My favourite song of all time

This song is just brilliant.

On showing gratitude

I wrote yesterday about how lucky I am to have the life I have. After all I have in abundance what many only dream about. Fresh food, clean water, a comfortable home are all parts of my life that I often take for granted.

I found this post, written by David Pollay, about gratitude and how important it is as a way of improving our lives and making our world a better place. He suggests investing time identifying the people and things we value and then take the time to learn more about them. What do these people do, how, and why?

Once we commit these important people to memory we can begin to express our appreciation to them in whatever way we choose.

Finally, we can link our gratitude chains together. This is a perfect way of helping us see how that which we enjoy in life is connected in more ways than we can possibly imagine.

I wonder what the garbage guy's story is?

How lucky am I?

Today was a hot day, the hottest December day in Perth since records began. I'm writing this post in the comfort of airconditioning. Comfortable against the blazing heat thanks to the modern comfort of an energy guzzling machine. It costs money to run, just like the car.

If I lived in many other countries I wouldn't need to worry about the expense of running an airconditioner. It simply wouldn't be an option. If I lived in Indonesia or Sri Lanka there's a good chance I'd have much more fundamental things to worry about. Feeding my family, clean drinking water and a roof over my head that didn't leak would be high on the priority list.

There are so many people in this world who live through unbearable poverty and unimaginable misery. If I could just help one of them live a more comfortable life and be happier then my life would be complete.

Marty Robbins - El Paso

When I was in my teens my favourite singer was Marty Robbins. I just love this song. It's such a great tale of love and tragedy.

Johnny Cash the legend

What a classic film clip from a master.

A Christmas Grinch post

It's the first blast of summer today. Step outside and it feels as though you're stepping into a furnace. It doesn't help that I had afternoon nap. I always wake up grumpy! Now the heat feels so much more intense.

Weather like this is perfect Christmas Grinch weather. I don't like or want Christmas because...Soon, though, all this malevolence will wash through me like a crap through a sewer pipe. Then I'll feel so much better and wonder why I wrote such a grouchy blog post on Christmas day.

Good friends listen well

I have a lot to learn about listening. I'm not sure if it's a bloke thing, but I tend to listen with an ear for a solution. It's so easy to fix someone else's problems rather than simply listen.

I have a couple of friends who listen really well. They listen in a way that gives me a sense that they have an unswerving commitment to whatever it is that will bring me happiness and contentment. No judgement, no assessment, no advice. Just pure respect. At the end of a conversation I always feel lighter and refreshed.

Great listeners are a gift to this world.