Hi everyone (and hello to the new people here). This week I’ve been thinking about renewing relationships and connecting with the people we love. Our family recently took Canadian cousins on a whirlwind tour of Sydney’s CBD, and I snapped this photo of my beloved Queen Victoria Building.
I love beautiful buildings, and QVB is incredible: built in 1898 and designed by a 28 year old architect, it was essentially a make-work project in the middle of a recession so the government could employ out-of-work craftsmen. Take a peek inside…
The QVB is a survivor. Built for a purpose, and reinventing itself over and over—even saved a couple of times from being torn down—the Queen Victoria Building still stands. As of 2010, it was preserved as a historical site.
Here’s what it makes me think about my own life, and possibly yours: we’re built for purpose, but that purpose keeps changing.
I’m in the middle of changing from a mother of teens to a mother of men. In fact, I’m behind…and wow, there’s pain in that. After a few sleepless nights, I realised this week that I need to catch myself up to my current reality.
Maybe you do, too.
Is there something in your life (a role you play, a relationship you have, a skill that used to work) that’s just no longer working?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced lately is that we need to allow each other the space to change.
We need to allow ourselves the space to change.
When the old “fit” no longer works, or feels off, the best thing to do is this:
Allow, allow, allow, allow.
In our relationships, it’s okay for us to feel behind, or out of synch.
We may be wrong about people (especially as they change).
Other people may be wrong about us (because we’re changing, or even because they never really understood us to begin with).
With every iteration of ourselves, with every new year and new set of experiences, the way things worked before may not work in the same way now. And that’s life, right? It’s a cliche because it’s true: the only certainty is change.
Allow, allow, allow. Have the courage to try something new. Reinvent your way of thinking. Test it out. Keep discovering what might work better now…and keep on walking.
I’m wishing you a weekend full of rest and unexpected happiness.
Love Catherine x
PS. The fun stuff!
Fun and useful — my favourite natural-look mascara.
If you’re in Sydney, the QVB offers history tours. Also the Hyde Park Barracks museum’s self-paced tour of our convict history is fascinating. (It’s a world heritage site, and the tour has been recently upgraded. It’s excellent!)
Favourite books on Australian convict history: The Secret River (a novel) and The Fatal Shore (history, and fascinating).
Such unique tips on folding clothes — why do I find this so satisfying?