An ordinary world.....

The world is not round enough, the sky is not blue enough....the sun does not shine often enough......

Do I moan this much? Am I really this unhappy in the world?
What are the things that really matter..who are the really important folk in my life.
That's easy...D & A, there is nobody else in my life that means as much to me as those two!
Nothing in life as important to me as those little ones.....

I consider today to be, another day. Just another day, no more, and no less than any other day.

The sun came up today, and the sun went down today as well.

The birds sang, the rain came for a few moments, and then went away again. Nothing 'special' to write about....but why  not?

Are the birds not special? Are the most important things in my life not special? Is the sun not special?

Who knows.......all I know is that, I saw Orson today. He's fresh to this world. Only 9 weeks here, and when he wakes, he wakes with all the wonder, confusion, suspicion, joy and excitement that I want to wake with! Orson - you are a good reminder of why we are all here. I thank you for being here, and welcome you with love.

X G

Look into the light...

Light - the source of everything....the thing that can bring change where darkness once was, the thing that can bring hope, movement, perspective and the very thing that will lead us all to love if we follow it closely enough.

My best mate Ed....and his wee car....on its head!

My best mate Ed and his wee car....with the bed...on its head!

Ed's my best mate, he's the cleverest, funniest kindest man, and he's also the best mate that I have ever had! Whenever I need a hand, (or a pair of them) Ed pops round with van, truck, car and tools ever the ready to fixit, find it, build it, create it, and or buy and sell it!  He's far better than a Bob or a Wendy, and he likes to have a jolly good laugh whenever too! That's why, Ed, is my favourite man. NOT my lover, or my boy-friend, but my best mate, Ed, the man.......

Be well Ed, I am worried about you.

I think of you alot, and am so happy that you have found yourself a 'Cath' who loves and takes very good care of you, she's a keeper! And now I have not only an Ed, whose my best mate, but an Ed who comes with a Cath....

Stay well Ed, and I hope very much that you don't lose your head!

X G

Alone on a boat...

Imagine if you will...who lives in this boat....what do they do all day, on the boat? If you were dreaming, and found yourself on this boat, where would you be? What would you be doing?

In my story....a lonely man lives on this boat. He worked in finance. 

One day the man came home from work to find a note on the kitchen bench from his wife. It was one of those notes...'A Dear Wayne Note'. She had taken everything they had owned together....and left a small duffel bag, packed with some of his clothes and books in the empty bedroom.

Arriving at the harbour with only the duffel bag of belongings, the man looked out at his tiny yacht moored in the centre of the bay. He took off his suit and loafers..and now, barefoot, wearing only his boxer shorts and singlet, the man left his keys, suit and loafers on the grass, and waded out over the slippery stones with his duffel bag in hand, ankle deep, then knee deep, thigh deep...until the man felt the chill grab him. Floating the duffel bag in front of him, he swam the remaining distance to the side of his boat, and threw the now sodden bag onto the deck. Climbing aboard, dripping and shivering...the man was alone.....

The Easter Egg Hunt....

I like Easter, it comes just at the right time - my friend commented yesterday.

Nothing too tricky or hard planned, just plenty of extra time to hang out with those you like, love and want to play with. Made additionally good this year by being the end of day-light savings, giving us an extra hour to sleep in!

Today we went with very dear friends and their family to a sweet little spot, just half an hours drive from Melbourne. A gentle place where the sea and soil meet - farmers were planting fresh shoots, and dropping fertilizer across the many paddocks behind the little boat shed turned 'day batch' that we were visiting. At times the smell was a little unpleasant, but the weather, the company, the sea and the easter egg hunt were more than enough to counter balance the occasional sulphuric odours wafting in on the breeze.

Arki was excited about the Easter Egg hunt, and so the pressure was on to hide them all in 'not so hard to find' places, without making it obvious, that the Easter Bunny had left them in plain view. There were two bunnies this year, a Glenda Bunny, and a Yamuna Bunny, and the main order of the day for good hiding spots, were under the shells and weathered pieces of glass placed carefully in piles on the picnic table, in the grooves and bolt holes by the outdoor sinks, and then in any 'hole' we could find on the boat shed, or near it. Some were left in rows of 3, others poked into odd gaps in weatherboards...and even one or two in Daddy's shoe. It took almost 10 minutes to find them all, and I think perhaps we might have left one behind for the Easter Fairies to fight over....all in all, I think perhaps the bunnies did a good job this year, and Yamuna seemed happy to know she had been part of the 'plan' not part of the magic of finding the eggs...is this something that happens when you are 6 and a half going on 7 perhaps?

I loved my day out, I liked the company, and I liked the 'secret spot'....and now I am about to meditate on 'being present to my surroundings', the end of this great day, and facing up to the pending morning....when I head back to work. No Easter Bunnies there, only carob and oat bars - Soy Milk and vegan tarts....sigh....oh well. Another Easter holiday comes to an unwanted end.

Not really getting as loose with this story telling business as I would like to, but then again, as per usual, I expect it is something that requires patience, and practice....neither of which I have excelled at!

Nevermind - nobody needs to read it but me, and hopefully by the time anybody finds it, I will have lifted my game considerably.

The Dancing Man of Kew

I found this clip today, of a guy who I have seen once or twice in neighbouring Northcote. I wondered what his 'story' might have been, and today I found this clip which offers a small portion of his tale....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQIw36SrG-0

Kororoit Creek

This is the sun setting beyond the Kororoit Creek here in Melbourne, which is a crazy yet spectacular place...just down the road from the Mobil Oil refinery, and yet it is a place filled with wildlife and the magic of nature. The water is certainly 'grubby' at times, but its tidal, and close to its outlet at this point, which means when the tide is on a fresh turn, it looks quite beautiful. And the best part is, that from the borrowed bench of a boathouse - you can watch Pelicans fishing, Ibis' flyover, Swamp Hen's fossicking for food on the far shore, and even the slightly infamous Norwegian River Rat's will pop up from the water for a peek. Once in a while a lone 'Great Egret' (like a White Heron or Stalk) will vist, and wade alongside the creek edge looking for grub.

It's a place that I have come to know as my Melbourne 'secret spot', a bit like a certain special West Coast of Auckland beach....it's not that secret, but when I am there, it feels like no other soul alive knows I am there. Something particularly interesting for me I feel, is the remote nature of the place, and yet its only 5 mins drive from some of the busiest roads in Melbourne, and 20mins to the city itself. Not something you expect here really. It isn't the Otago Peninsula or Bethalls Beach, but it provides me with some of the feeling that both of those places does....I like it. It's a fish and chip spot, a yell into the wind spot (not as good as 'Second Beach' St Clair though!), a watch the sun come up, and watch the sun go down spot.....and best of all, its still free to access.......I think I have to start collecting those places from my memory banks....the ones around the world that offer the same solice, safety, comfort. For those of you who come here (to Melbourne) remind me to show you.....well, you can ask. :o)

(Oh..by the way, this is 'One of my favourite things'...Places I love to go!)

Sunshine after rain....

"Remember no matter what happens, there is sunshine after rain".......

This turned up today on the 'thought for the day card thingee' on my desk.

I take it to mean that the shitty time I have been having since I started a new job in January is ending, and fun times are ahead! There has definitely been a shift in how I choose to handle, or take part in what goes on at work. For the most part, I have chosen not to 'care' as much about the lack of progress, understanding, and overall outcomes acheived in the job. It's simply not possible to work to any goal with an expectation that I will realise it on time, and within budget. The organisation just doesn't work this way.

Perhaps this is the learning for me, in knowing that I am just a small part of something that is spinning completely out of orbit, and I do not have to be responsible for anything other than myself. Whatever the realisation, (It changes nearly every day!) I am not making this even a 'semi-permanent' stop.....its a small stepping stone towards creating my own path as a Story Teller. Nothing more. 

Today is a holiday....

Today is Good Friday....

For me, it's a 'Good Friday' because its Friday, and I have the day off work.

It's 'Good' to be free, and its 'Good' to be alive......there we have it, it's a celebration of life, and living...that's enough for me! - I think of all those I love....gee there are alot of you!

Coffee and a stroll by the river today I think.

YOUR thought for the day, is 'What are the most important things in life?'

(I will write about this in the next installment I think.....need to open up, and get more creative on it!)

Go be with you family, and your friends. Much love and thoughts from me. x G

What's the main purpose of story telling?

(Do you know where this is?)

My partner Glynnie and I have been talking a bit this week about ‘Story Telling’ – its purpose, and how sometimes it can be cathartic, a catalyst for change, perhaps a healing or learning mechanism.
As per usual, I have a whole lot of questions....
What is the main value in Story Telling?
I want to know if the role of the ‘Story Teller’ is more important in the process of sharing a story, than the role of the audience/witness to the story...
Why are we so attracted to story, in the form of book, movie, sitcom, newspaper...
For me, I think I enjoy ‘bearing witness’ to the things that intrigue and fascinate me, or the things that truly connect me to what makes me, and my version of the world ‘tick’. Documentary making is an opportunity to record story, to capture imagery and weave together vital messages, ideas, thoughts and feelings that can be kept, and viewed by others.
...Hopefully many generations ahead.
There is definitely something around memory, being able to ‘keep’, or collect stories and images of people, places and ‘things’ that are important. To be revisited by others...that’s collecting, and creating history, is it not?
Good grief...this process could take awhile.....I think I might end up with a book after all.....

Karuna Stories

Welcome to my first ever blog...
This blog has a couple of primary goals for me.

Firstly, it is a tool that will enable me to create and record some of the fantastic stories that I have come across, and will come across throughout my life.

Secondly, with a bit of luck, and some help from my friends and family, we will be able to inspire and support each other to share our stories within this blog. Some of you might have quite urgent or passionate reasons for sharing their stories. Others may only want to share stories for the sake of practicing writing. And finally, some of you who read this, might wish to post comments and critique of the content. All of the above is invited, welcomed and will be gratefully received.

The only rules are; Karuna is one of the Buddhist principles, it means compassion, or in this instance, it means to work from a place of compassion, or for a compassionate outcome. So when you write your stories, or post comments, please consider the following in every instance;
"Do these words, and the intention behind them.....offer compassionate thought, and outcome? Are the stories/comments, being written to heal or harm others?" AND just as importantly, "Does this story/posting/comment make my heart sing?"

The purpose of this blog is to provide me with seeds of ideas, thoughts, opinions and to ultimately allow me to master the art of telling stories through documentary film making.

This is an extension of my existing knowledge and understanding of story telling through image collecting, and I hope to be able to grow throughout this process, to be a better story teller, and also hopefully, a better listener.

With any luck, it should be fun!

Right then, signing off, number 1 posting. How exciting! Bring it on!

Much love and respect to you all, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Glenda K. Roberts
Karuna Stories