Published April 16, 2008 by

People Potential

It sounds such a business term, people potential.

There have been a few people in my life (seperate from my family) who have, I think, seen potential in me and further still – let me know about it.

I have a small hunch that this has influenced who I am more than I realise.

Mrs. Fishwick, was my Year 8 English and Media teacher. She was personable and teacherly but that which met students with mutual respect. She ran a writing group and encouraged me to join. She ran the media team that put together the school magazine and let me play a role in some key decisions despite being one of the youngest there. She gave me a John Marsden book on writing when I left the school. I liked her, I had more than just ‘school work’ conversations with her.

Now here I am writing a lot and studying design. Interesting.

Then there are people like Rohan, Tilla, Warwick and Steve (Whom I know through YITS) and Mr. Youl, Jodi and Roger (High school teachers) and Renee (Youth Leader),  who have either in action or word influenced me greatly and so have propelled me along.

I want to be like these people in that I take the time – small or large, to play a key role in someones life, to encourage or motivate, or celebrate. In skill or mind. They are an incredibly valuable type of individual to have around in a totally outward focussed way.

This is my small thanks.

Life

people potential

Published April 2, 2008 by

Today I like people but not trains, busses or wind

It took me three and a half hours to get home tonight. It usually takes an hour.

Melbourne has been subject to some angry winds and a dirty brown sky due to the very tail end of a cyclone coming from the west and some Port Phillip Bay winds. Such bad winds that they canceled uni classes (I was in for all of half an hour). Truly it was more dangerous at Glenferrie than Prahran where I am but hey. My train was late (power issues) slightly expected, then the other train finished it’s trip far too early due to trees down – I grabbed a bus in quite good time only to have it arrive at the secondary stop to find the door of the bus was stuck. They finally opened it, but made us change busses (again I succeeded onto getting on quite an early one). This bus took me to the station before mine which meant yet another bus – also thankfully right there and with working doors.

I went inside for about two minutes and then drove back in towards the city to pick up Geoff who would’ve been even more stuck than me. So after leaving uni at 2:00pm, I officially ‘got home’ at 7:00pm. By then the power was out. So we went to the supermarket (the nearby one was closed due to no electricity). Just as we pulled in the drive, the street lights came on. We cheered.

So my day was all up pretty sucky (which is why you’re getting a whingy ‘this is what happened’ post) except that I met three new people at uni, caught up with a girl I know a little bit from last year and became reaquainted with another two.

Today I like people but not trains, busses or wind. And I’d really prefer it in future if the sky stayed a normal colour.

Life News On The Train Uni

I hate Connex people tired trains Uni weather

Published March 2, 2008 by

Church outside

cleanupToday a percentage of our church participated in Clean Up Australia Day.

It was interesting, because last night I confessed to Geoff that I really didn’t want to be a part of it and then went on to try and justify that I thought it wasn’t a good idea and ‘how was it really helping the community’/’we could do other things better with this time’. He heard me out – knows me far too well, and told me I was wrong. Then about ten minutes later I worked out that it was really only just about me not wanting to do it and felt guilty so I told him and he let me know he knew that’s what I was all along and rightfully laughed about it. As it was, I did feel bad about not wanting to do it, but I still didn’t want to take part – is there really much point forcing yourself to want to when you simply don’t?

Anyway as it turned out, church today (which was just music and communion before the cleanup during normal sermon time) felt very flat and fake.

And here it is. I enjoyed myself cleaning up. The sun was beautiful, the people were fun and talking and interacting with people they didn’t know so well and doing something. And really it felt a whole lot more like how church should be.

I do like it when God sticks it to me.

Christianity Church Social Justice

Church clean up Australia Day doing church living church people