What is happiness?

When we were young, most of us had dreams (most if us still do). I always had simple, fairly realistic dreams. Most of my dreams were based on feeling freedom, happiness and escaping the anguish of my home life. Since many of these dreams were met when I left home, I possibly stopped dreaming... it doesn't really take much for me to feel happy. I think too many of us agonise about holding onto this precious life on earth, wanting to experience every kind of perfection that the world has to offer. There is nothing wrong with this but it can be a trap. I think a person's reality is very much defined by what they think about and do on a daily basis. Too many of us are obsessed with a self-pleasing reality. I believe in living in the moment and being conscious of my contribution/ interactions. I am not overly into seeking some kind of ultimate goal as I find that small personal challenges just pop up every day. It's not healthy to put all of one's eggs in the same basket--there is just too much that is out of our control. I think that people in Australia sometimes don’t realise just how fortunate their lives already are. The things that they nitpick about frequently boggle my mind. Life is too short to bemoan its shortcomings; instead, I view it as an opportunity to constantly grow and evolve since not one of us was born perfect.

'Childmemory' by Michael Dugan

'David's Willow Tree' by Susan Clark

The following poem, Childmemory, by Michael Dugan is filled with beautiful memories and imagery. Its environmental theme is poignant and powerful. At the time of writing, this poem is not available anywhere else on the web and is almost impossible to find in published books. However, I was able to discover that it was published in Poetry Australia 32: Preface to the Seventies (1970, p. 35), which resulted in an email exchange with Michael Dugan's former colleague. I am sharing the poem in full because it is too wonderful to be forgotten forever. I encourage teachers to use this poem in their classrooms to explore the concepts of past, present and preservation. All credit goes to the brilliant Michael Dugan who composed this work.

Childmemory

Down past Macartney’s farm

beyond a wilderness of waist high thistles,

willow trees caressed the creek.

We would come to the willows

along a secret path of our own making,

to leap into their feathered greenness

and, clutching handfuls of whiplike branches,

would swing, eyes closed, above the stream,

rejoicing in motion,

with the bitter taste of willow leaves in our mouths.

Later we tied a rope to the highest branch,

and riding its arc like a pendulum,

would pause at the point of timelessness; to drop,

breaking the pool’s glass surface

into ever widening sculptured circles.

One summer night I crept silent to the willows

and swung for hours, feeling the cool sweet air on my face,

watching stars reflecting in the pool,

like trolls’ eyes staring from the black water.

Returning fifteen years later,

factories pour waste into the creek,

no one remembers willow trees.


Michael Gray Dugan (1947-2006) was an Australian poet, children's writer and editor. Born in the outskirts of Melbourne, Dugan recalled writing stories and poems as a child of eight or nine. In 1968, he first published 'Crosscurrents' magazine from the Melbourne suburb of Canterbury. He also worked as poetry editor of 'Overland' magazine and served as vice-president of the Victorian Fellowship of Australian Writers. In the 1980s, he was a consultant and an editor for the Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs. Along with his works in children's literature, Dugan had an extensive background in Australian history. He wrote numerous historical textbooks published by Macmillan Education Australia. There are over 200 book titles in Dugan's name, including factual books, fictional stories and poetry anthologies. Other publishers he wrote for include Oxford, Jacaranda, Penguin, and Hodder & Stoughton.

Utopian World

 Sandwich Shop, Montmartre, Paris

Tablecloth Shop, Rue de Rennes, Paris

 Le Petit Mâchon, Rue Saint Honoré, Paris

 Picking out beads for a handmade necklace or two, 
Marche aux Puces de Saint-Ouen 

My father always told me that I live in Utopia--this was a criticism of me--he desperately wanted me to exit my dream world. I never fully understood what he meant. I do now. I like to be immersed in beauty, art and creative pursuits. However, this was never encouraged. I eventually found myself within the four walls of a classroom. Kids are lovely but the environment isn't. It's very stifling and repetitive and menial. And, oh, the mundanity of conning kids into learning who aren't really interested...

I find myself dreaming about holidaying in Europe again. It's this kind of escapism that really irked my father. I always resort to it when I'm frustrated. I'm back in the classroom teaching again this term--that'll do it! You just feel trapped by the constant marking, assessing and rousing on kids. And, at this school, there is a bit more of that than usual. Am I motivated by the paycheck? No. But, I had to get back into it or I would have had to sign up for a 5-year reaccreditation process. No thanks. Already spent 6 years at uni taking the profession as seriously as a person could take it, and another decade teaching thereafter...

Please enjoy my small selection of photos taken in Paris last year. Thanks to my Uncle and Aunty, who invited us to their 40th Wedding Anniversary celebration in Holland, the trip came into being.

Love the Creative Life ♥

 View from our Paris apartment, June-July 2013

I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to explore my creativity on a daily basis. Sure, my house is rundown and nothing to be proud of, but this isn't always what truly matters in life. I found myself getting pulled into the trap of materialism many years ago, but recognised that it would ultimately stifle rather that fulfill me. Freedom is a wonderful feeling despite not having all the trappings that people here in Australia have come to expect for themselves. For example, I don't have a wide-screen digital TV, nor an iPhone, iPod or nice car (my car is 21 years old!) Believe it or not, you can get by, and rather happily too, without these things. I have a vintage mobile phone (doesn't accept picture messages & no internet connectivity), a laptop running Windows XP, and a fairly basic, yet good quality, compact digital camera. It's not what you have but how you use it!

This week I started a Photo Book of my recent trip to Europe. It's a slower process than scrapbooking and can drive you crazy at times! I've made a massive one before as a gift for my Mum on her 6oth Birthday. Took a year to put together! But the resultant, 100-page, professionally-printed book is wonderful to flick through. I think this one will end up being just as big. It's going a little quicker this time because I'm not having to gather together digital pics from family members. I'm just gradually working my way through the folders of the trip. It's so enjoyable to reminisce about the lovely sights, sounds and flavours of Europe. It would be great to return again and visit some different countries. Of course, I would love to see Paris again. It's such a creative, artistic and wonderful place. Loved every minute of being in that city! Good old-fashioned common sense and strong web-searching skills afforded us an amazing range of experiences that even the most cashed-up traveller would have been unlikely to see...