Passionate life

Creating a tapestry

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue,
An everlasting vision of the ever-changing view
A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold
A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold

~ Carole King

Creating the tapestry — Our first trip to Italy included a week in Paris and a visit to Monet’s sublime garden in Giverny. Lots of beautiful memories with so much colour and beauty, including a bike ride in the countryside.

My shift in imagination brought an awareness that I should write a new story which brings all the parts of who I am, together into one narrative. Writing the new story feels to me like creating a tapestry : first the design, which began as I asked the questions, this evolved into a silhouette, and became more substantive as I explored the possibilities.

Gathering momentum

**Jacaranda trees transforming my street in November**

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.

~ John Pierpont Morgan

I can’t believe it’s almost five months since I’ve been in this space. The hiatus wasn’t forced, it’s more about procrastination and the belief that I was too busy to write. But those are just excuses.

A lot has happened in the interim. . .

Exploration and discovery

More important than the quest for certainty is the quest for clarity.

∼ Francois Gautier

For some time now Amore and I have been on a quest to discover a new place to live. Initially we thought that we’d find the perfect spot in our home state of South Australia, but we found no properties which matched our criteria as ideal ‘dream house’ locations. Admittedly, our criteria are pretty strict and although we love tons of things about South Australia, with hindsight, it was never going to make the cut. We decided to expand our exploration and discovery quest to the New South Wales and Victorian coasts.

Just do it.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

~ John Anster

Nike’s iconic slogan JUST DO IT. is an apt mantra for me — I’m a procrastinator, a perfectionist, and a wallflower. I’ve been reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, Big Magic (as well as a half a dozen others) for inspiration and guidance on how to do it — that is, how to get on with living a meaningful, creative life. Well, I could keep reading (as is my tendency) but I’ve made the decision — either do it now or forever wallow in regret.