I am always held spellbound by semantics and linguistics; words can say so much and mean so many different things to different people. This struck me the other day regarding the word ‘recreation’. Think about the word recreation; it might conjure images of fun, down time, sports and hobbies, time with the kids, relaxation and enjoyment. It’s the time spent away from your working life, the chores and the 'should be doing' tasks your mind keeps reminding you of.

I awakened the other morning and was confronted with an idea, a spark, a concept and really, an inner awakening. We, as humans, invest a large amount of time avoiding fear, requesting safety at every turn and ensuring we are stepping on sure footing. We make decisions not to go sky-diving or abseiling, horse-riding or snow-skiing because we have fears; fears of heights, fears of dark alleys, fears of creepy crawlies. My "awakening" came in the form of realizing that we sabotage ourselves every day, blindly allowing fear to invade and infiltrate our happiness and joy. You know why? Because we give permission for our ego to reign with the same fear we avoid in the physical world.

We are laid bare by the assumptions of who we are before we even have a chance to explain. Perhaps they are not even listening. Part of being present is releasing ourselves from the idea of how things are, or should be, because of the past or the cultures surrounding us; releasing assumptions of others and more importantly assumptions of ourselves.

When we are at school, we are subjected to all sorts of tests; on the spot math tests, spelling tests, end of year exams, high school certificates and the list goes on. In the early days the tests are quick, painless and mostly fun. Then they become more serious, there is study to be undertaken and there is the need to find the ability to cope with the testing process. It can be a nerve-wracking experience. What it does do is ‘test’ students (pardon the pun), it makes them think, it gives a clearer understanding of their abilities, their short-falls, where they can learn more and what they excel at; in the testing platform. What happens when we leave school though?

Remember the good old days? Those years when you went to primary school, hung around with your mates, did what you parents told you to do, went to high school, thought about what you wanted to do; there were a few choices back then. Would you go to University or would you go to Tech School, would you pursue a career or a trade? Or, hey, what if you wanted to bum for a while and take a year long travel hiatus then come back and get a job… it was all possible.

I have been thinking about feelings. There are a myriad of feelings we can experience; they can be front and centre, off to the side, hiding in your peripheral vision or nicely bound somewhere down in that back cabin of your mind, secured with a large padlock. We can be engulfed to the point of drowning, we can have feelings borrowed from someone else, feelings dictated by our families and friends or feelings that we think we should be having; whatever the situation or timing in our lives.

I sat on the couch the other night, beside me was the constant pile of books to indulge in, but I didn’t think I was in the mood for reading. The TV was on, though nothing much was on it, and I had my staple cup of green tea. Deciding to have a squiz at one of the books anyway, I flicked a few pages, came across something I thought to be interesting and off I went.

Along with new technology, digital technology particularly, comes the desire and the ability to re-do, re-hash, dress up, re-create and re-produce media of all shapes and forms. This remediation is not always for the better; sometimes it’s a sideways step, sometimes it’s completely over the top. But what it always does is create something new, this is regardless of whether or not we recognise it or can compare it to what has gone before. This whole construct had me thinking. What if we viewed ourselves as a medium ready and willing for re-mixing or remediating? The opportunities are endless and there are different ways of approaching this, different levels of remixed media.

I am guilty of letting the weeds grow; tall stocky thistles, yellow dandelions, carpets of green clover abloom in white flowers, sneaky little bindii ready to pierce the soles of my bare, haven’t- been- out- of- shoes feet... just like those prickly issues I decided never to deal with. Right down the back, I haven’t done any pruning for ages; in fact, I cannot see the back fence line, a huge bougainvillea with nasty thorns has over taken the timber palings, but it does have those gorgeous magenta flowers.

There is something special about being able to stand in your own space, complete with your own opinions, and accepting others for their individual amazing ways of viewing this world. To be making choices that resonate just with you.

We have ‘the best of life’ in all of us in the present moment. We have the choices; be it regarding food, money, work arrangements, education, down time… I could go on and on. The way we reconcile our current status quo depends on these choices, and looking at our little microcosm first and foremost. There exists no right or wrong, no ‘having to do it this way or that’ (especially if that’s simply because it’s always been done that way!) and there’s no need to compare yourself to others.

Love is... Adulation, affection, devotion, emotion, infatuation, relish, worship… there are lots of words that are synonymous for love, but nothing can replace LOVE. It means so much, can be so much, and yet, it can be as simple as loving the colour orange. But what about embracing LOVE as a whole concept, about being LOVE? It’s about taking the energy of LOVE and emitting it throughout your day, sharing it, releasing it, circulating it and regenerating it. What does all that mean?

I am a mother. I have 3 little people. Two daughters and one son; ages 9, 7 and 5 respectively. I have a mother, and I have a mother-in-law. I also still have a living grandmother. So what is a mother? If we refer to the dictionary the definition is concise - a ‘female parent’. But how do we do it and what are our expectations of being a mother? What about having a mother? Surely it’s more than being a female parent. It’s about the nurturing, the teaching, the sharing, the guidance and the companionship. There are many books penned on just the issues of how to be a better mother and how to deal with the position of being a mother.

So the Australian Open tennis tournament is on in Melbourne at the moment, and watching the Australians play and compete got me thinking... We have this thing in Australia called the ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’. Mind you, I think it’s in other places around the globe, but this is my experience of it here. It’s a rather ugly scenario where Australians like to chop down those around them who are standing taller or achieving more than they are, so that everyone appears to be on the same level, average -not making any one look less!

I had an epiphany the other day, and I have been unable to shake it, so I thought I might share it with you.