Monthly Archives: November 2012

Rest Like an All Black

Richie McCaw, the All Black captain some call the best rugby player ever, has a plan for winning the next World Cup. It involves a long holiday from rugby. What a wise and counter-cultural choice. In a society that is not only getting busier, but feeling prouder of the acceleration, the relentlessness of our activity, rest […]

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Magic Words #1: Be Thoughtful about that Sheer Drop

When my baby started moving around and exploring, I heard myself saying ‘Be careful!’ an awful lot. My husband and I are pretty relaxed about SBJ taking risks and maybe getting a bit bumped. We don’t make a fuss if he falls over (when he falls over) and mostly neither does he. Our standard has […]

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Imperfect is the New Perfect #3: Vulnerability, Shame and Courage

When social work researcher BrenĂ© Brown discovered the crucial importance of vulnerability for human wellbeing and connection, she had a breakdown. Well, she says in her 2010 TEDx talk, ‘I call it a breakdown, my therapist calls it a spiritual awakening.’ She was a perfectionist who wanted to clean up messes of all kinds. She […]

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Anticipating the Anticipating: Getting Ready for Advent

Christmas carols start wafting through shops earlier and earlier each year, but this year one thing about Christmas is later than usual. The church season of Advent runs for four or so weeks before Christmas, helping us to imagine life before Jesus, and anticipate the celebrations of his birth. This year it begins on Sunday […]

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