Monday, 3 August
Last weekend, rather than touring overseas like we had planned, we were having lunch in the garden of a local café, in the warmth of the winter sun and with the buzz of conversation around us. Instead of feeling frustrated that we were not in far off exotic places, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. This is a typical Sunday scene which is usually enjoyed by millions of people around the world, that is, until Covid-19 struck! How lucky we are to live on the beautiful Kapiti Coast, be able to go about day to day life without restrictions and enjoy weekend pleasures that are not possible in other countries. It highlighted that it has taken a crisis for me to fully appreciate how important the simple things in life really are.
Jane Yoong QSM
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Monday, 20 July
Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
Chinese Proverb
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Monday, 20 July
Close Friends Are Truly Life’s Treasures
Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves.
With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us,
to share our laughter and our tears.
Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone.
Vincent Van Gogh
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Monday, 13 July
Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep
moving.
Albert Einstein
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Monday, 6 July
If we noticed little pleasures,
as we notice little pains,
If we quite forgot our losses
and remembered all our gains,
If we’d look for people’s virtues
and their faults refused to see,
What a happy friendly place
this world of ours would be.
This poem was written for a soldier from a comrade in September 1916
when they were stationed in Rouen, France in World War 1
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Monday, 29 June
If I cannot do great things
I can do small things in a great way.
Martin Luther King Jr
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Monday, 22 June
National Volunteer Week
Volunteers plant seeds of love
That help countless hearts to grow.
Anon
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Monday, 15 June
“All persons share common needs for love, emotional support, respect and recognition from one another, for the exchange of knowledge, experience and insights, enablement and caring. The extent of need will vary from individual to individual, age group to age group and culture to culture.
Older people are the only group that have lived through many of the experiences that younger generations have yet to encounter and can serve as valuable role models; young people bring a special energy and enthusiasm to life from which older people can benefit.”
From the Charter for a Society for All Ages for the International Year of Older Persons 1999
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Monday, 8 June
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and
leave footprints on our heart and we are never, ever the same.”
Flavia Weedn
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Monday, 1 June
You must give time to your fellow men – even if it’s a little thing, do something for others- something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.
Albert Schweitzer
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Monday, 25 May
If I Had My Life to Live Over
I’d dare to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax, I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I’m one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.
Nadine Stair
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Monday, 18 May
The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age,
which means never losing your enthusiasm.
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Monday, 11 May
Hills Ahead
The hills ahead look hard, steep and high
And often we behold them with a sigh;
But as we near them level grows the road.
We find on every slope with every load
The climb is not so steep, the top so far,
The hills ahead look harder than they are.
And so it is with troubles though they seem so great
That men complain and fear and hesitate;
Less difficult the journey than we dreamed
It never proves as hard as once it seemed,
There never comes a task, a hill, a day
But as we near it – easier the way.
Douglas Malloch
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Monday, 4 May
The quiet I took for granted
One thing I realised that I enjoyed during level 4 was the peace and quietness around the streets. My mum and I would walk down to the beach and would be one of the only ones on it!
It almost felt sometimes as if we owned the world! Now that it is level 3, there are lot’s more people out. Which is nice in some ways, but the world feels busy again. There’s many cars on the road and the beach is more packed then it was before Covid! I’m glad more people get to enjoy it, but I also realise how much I enjoyed it when the world felt quiet. I think it will make me appreciate the quiet and slow times in life more going forward.
Aria Gardiner
Kapiti Coast Youth Council
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Tuesday, 28 April
It is a beautiful warm, calm autumn day as we move into Covid-19 Alert Level 3. Today, New Zealand is beginning to move again, still restricted but cautiously starting to find ways to work and live while still protecting ourselves from the unseen Covid-19.
Reflecting back over the past five weeks reveals a picture of how amazing New Zealanders are. We literally stopped the world we were living in and adapted overnight to a totally new way of life. This commitment by all of us has managed to keep the virus under control. To quote our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, this was possible because we were a ‘team of five million’ each doing our bit big or small.
Our challenge in the months ahead is to find ways to harness the amazing coming together and outreach that has occurred in all areas of our life. We need to assess and plan how we work and connect in the future, build on the initiatives that have developed in the past five weeks, acknowledge and utilise the wealth of human capital which has proved so resilient and creative.
You and I, each in our own way and together, can contribute to make New Zealand the best it can be. Let’s do it!
Jane Yoong QSM
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Monday, 20 April
As we get ready to move to Alert Level 3, let’s remember that:
Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom;
Indeed they create our courage and our wisdom.
It is only because of problems that we grow mentally
and spiritually. It is through the pain of
confronting and resolving problems
that we learn.
M Scott Peck, Psychiatrist and Writer
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Monday, 13 April
Martin Sloman QSM, MNZAC, Registered with NZAC
What has come up for me in lockdown is two very important mental health survival techniques. One is the concept of structure. When the days blend into one another one can sometimes feel a little lost and disorientated. The antidote to this is structure. This may include getting up at a certain time, having meals at the right time, exercising , reading, exercising the mind, getting outside and soaking up some vitamin D. Spending time just watching nature from our own gardens can be enormously therapeutic.
The other one is connection. In these days of limited physical contact then we need to get creative about connecting to those within our bubbles and especially with those outside of them. This is where technology ( for all it’s down sides ) can really help. Learn how to use Skype or Zoom or Messenger to connect to those who matter. Share news, pictures and funny stories to brighten up each other’s bubbles. Make a phone call. Go for a walk and have a chat with a stranger from 2 metres away! If you can’t get out then get clever and learn a new way of connection using one of the methods above,
We are social being us humans and we need connection to thrive. Good luck!
Web Site: www.martinslomancounselling.co.nz
Telephone: 022 108 5893
Email: martinsloman42@gmail.com
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Monday 6 April 2020
It’s amazing how quickly life can change and how we find ways of adapting when an emergency occurs. Yet, in day to day life, we often resist change as it means learning something new or facing the unknown.
Everyone in New Zealand and millions around the world are currently facing extreme changes in every aspect of life. The impact of COVID-19 is devastating and the consequences for many are dire. Yet, the human spirit has come to the fore in many ways as we see and hear each day in the media and from conversations with family, friends and colleagues.
While we are in this unusual time, let’s challenge ourselves to do something we have put off doing or learn a new skill that we can take forward when the changed world begins to take shape.
Jane Yoong QSM