sussex Safer Roads in England. This epitomises what I believe all campaigns should be – a positive call to what they want, rather than focusing on what they don’t want to happen. Think about it – how many times do you see governments and non-profit organisations putting energy into advertisements and campaigns that focus more on what they don’t want, rather than what they do wish for the future?

Can you feel the difference in these opposing statements?

- Stop destructive forest logging/ Preserve our abundant forests

- Prevent child abuse/ Nurture our future generations

- Don’t tolerate domestic violence/ Expect respect (this one is a local Byron Shire campaign in the positive – I love it!)

Or in the case of this advert: Avoid death/ Embrace Life

I believe that one day the understanding of the power of our focused minds in influencing physical reality will be as widely accepted as the fact that the world is round. Just have a read of “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge M.D. as evidence that science is now proving the profound power of our minds in a widely accepted manner.

So if we have the ability to help influence our world to change for better or for worse, wouldn’t it be wiser of us to start focusing our energies into what we DO want? Some will argue that ‘stop logging’ is still focusing on what we do want (i.e. logging to stop so our forests are preserved). But our focus in that simple statement is more aligned with logging, than anything else. And that is the subtle act of us shifting our focus. We need to shift to the end result of what we want. It may not seem like much, but I believe the more we do this shift in focus, the sooner will start to see the changes in the world we’ve been wanting.

Check it out:

One thing about my life – it’s never dull. This morning the lawnmower man discovered a tombstone in my backyard.

Backyard Tombstone

No kidding. It was hidden behind a tree, in a patch of grass that is not normally mown. I haven’t yet managed to speak to the owner of the house to find out the full story. In the meantime, I did what any person in the 21st century would do when they want to know something – I googled it. And discovered this:

Hoping to Live, Preparing to Die

Alia Kazan

High up here in my oak tree. Strong. Solid. So unlike me at this time… so small and frail… here in my sacred place I am nestled in giant branches. Held… like I am never held by anyone. High above them all, I am safe, without a care in the world… except perhaps I wish mom and I saw eye-to-eye more often. But here I am with my reverie. Free to dream and plan the life that lies ahead… the children I’ll have, and how happy I’ll be, and of course how healthy.

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, then flipping through the above album will be equivalent of reading a 57,000 narrative on the recent road trip I just completed with two friends. It was an epic journey of 10,500 kms (6500 miles), from Mullumbimby, NSW to Uluru, NT, up to far North Queensland to see the Daintree Rainforest and back again,  conquered in the short time frame of just a month. We set up and packed up our campsite nearly every night, stopping only occasionally for longer than a night to catch our breath and luxuriate in the bliss of not having to roll that bloody camping mattress up AGAIN (self-inflating foam = extremely comfortable but is also a big pain in the arse to fit back in the miniature bag that it comes with).

We didn’t really plan for our trip. It was a spontaneous decision to take Charish (USA) around the country before she headed home, accompanying us was Scotti (NZ) to help with the driving and do the “boy things” that are required on any outback road trip (such as hammering tent pegs into hard clay – thanks Scotti!). My friend Steph had done the journey a few months before us, and handed us all we needed (camping/rest area “bible” that listed all free campsites in Oz, tent, camping stove, cookware). What else did we need other than a fierce determination not to let the desert get the better of us!

Enjoy the pics – the best way to encapsulate the unique journey just experienced

It might surprise you to learn, that despite my pretty sporadic posting on this site, I actually think of things to write, share and humour you with all the time. I seem to have a little issue with motivation in actually getting them from thought to web. However, now I’m discovering there are people other than my mother reading this site, my momentum for sharing is building.

This post goes out especially for Andy and Sue in Michigan. I got an email from Sue today, saying that she keeps track of what I’m up to via this site, and particularly likes hearing about mum and Paul on the farm, given they visited them when they last came to Oz. It reminded me that I took this video of one of our many picnic outings to my parent’s farm in NSW, Australia when I was home last in March.

You also get introduced to the two women who are closest to me in life – my mum, Bev, and my sister, Ange. We were a trio for much of my teenage years. We tend to amuse ourselves pretty well when we are together, and perhaps seeing this video, you might get a little insight into what my upbringing was like. There is one spot where all three of us are talking over each other. Ahhh, yes, sometimes it does feel like we are operating on three different airwaves, but we’re family, and we love each other, and that’s the main thing