The Gratitude Dance

Good old Dr Mercola....apart from his impressively informative website and newsletter, he's a great Net surfer with lots of interests I can relate to, and he often includes great links like this in his newsletter. I definitely had to smile at this clip...though, despite being a morning person, I can't see myself jumping around like this as soon as I get out of bed every morning. Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong?!

Matters green

There's all sorts of little ways that I'm helping the planet, and I'm always pleased when I discover another. This fantastic community/website, LocalCooling.com and the handy little computer application that comes with it, is well worth looking at and getting into, especially as computers become ubiquitous in every household.

Just call me Queen of Volunteers...

...Not that I think I'm doing more or better than anyone (there are some truly amazing people out there who commit their heart and souls to doing for others, and I'm not in their league), I just seem to be in a place at the moment where if there is a need, I step up to fill it. So I was door-knocking for the region's rescue helicopter a couple of weekends ago, and I'm now secretary for Zone Committee for PlaygroupNSW, on top of all the regular activities. It feels good to be useful and stretched and challenged, without the commerce aspect of being paid for what I do.

I like the sense of weaving my way into the weft and warp of this community, knowing and being known, supporting and being supported. I think I must have felt very useless when I was out in the mountains without even being aware of it, because my soul is drinking up the sense of purpose and needed-ness (I know, dreadful word creation...*rolls eyes*) that I receive every day in the work that I do now.

Economics of our situation is tough right now, and doing some paid work might be a good thing - the Big Feller has certainly suggested as much in harsher moments. Funnily enough, when I went for a job interview last week and really thought about what it would entail, I began to realise I couldn't justify the cost - in additional child-care and preschool fees, transport costs and associated expenses. More importantly, in time lost with my child and my family and my community, doing the things that mean most to me. This is a special, and finite, time in my life - a time to contemplate the shape my future might take as the wee man grows and needs me less.

So call me the Queen of Volunteers, and tell me how I can help...