Catch Up

It's been a while and although I have missed updating my blog the various adventures I have been partaking in have been well worth the short absence. Firstly the conclusion of a very sucessful Imagine Day, I am so proud of the whole team it was an awesome day and the funds raised will have such a global impact both now and into the future. Secondly our short notice but fantastic trip home to New Zealand. Not only were we able to greet the newest member of our whanua but we had the lovliest break in Auckland and the Bay of Islands. The new blog picture is of "Peace Haven" the family farm and the place I feel most grounded. It was such a pleasure to be back and enjoy the peace, the fresh air and the sense of home I always feel when we are there. Peace Haven is a very special place for us as a family and I am yet to find any where in my travels that has the same affect on me. The Bay of Islands it's self is stunning and I will definately update the photo file on the blog for you all, our daughter took some amazing shots while we were there which I'm sure many of you will appreciate. So back to the reality of life I have been interviewing people for some of the more detailed chapters in the second book, writing a crazy amount of notes and new characters!It is almost a guilty pleasure to sit writing with my new elephant teapot and chocolate mint tea, but I'm sure I'll cope! Of course there is also the reality of new events coming that need my attention, school activities for the kids and sports in the freezing cold. Life is never boring! On that note we had an interesting situation last week concerning buses. I have heard plenty of stories about kids in the bigger cities needing guards on buses to prevent dangerous behaviour occuring. Well I thought that was a bit over the top until my sweet little year 6 comes home with the story of a year 3 boy marching up to one of the year 6 bus monitors, a very slight young girl and demanding she give him her seat. To which she replied politely no as the teachers and bus company require them to seat in that position. Well unhappy with this he flings his bag at the other monitor and slaps the young girl, then punches her twice in the face before anyone has a chance to stop him. Now this is not normal behaviour at all for a year 3 and most certainly there has to be other issues going on in this childs life BUT at this age to react that way to an older girl for that reason I guess I wonder where exactly this child is headed? The point I guess of what I'm saying is we are all blissfully ignorant of what can occur until it's shoved in our faces, it's the human "it will never happen to me" mentality but as writers it is often our job to describe the "what could could happen" and think beyond the line of what we have seen or experienced into the world of possiblities; scary but life is scary. Incase your wondering my daughter was the other monitor who had the bag thrown in her face and the outcome was the boy losing his right to ride the bus for one day and two weeks of school detention. I ask again I wonder where this child is headed? Stay warm and safe where ever you are! Isobial XxOo

A post-decision making society?

Ok so this is kind of a weird observation and possibly it could just be us but have you noticed how hard people seem to find it now days to make a decision on something? From the brand of cereal, to going out some where it just seems so hard. Personally I like to make a quick evalution of the options and get on with it but it seems for some this is in the too hard basket; especially our younger darlings. From the clothes they where to the take out they'll eat everything is second guessed and eventually swayed by someone else's opinion. Now from observing all sorts of people around me and this behaviour I have concluded that there are various reason's behind this trend. The first and generally attributed to the younger group would be sheer laziness, if someone else can do it for them it is less taxing for their poor brains. Second it seems is the concensus reasoning, if we all discuss it and agree I can't be pinpointed as the one who made the mistake if it's wrong or someone gets upset. Thirdly and finally the full dither, not wanting to risk being wrong the group or individual goes around in circles till nothing has been achieved by the time it is too late to decide. Often this affects both young and old from what I've observed and results in frustration from those who wanted a decision or self aimed frustration for non-achieved goal. I guess what I'm wondering is where has this all come from? it seems so much more common now and I would hate to see myself or family members slipping into it. What happened to the days where deciding what to wear was as easy as looking at what was clean or heading out to do something depended on how much gas you had and money to spend. I do have some idea's, my first would be expectations, I think our expectations of the average child has dimmed some what. Gone are the days of chores, pocket money and responsibility. Now it seems a cash hand out is expected, chores don't fit their agenda and responsibilty is something discussed after the fact; I know this is generalising some what but it fits too many kids observed not to stand out. Secondly I would say media, all those shows that have highlighted the benefit of sticking with the status quo, not rocking the boat and ditching any form of backbone, how easy they have made life look if you just cruise along. Thirdly I guess it is the case of having too many choices, thousands of them. We are bombarded with so much to choose from that it becomes a negative experience that makes us feel like a failure either way. At the end of the day I guess there is really one decision to make...to make a decision to do something about it. Teach your kids to evaluate a situation and form a plan forward, hold them accountable for their actions but praise the good decisions and go over the what if's of the bad. For the older bunch well live your life is what I guess is fair to say. If you float along with no input to where you are going or feeling bad that you didn't decide to do what you were planning then there is only one way to change that isn't there? For me as a human, wife, mum and writer my goal is to lead by example; make as many good decisions as I can, learn from the bad ones that I got wrong and of course give my characters the strength to make decisions! How boring a book would I be writing otherwise? Have a great week! Isobial :)