Firsts for the year

Things worth sharing this week

Image: cc Narelle Lemon 2023. Shared with permission of centre and parents/carers.

Happy new year. It’s 2023. I started the year with a flight to Singapore on the 1st January before a connecting flight on the 2nd to the city of cats (as some call it) Kuching in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia Borneo. I’m here for just under a month. There is nothing like time away in a different city with different people, routines, ritual, currency, food, bed, pillow, water, sounds, environments, and expectations to shake you up and allow you to connect to your intentions.

So, I have the privilege to be leading a study tour and supporting 5 Australian future teachers in Kuching. The program is jammed packed. It’s special, unique, and pushing boundaries in ways that my new colleagues have never thought. Day 4 felt like 4 months when we talked about it this week. It is intense. Surreal. And a pure gift. We are quickly becoming a part of the community and contributing back in many different ways.

Things worth sharing this week:

We have been one of the blessed to be able to see an orangutan in the wild in Borneo. And two no less. We had the honour of meeting 51 year old Seduka and 16 year old Anuka. Simply awe inspiring. The colour of the hair, the texture, the hands, gestures, turning away for a moment of privacy, and the entrance via the jungle reminding me of just how much we really do co-exist on this planet. #perspective #awe
Dancing with 3 year olds is exhilarating. #freedom
I am still covid free during the pandemic. And I’m learning to appreciate this even more so as I meet more and more who have been less fortunate. #appreciation
Seeing friends in real life for the first time in 3 years gifts the most gorgeous squeezy hugs. #love
I am appreciating “me” and “we” time in new ways that is aligned to positive energy boosts. I am asking the question - how can rest support me to be the best I can be in this moment? #rest
Tears are good, and when we let them flow magic comes with the ah ha moments. #learningmoments
Making allows for flow. We had the privilege of meeting and spending an afternoon with new friends who view the arts as a way to use the gifts that others do not see. At Heart Treasures art therapy teaches artisans how to create handicrafts from upcycled resources. Their artisans improve their motor skills and mental health step by step with a philosophy that everyone has talent. Heart Treasures helps artisans to realize their hidden ability that they have never noticed due to their disability. And we were asked one gorgeous question that I think we should all consider regularly from one of the artisans - what is your dream? #dreams #flow #make
A simple question to check in with yourself or others means so much - How are you going? How was your day? Want to meet for dinner? What happened for you today that made you smile?
Sharing food with each other really is magical. #connection
I tried my first bubble tea…green tea and pineapple with black pearls. #refreshing
Silence does not mean you are not listening or not engaged. The subtly of silence is powerful. The space between words is intentional. #radicallistening

Firsts for the year