I distinctly recall a teacher saying "You're a legend mate" to me on one of the last days of school in final year. It hasn't left my mind at all.
Sometimes I find myself remembering it every now and again. Placed in its context, it was just after my sister nearly died..... it holds significance in my mind as a memory of a time when I was young but acted far beyond my years. Painful of course, but grounding.
He was very well respected by students and teachers alike. He was funny and also very knowledgeable on his subject (commerce, economics, law). He eventually married one of the other teachers at our school. And although it was a religious school which I didnt have a problem with at the time but do now, he was very committed to his faith.
Towards the end of our school career all the boys gathered each Wednesday lunch time and one of the male staff would talk to us about "the last thing they'd do or say if they found out they'd die tomorrow".
His was pretty cool and I remember him saying "you know if I'm ever going through a toll booth or a ticket man comes along I'll always ask them how they are, because life is crap without that".
I may even start a new series here on my blog and call it "Revisiting Year 12". Haha. Lately I've been spending a lot of time looking at that time of my life and I put that down to the fact that I'm now 31 and in a transitory phase of life.
Thanks for this piece. We're taught through being shown extraordinary acts not to accept ourselves. I think we have to begin with compassion and acceptance of ourselves as we are.
Thank you for the kind words. The ordinary should definitively contain compassion, acceptance and kindness for ourselves which will translate to others.
"A kind word can stay with someone for years."
I distinctly recall a teacher saying "You're a legend mate" to me on one of the last days of school in final year. It hasn't left my mind at all.
Sometimes I find myself remembering it every now and again. Placed in its context, it was just after my sister nearly died..... it holds significance in my mind as a memory of a time when I was young but acted far beyond my years. Painful of course, but grounding.
It’s strange how we are wired for negative bias. But we often remember a kind words to us.
That teacher is awesome.
He was very well respected by students and teachers alike. He was funny and also very knowledgeable on his subject (commerce, economics, law). He eventually married one of the other teachers at our school. And although it was a religious school which I didnt have a problem with at the time but do now, he was very committed to his faith.
Towards the end of our school career all the boys gathered each Wednesday lunch time and one of the male staff would talk to us about "the last thing they'd do or say if they found out they'd die tomorrow".
His was pretty cool and I remember him saying "you know if I'm ever going through a toll booth or a ticket man comes along I'll always ask them how they are, because life is crap without that".
I may even start a new series here on my blog and call it "Revisiting Year 12". Haha. Lately I've been spending a lot of time looking at that time of my life and I put that down to the fact that I'm now 31 and in a transitory phase of life.
What a world aye
What a world indeed. I support your blog idea. Exploring ones mythos is an excellent part of the journey.
Great article. The “little” moments are where the magic is in life.
This is true. The “little” moments are life. Statistically they make up the bulk of our days. And frankly they build the best parts of life.
Thanks for this piece. We're taught through being shown extraordinary acts not to accept ourselves. I think we have to begin with compassion and acceptance of ourselves as we are.
Thank you for the kind words. The ordinary should definitively contain compassion, acceptance and kindness for ourselves which will translate to others.
Here's a short video on Winton: https://youtu.be/M1JEuQfMZfY?si=bOVOZQPKqMxvHfXa
Is an act of selflessness performed for the whole world to see actually selfless? Is a hero seeking attention and validation a hero?
There are countless quiet humanists who have performed countless compassionate acts that we know nothing about.
Our culture is generally self absorbed. Television and the internet have fueled this. When we're raised on drama, we seek to recreate that drama.
I believe we're meant to lead quiet, peaceful lives, and affect the people around us positively, and directly.