Justin Robinson

Hugh Mackay, leading Australian sociologist, is no stranger to our blogs! I have recommended his books, The Inner Self, blog 128, and The Way We Are, blog 132, and blog 135. I return to his work in this blog, when recommending his book, Right & Wrong. I previously referred to Mackay as a learned elder,… Read More

Our hearts are heavy as we write this tribute to our mentor and friend, Chris Mackey. Tragically, Chris passed away last week – still in the prime of his career and with so much more to give. A quick search of our My Manifesto manuscript revealed that Chris’ name appears 14 times throughout the book… Read More

Recently, our family embarked on the significant challenge of moving house. As a family of six who have lived in the same home for the past 15 years, the transition to downsizing has been both purposeful and demanding. While the process has brought moments of nostalgia as we sorted through treasured keepsakes, it has also… Read More

I came across a word and a concept when reading David Brooks’ The Second Mountain. (I am loving this book, and it will be the focus of my next Book Recommendation blog). It was the Greek term agape. Brooks writes that the Greeks distinguish between three types of love: philia  friendship, eros — passion, and… Read More

Over the past decade, I have greatly admired the work of Dr. Lucy Hone, co-director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience. I’m fortunate to know Lucy (and her co-director, Dr. Denise Quinlan) personally and had the privilege of contributing a chapter to their recent book, The Educators’ Guide to Whole-School Wellbeing. Today,… Read More

With a pun and a nod to Shirl (RIP) and Skyhooks in my title and focus, permit me to share what I am experiencing as I live my encore years past my main career arc – my 70’s. Perhaps it is my 73-birthday approaching – happy birthday Sagittarians! – which has prompted this rumination. Pleasing… Read More

Over the past three years, Sue, my co-author and friend, and I have been on a deeply meaningful journey. I deliberately use the word meaningful because these years have been significant in many ways: the time and effort we’ve invested in our project, our shared belief in the power of having a personal manifesto, and… Read More

While I was poring over wonderful handmade craft ware in my neighbourhood café, one of our my manifesto mates greeted me. In chatting, they said, “You know I have finished my personal manifesto, and it is up on my wall!” Well, no, I didn’t know that and told them that the only way Justin and… Read More

When I began writing blogs for my manifesto, I found a great deal of encouragement from this anthology on my shelf, The Art of the Personal Essay, selected and introduced by Phillip Lopate. His introduction encouraged me – along with the invitation to be ‘playful’ by our very own Justin Robinson – to have fun… Read More