Simply smile

I had two experiences today, on nearly opposite ends of the customer service spectrum.

Scenario one: I drove to our local supermarket to quickly pop in and buy some airtime for my cell phone. I stopped at the lottery and cigarettes counter to avoid the ever-growing queues in the shop. After waiting a few moments, I was (hardly) greeted by a lady wearing a shiny halo of Christmas tinsel but no smile. She duly rang up my purchase, not a word was said or a smile exchanged and I paid and left. Not an experience to remember, nor one to forget. Just the kind of experience we often face and don't give a thought to.

Scenario two: I left the Christmas elf at the cigarette counter and drove to the local library. After choosing a few books (one of my favourite things to do, always so much to choose from!) I decided to hire a documentary on Planet Earth. While paying for the DVD, I was confronted with a cheerful, chatty and smiling librarian. He chatted about the dvd, smiled, made some good comments and I actually enjoyed the experience. I left feeling happy and smiling, definitely a customer-service experience to remember.

It just highlighted to me what a simple smile can do!

Simply reading

I have just finished Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything". At 515 pages it is not that short. But considering that he is trying to fit in 'nearly everything' I am impressed that he resisted the temptation to keep writing! I imagine that deciding what not to put in was more of an arduous task than trying to decide what to write about!

I tried to read this book when I was a student at university. I was in my Honours year of my science degree, and immersed in the scientific world, research and learning. Not surprisingly (in hindsight) Bill Bryson's book didn't grab me enough for me to read more than the first chapter. Spending day after day in the world of science, trying to find my place in that world and trying to keep my thoughts orderly and coherent was enough to suck my scientific mind dry. Reading a book that covered a lot of the natural history that I was immersed in learning was not quite the distraction I sought after a day in the lab or with my nose firmly in the journal section of the libary.

Now reading this same book several years later I have loved every sentence. Everything I love about science and the amazing and confusing world we live in was brilliantly illuminated in this book. Bill Bryson's writing always manages to turn even potentially brain numbing topics into a nimble hop, skip and jump of the mind. Humour is his ally, and the ability to condense information and collate it in way that is readable and laugh-out-loud funny at times is a gift that I truly appreciate in him as a writer.

Besides enjoying a good read, his book also retaught me a lesson I constantly have to remind myself about:

Everything in its own good time.

When I was a student, A Short History of Nearly Everything was obviously not what my brain needed. Maybe there were other factors at play too, but I have learnt that life is not about reading the 'right' book. It's more about the right book at the right time. This month was the right time for me to read this book. Simply put, I was following my heart and my head - firstly all those years back by admitting that I just couldn't get through this book, and now this past month by feeling the flow of joy when reading it.

Keeping my reading habits simple means that I keep myself simple. If it grabs me I read it, if it doesn't I move on! Life is too short, and there are too many good books to get stuck on reading one that you aren't even enjoying!

Simply Christmas lite

December is one of the strangest months of the year. Christmas looms large and expensive on the horizon, every weekend is booked up with end of year get togethers and Christmas parties, and shopping malls are manic. It feels like a long month and there is plenty of time to do everything you need to do, but based on previous experience it always whizzes by.

Looking at everyone around me frantically trying to fit everything in to December leaves my head spinning. Our dining room table was recently covered with all sorts of gifts waiting to be wrapped. One of our flatmates was busy getting ready for a trip this weekend to visit friends before Christmas. The table was covered from end to end with a cacophony of gifts. Taking a closer look at all of them, I wondered if the receivers of the gifts would actually be using these gifts a few months down the line, or even remember who gave them the gift? Sure they are useful, but more often than not they lose their shiny ‘newness’ a few weeks after Christmas and gather dust. More expensive gifts can follow the same route too.

This year I would like to have a “Christmas-lite” theme. Of course I love receiving gifts and enjoy the surprises of unwrapping them. But if I am honest with myself, I lack nothing in my life. I may not have the newest gadgets and gizmos, but if I look at all the things that make life comfortable (a home, a car, clothing, food) and meaningful (my wonderful partner Mike, my family and friends) - I have everything I need.

I would like to enjoy the month for its friendships, family reunions and for the great sense of holiday spirit amongst everyone. I love the laughter shared with people who are close to you, and enjoying precious family time together. This December I look forward to avoiding the shopping malls and the pain of credit card debt. As Coca-Cola says, “live on the light side of life!”

Simply green

Today I spent the morning at the Kaipatiki Ecological Restoration project. They provide nature restoration services and community education, as well as environmental talks, workshops and corporate projects for the public.

They have organised over 500 volunteers this year, planted over 10 000 trees and have enjoyed more than 5 700 volunteer hours from everyone who has been involved. And this is all organised by a team of 7 part time staff. Impressive!

Being involved in some re-potting today and going for an interesting (albeit rainy!) walk to Tuff Crater got me thinking about "green volunteering". That is, volunteering at conservation organisations and the like. Three things really struck me today.

Firstly, there is a wonderful sense of camaraderie and community spirit amoungst everyone involved. There are no gender barriers, age or cultural differences. Everyone gets stuck in and gets their hands dirty. You often end up chatting to someone you may never have spoken to in everyday life! Today I had fascinating conversations ranging from how to use local plants for medicinal purposes to great walks on the South island and where to go camping over the Christmas holiday period.

Secondly, it is good for the soul to do simple things. Nothing was high tech, no one was dressed to impress and everyone was there to help. Getting your hands dirty is always a great experience - I loved looking at everyone around me and noting the simple joy we were all having together.

Thirdly, it is so simple to just do it! Even if you search on the Internet for local activities (that is how I find out about most of the projects I have been involved with) and contact the organisers, I'm sure you will find something that is close by and suits your interests.

All in all, staying in touch with nature and being involved in keeping our earth simply green satisfies my soul! Thank you Kaipatiki!

Simply exercise

Exercising does not come naturally to most people. I was thinking back over how long I have been going to gym, and was surprised to realise that it has been over 15 years now. And I have only really found my groove at the gym in the last 7 or so years. That leaves 8 years of exercising without enjoying it much. Exercise obviously did not come naturally to me!

So what has changed? Mainly I have changed the way I view exercise. I have simplified my view to this basic exercise credo: "if you feel like doing it even just a little bit, then just do it". Go with the flow, listen to your body and your mind. It sounds simple, and it is simple. The trick is to get into the habit of being in touch with what you are feeling. The days I have not exercised (be it at the gym, walking or riding my bike) are usually restorative and healing. I have stopped (at least mostly!) berating myself if I don't exercise. What has changed over the past few years is that I have come to listen to myself more closely and to let go a little of the strict and harsh control of earlier years, and have relaxed into a more fun and joy filled workout regime.

Apparently, exercise does not directly help you to lose weight. It does burn calories, and that is always useful. But one of its main benefits if you are looking to trim down by incorporating exercise into your life is that it lifts your mood, gives you a nice dose of those feel-good hormones and therefore also motivates you to eat more carefully and more mindfully. Sounds good to me!

Another interesting study recently looked at the influence of exercise on genes. Basically, the study found that men who incorporated exercise, a healthy diet and meditation into their lives had certain cancer and disease genes "switched off". It was a small study, and I'm sure there is still a lot of work to be done on that topic, but if there is even a small chance that exercising can protect us in more ways than we have previously realised, then even more reason to do it.

I have come to love and enjoy exercise by simplifying the entire event - if I walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes then great. If I do a sweat-inducing workout or an hour long class then great. The key for me is to keep it simple, do it for the fun of it and listen to what my body is truly telling me!

Simply meadows

Creating your own simple meadow is a great project that is accessible to everyone. All you need is a tub, some soil and some seeds. Plant the seeds, keep them watered and simply watch your meadow bloom! Your meadow may be the oasis the bees in your neighbourhood need? Imagine if everyone had a mini-meadow on their balcony? Or if we transformed our lawns into beautiful meadows? The neighbourhood would look lovely, and the mini-meadows would provide much needed stop overs for your local bees.

Bee populations are in decline, and by simply creating your own meadow, you will be contributing to a global need for more habitats for bees. Our urban jungles can be very sterile places for bees that happen to pass through them, but with mini-meadows dotted around it would transform the area! It will also attract birds and butterflies. We have our own mini-meadow on our balcony. The white flower photo above is one of the lovely surprises from a packet of seeds we sowed.

Watching the meadow bloom has been fun for us too - simple fun!