Peanut Butter Revelations

Pic's Peanut Butter made me miss my bus today.

(Spoiler alert - another one came 10 mins later though)

I was grabbing a bite to eat since there was half an hour before the next bus was due after work today. In a little cafe that has a magazine rack full of reading material. Great idea if you can get over the 'these things must be full of germs" reflex. And the fact that most of them are out of date gossip mags. But then I spied it - a Business mag looking all coy and like 'come and read me, you might learn something'. So I picked it up and started reading the first article I came across (while dropping bits of flakey pastry all over the place).

It was all about the creator of Pics Peanut Butter, and I recognised the jar because a few years ago I used to buy it all the time due to its 'no added sugar' stance. Well apparently Pic (yes that's his actual name - Pic Picot in fact) started making the stuff for family and friends coz he was fed up with the available brands being loaded with sugar, and today it has the largest % of the kiwi market! You can read about it in the link attached - cool story.

He was older than I am when he started (and that is saying something!) but that didn't stop him from doing something that meant something to him and making something of it. (Too many somethings?)

When asked 'what is the best business advice you've ever been given' he says "Nothing can stand in the way of an enthusiast."

Are you starting out again, or contemplating starting again? What are you enthusiastic about? Nothing can stand in your way. (Although this doesn't count if what you are enthusiastic about is unicorns taking over the world. I'm sure you get my point here.)

Stuff will try to stand in your way, like fear and doubt - those double crossing hussies disguised as friends. However, just remember the dream and the dare and forge on. Something WILL eventuate, even if it doesn't look the way you expected.

http://picspeanutbutter.com/a-thousand-welcomes-lovely-lover-of-peanut-butter/

On Gorse and Nature

I very strongly detest gorse. The kiwis will know what I mean - that introduced plant full of thorns that was originally brought over from Western Europe as early as 1835, with the intention of making nice hedges to keep our livestock contained and create windbreaks. In our warmer climate it went out of control, and turned out to be New Zealand's most costly invasive plant pest. Wikipedia reckons it now covers around 5% of our land. And it is very VERY difficult to control, impossible to eradicate.

Why the history lesson? Well, I was on a fantastic bush walk today with family, but got very angry about the gorse all through our lovely native landscape . We ended up negotiating a near vertical cliff face to get down to an uninhabited beach and cave system worth visiting. Where the track became more mud than rock one really had to have a grip on the surrounding available vegetation or roots just in case you lost your footing. And of course often that included trying to avoid the gorse if possible. Horrible stuff. I felt resentment welling up about the whole rush to introduce 'homeland' species to a new land without thoroughly testing the outcomes.

Wind back a bit to yesterday. I was reading an article in 'Psychologies' Magazine that was endorsing the benefits of getting into nature, and this inspired me to book in time for a family walk in our local West Auckland bush. "When everyday life gets overwhelming, tapping into the power of the wilderness...or a journey through an untamed landscape, offers us the chance to rebalance our lives and get in touch with what really matters" it said. Quite apart from the fitness and fresh air aspect, being 'out there' helps disconnect us from everything causing anxiety and dissatisfaction - gets us out of our 'having' mode, and helps us feel part of something larger than ourselves.

Well being a believer I know I have this very power inside of me at all times, but there is something 'spiritual' about the wilderness and untamed places that brings me awareness of another side of Him. And there are stories and anecdotes and analogies, metaphors, parables and life lessons whispering all around you if you open your heart to the experience. I eventually became aware of my feelings towards the gorse and asked 'what's the lesson?' It was out of place and ruining the experience - there was not a single indigenous species on this cliffside causing any problem, in fact rather they created great hand holds for our descent and return ascent. (No plants were hurt in the making of this blog.)

Gorse is an invader. Pure and simple. It had its place in the colder regions of Europe - obviously highly regarded there or the pioneers would not have brought it over. But when creating a new life for yourself in new territory you should not bring things that worked for you in the past. You need to live in the new for a while until you get used to 'the way things are' now, how things operate, what contributes to the balance, find out the purpose of the indigenous species and whether you really need anything else or not. Then, when you do introduce a new thing, do one at a time, and start small, testing it with the appropriate controls and over a period of time long enough to see the results and side effects, before making the call to go with it whole hog.

Now how can we apply this personally? What is the 'new land' you are emigrating to? Is it a new position at work or new work place? Is it a new relationship, or shifting flats? Is it an actual geographical shift? Are you just contemplating a change at this stage? Gosh, a change can be great for the soul so I would go for it if it is something you are sure you believe in. What's the worse that could happen? How likely is that? What is the best thing that could happen? How likely is that?
But once you have made the change, rest in the new zone for a while without making further hasty decisions about what you are going to bring to the table, what you are going to introduce, or trying to change other's point of view. Just 'be' for a while and enjoying learning about your new environment, the people and their ways. Try to make sense of what is different and why it might be that way. The wrong change can be costly, and may not be something you can ever take back or undo!

No one likes prickles. That's the other thing I learned. Prickly attitudes turn people off, but also can be invasive and spread through the whole environment. So make like a flax leaf and be flexible but tough. Ooooh, another analogy! But I'll keep that one for another day.
Meanwhile, find that wild place and go visit it with friends or by yourself (safely) to destress and rebalance. It really works! And take some pineapple lumps with you for good measure. Until next time, haere ra .

Silence is a Note

I am a recent-ish convert to listening to the National Concert radio programme on the way to work. As a lover of alternative music in general, it's not too much of a stretch to embrace the epic and varied items of classical music. It's like listening to movie soundtracks. I love the many changes of mood experienced within one piece. The downside of the lulls and dramatic pauses in the music is that if you tune in to the radio station at one of these points you may think the reception is lost!
More than once I have racked the volume up trying to hear what's going on only to be blasted by the continuing score. Sometimes the strings drop low, or there is a sudden gap of silence before a change of pace. The effect is you listen more intently and tune in, anticipating the next notes or movement. It is a valid part of the arrangement. The conductor is still giving signals to the orchestra in these moments. There is power in the silence. 
And that brings me to my point. Yes! I'm not just rambling about music. The lesson I have embraced in recent years is that silence is a legitimate thing. I think the symbol for gaps in the music is called a 'rest'. Moments in life that to the onlooker might seem like inaction can be valuable - downtime, rest, centre-ing.  Little gaps in our story that help us to tune in - experiencing peace while building anticipation for the next chapter. Don't despise the gaps, nor turn the volume up to drown out the silence (or the next note could deafen you!) and don't presume you've missed the station - remember the Conductor is still giving signals. Maybe a job, relationship or prized pastime has come to an end. Whatever the 'lull' is in your life, rest, and listen intently. Don't be in a hurry to fill the gap with random stuff for the sake of feeling useful or loved. It may well ruin the design of this moment in time for you.
Selah.