Just like that … BANG! 2009 is over and we enter a new decade. As I brew my first morning coffee for 2010, here are a few reflections on the things that stand out most from 2009. Witnessing my middle (4yo) boy’s growth in confidence and independence, my eldest (6yo) boy’s quest for learning and my youngest (2yo) develop a personality that will land him in both trouble and success Seeing my beautiful wife rediscover herself and her fitness (through lap swimming and Yoga) and then compete in her first ocean swim just before Christmas … now working on her …

My wife came home from her day at work in Colac (Victoria) yesterday. Ingrid was inspired by 2 stories she heard. Colac is a semi rural town with many authentic, elderly locals who have done (and still doing) extraordinary things. One of the stories relates to a visit to the local fruit shop and this punnet of berries … The story behind the berries … A elderly man in Colac lost his wife of many years a while back. He is wheelchair bound and his family has been trying to admit him into an aged care facility (probably out of …

Ever had a run of weeks where you barely feel able to breathe? When every moment you are just treading water. As you tick one task of the list, another 3 appear. A period when your fridge, septic system, washing machine and hot water system fail. We have just come out the other end of one of those hectically exhausting periods. When stuck in times like these, life can feel unfair … you feel like a victim of circumstances beyond your control. The days seem to roll by like a huge ocean swell with no end in sight to the …

Anyone who knows me … knows that I use Twitter regularly. I post photos, thoughts, observations, great links and resources. I read the same and, from those I follow, stumble upon some gems that I would never find if left to me and Google. Here’s an interesting snapshot of the most common words I use when Twittering. Given Twitter’s boundary of 140 characters, many of these words convey the most important things in my life. Some are just meaningless words I use like ‘whilst’ and ‘week’ … many others do actually convey what is most important to me … boys, …

As I sit here at terminal 4 at Los Ang. airport, I needed something to make me smile, and thanks to a tweet by Johnnie Moore, I am smiling … and reflecting on the Applied Improv Conference in Portland last week. Here’s the video first … Hugging What’s in a hug between strangers, between friends and family? This video is interesting, in part, because the police are doing the hugging. In the famous Free Hugs video, it was the authorities who tried to stop it. The other twist is the gift of a free helmet to passing cyclists. In Europe, …