The more things change.......

 

Jae and Me circa early 70's - we both still look just like this! (Well maybe not JUST like this.)

"The more things change, the more they stay the same"

 

We've all heard that from one source or another.  I thought when beginning this post the quote was an apt remark to begin with.  Then I decided to find out where it originated.....  Its attributed to a nineteenth century French critic, journalist, novelist and keen flower lover Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr.  Wikipedia says his epigrams (which they define as brief, interesting and sometimes surprising or satirical statements) were frequently quoted.  He gave the dahlia plant/flower its name and 'practically founded' the cut flower trade on the French Rivera.  Fascinating.

That isn't what I originally sat down to write about but you know what often happens when you start something on the Internet.  It leads you to something else and then something else.  What a wonderful thing to have so much knowledge - and bull shit - at your fingertips.

Nothing much of note has been happening with us over the past few days.  With one very big exception which was our lunch with friends J & K.  Originally we were planning to have a casual lunch in a harbour side restaurant on Monday - which was the official public holiday for Australia Day.  That was the day that Sydney got hit with it's share of the torrential downpour from the x-cyclone (as the press kept calling it) that had already ravaged Queensland.  We needed rain but - my goodness - we got a month's worth in one day!  So we decided instead to have an impromptu dinner party at their house.  What a great decision that turned out to be!!!  Great food, great wine, and good times with great friends.  We hadn't had such a fun day in a while although we did, however, take a bit of time to get moving the next day.  Neither Mr G nor me is used to quite that level of alcohol any more.

So back to not much going on.  While walking to the gym this morning I was thinking about how much life has changed for me in the past 6 months.  I left work and I'm enjoying it, changed gyms and now motivating myself to train without personal trainers, I'm learning to live frugally on a budget, I'm cooking almost every day and night, reading more and just generally living a lot differently than less than a year ago.  And yet, with all that change, things are pretty much the same ... with the exception that I believe I am becoming more mindful.  When you slow down you really do have the opportunity to appreciate more of what's around you.  In my walk this morning I had a wonderful moment patting a neighbourhood cat I hadn't noticed before - he was so animated and loving!  When I got home the king parrots were outside on the railing and they are getting very tame.  I realised I'm enjoying the little surprising things a lot.  

So there...everything has changed but it's all still the same.  I've just had the opportunity to see it through different eyes.  Nice.