Acts of Kindness

As the festive season approaches, many of us feel the familiar pull of busyness. There are lists to complete, places to be, people to see, and expectations – spoken and unspoken – to navigate. It is a season rich with connection, yet paradoxically one where it can be hardest to truly arrive. Recently, I received… Read More

“Kindness will build our resilience and positivity, as well as concern for ourselves and others. It will protect us against the self-doubt or self-pity that would otherwise sap our strength. It will radically enhance our connections with others and our awareness of our capacity to give generously – and to reap the benefits that come… Read More

Come October and it is Show Time in Geelong. My grown daughter happens to be home recuperating after a surgical procedure. This is her fourth week here. She remarked as we walked slowly around the big block – fast pace or lifting is still prohibited at this stage of her recovery – that she loves… Read More

This past weekend, Jeanette and I headed off with her two sisters, her brother, and everyone’s partners – eight of us in a cosy house, a dodgy weather forecast, and plenty of time. The skies didn’t play nice, but it hardly mattered. Conversations flowed. Meals stretched. A few rounds of table tennis got competitive (in… Read More

“One of my great loves is having deep and fulfilling conversations. So I plan to continue unpacking people’s lives with them, and sharing that with as many people as possible because as we turn more inward and feel more fractured, being reminded we’re all kind of the same, that we’re all here for a similar… Read More

Please and Thank you: an act of kindness – even to a bot Earlier this week, I read a short blog post from Seth Godin that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. It ended with these simple words: “Sometimes, I say please and thank you to ChatGPT. Not because I think it can… Read More

I was reminded of the concept of ‘arriving’ in my readings and by remembering my own misconception that somehow, someday, I would arrive at ‘happiness.’ Perhaps you have known this belief too, that ‘when I have finished this,’ or ‘when I am through this life challenge,’ I will arrive at happiness. I expect it is… Read More

The statistics are sobering: in many Australian cities, nearly one in two people say they wouldn’t recognise their neighbours if they passed them in the street. In a world that is more connected than ever — and yet more individualised — it’s a quiet loss we don’t often talk about. And yet, when we do… Read More

Whatever your personal political preference or affiliation, I am sure you would have noticed – or be saddened by the need for – this particular reference to kindness by Anthony Albanese in a recent debate preceding the election. It struck me. It brought to my mind another statement of Christ’s teaching – ‘and the meek… Read More