Can I just declare a small appreciation post for the beauty of the West Coast. It is bitter, courageous, wrenching, gritty, graceful and beautiful all at once. If you have been living in Auckland for awhile now and haven’t had a chance to venture out that way, I beg of you take a visit. It is complete chaos yet does the most perfectly graceful job of making you feel small.
Humility is a leason best taught by the ocean, dont you agree?
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
I just wanted to post a little something. These last few days I have been part of something pretty special, Haunted Hogwarts. Yesterday I presented to a group of people about my experience working on the event.
I was relaying how at times it was incredible stressful and time consuming but the point I was trying to get across was no matter how many hours and hours we spent working on spreadsheets, props, sending emails, organizing volunteers, selling tickets, problem solving and creating the magic which was Haunted Hogwarts, it is absolutely nothing compared to the stress of having a child going through cancer. It was an absolute privilege to work with Twig & Arrow to create a little bit of magic for those in which magic, dreams, delight and joy are sometimes fleeting.
A heartfelt thanks to all those who waited in line, volunteered their time, energy, support and love to create something with purpose. Our actors and volunteers I am honestly blown away by your generous spirits.
A more in-depth blog post will be up after Christmas and will detail the dos, do nots and the do not forget to dos, of running a 2000+ attendee Halloween event with a part time event team of three.
I will also upload a whole bunch of exciting photos, but just for now, this is one of my favorites, the beautiful Rita Skeeter
200 women stand behind me. They whisper and sometimes shout, ‘ you are loved, you are loved you are loved’, and then as if an echo ‘you have a responsibility‘.
I graduated this December. I have succeeded in three years of hard work and diligence. I now hold a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Event Management and minoring in business & sustainable design. I have educated myself, bettered myself and equipped myself yet, I am vastly unfulfilled. University was a stepping stone but now I find myself itching, yearning for the next adventure, an adventure with purpose, productivity and responsibility.
Someone special gifted me a book for graduation, filled with 200 evoking and challenging stories. Stories about women who empower and who embody integrity, hope, resilience and kindness. It is through these stories that I am beginning to re-learn what I was taught in faith – that we as unjustified receptiants of privilege are made for something more than an ordinary life and with that, have a responsibility to contribute.
I do not know exactly what this looks like for my life, but I am restless of routine, of study halls. I am restless of comfort and of pleasure. I guess this is somewhat a new years resolution, but I want it noted that following this I will wake up every day and ask my self two things, how can I better my future today? And and more importantly, how can I better someone else’s future today?
For after all the only thing that separates an ordinary women from an extraordinary one, is the belief that she is ordinary.
A one sentence tribute to this little place and the invaluable knowledge I gained there, both about people and wellness. So many powerful women have made a home here among the Ivy.
Pockets of spring are showing up here in Wellington, and with the ushering in of a new season I find myself reading Melissa Ambrosini’s latest blog post titled ‘ my 27 life power statements’. A beautiful and intelligent post consisting of statements that are woven into your genetic makeup and which determine the direction you choose to walk each day.
So in the season of spring and the season of cleaning out all the dusty corners of my house and mind, here are a few of my power statements. Directed at nourishing hope, purpose and awareness. I would absolutely love to hear a few of yours.
The one piece of advice I wish to relay to you along with this collection of beautiful images by Anahita, is to give depth to your styling. A bit of sentiment, history and belonging. Do not warrant any occasion as an excuse to deck your lounge or dinning room table with new ornaments, crockery and cutlery. Encourage genuine conversation by incorporating your grandmothers crystal glasses, the geometrical jam spoons or the shell napkin holders from your family batch.
It is far better to have fewer things of quality then too much expendable junk.
The following photos are from a recent Twig & Arrow styling workshop that I was lucky enough to observe. Total credit given to those who it is worthy of and who are lovingly captured below.
I have been busy settling back into a different city here but rest assured there are a number of blog posts on the back burner, one of which is a short and hopefully helpful review on a couple of popular products found at the beautifully presented store, Mecca. Reviews coming in a few days – stay tuned.
