African Hearts Sequel

The time has come for me to start talking about the sequel to African Hearts. This book started its own journey in when Justin and Kizza came to Surfers Paradise, Australia to study at university. Justin was tapping on my shoulder wanting his story told because his mind was in turmoil and he thought by getting his story out he would be able to find peace and make a few decisions about his future.

When he arrived in Australia, the beauty of Australia captured his photographic eye. He felt a sudden affinity with the sea and often found his own moods reflected in it. The sand between his toes was different to the soils in Uganda. He loved the grainy feel of the sand and the way it moved beneath his feet. He loved the freshness of the surf and the way it tossed him in its waves.

The shifting sands beneath his feet had him thinking about his own fragile life and how, as he was contemplating university whether this was the future he wanted, or was there something else? The Australian culture was so different from Uganda.

But he had Kizza, his soul mate who watched out for him all the time. Kizza was also adjusting in her own way. She seemed not to be so shaken by the differences. That was who Kizza was, able to blend in wherever she was.

He was fascinated by her beautiful, dark-brown skin and the gentle ways she had with people. She had captured him from the moment they had met when he was eight years old, and now as an adult there was more on his mind. Would she accept him as he did her and be with him in the way he wanted?

There was a lot for him to learn about life and how you lived it in a first world country. Aunt Gina had mentioned to him that he would adapt, that Australia was an easy country to live in. There was a restlessness within him though. A tiger wanting to break free from the cage. Did he have the courage to let that tiger free or would he acquiesce to what others wanted for him? More importantly, how would the decisions he made affect his relationship with his beloved Kizza?

African Hearts sequel is a work in progress. This sequel has taken me some time to get started because I had no intention of writing a sequel then, one day in a moment of quiet reflection, Justin tapped on my shoulder and requested I tell his story. For quite some time I argued with him that the time wasn’t right, but now it seems the time is right. African Hearts, the sequel is progressing and I hope to finish it by the end of the year.

What is Australia Day?

January 26 has come around again.

However you view today, and whatever you do on this day, the important thing to remember is be kind to everyone you meet. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with their view of the day. They are entitled to their opinion, just as you are.

Some indigenous people call it survival day. I understand this sentiment. It must have been terrifying for those aborigines back in 1788 when they saw white men for the first time carrying weapons and invading their land, not afraid to shoot to kill people only armed with the most rudimentary weapons.

It is 233 years since the First Fleet arrived on Australian shores. A lot has happened in this country. We have people who have emigrated from all over the world to make Australia home. We do have a wonderful country of diverse cultures that have enriched our lives. There is one thing though, lurking in the background that needs to be addressed, and that is the division that surrounds us on this day. How we can come together to create reconciliation and move together as one?

Is it possible? Yes!

We have no control over what our forefathers did back in 1788 and before then. They made choices that they thought were right at the time. What they didn’t realize was the implications their actions would have on the generations after them, and it is so very important we think very hard about our actions that will affect the future.

So here we are 233 years later beginning the debate of how we can create a better Australia for all inhabitants. A place everyone can call home regardless of origins. A place where everyone can feel safe and cared for as well as caring for others. We all want the same result, but there are our personal issues that first must be worked through.

Each and everyone of us must look deeply for the truths that we must know first within. We must know who we are. We must know our doubts and insecurities about our own existence. The feelings of shame and inadequacy must firstly be addressed and worked through. Let the differences be debated and brought out into the open. Let everyone see and let everyone believe and love one another for who they are.

At this point of self-knowledge we will become a mature country embracing our indigenous culture without discrimination and without the threat to our freedom of speech. Let us rise up, listen and hear the hearts and needs of these people so that we may understand fully, and unite us as one people, one race, albeit diverse, and move into a unified future that will bring peace and prosperity to our nation. It is time!

The indigenous people have moved toward our culture, learning and assimilating as they are able. The white feller though, I’m not sure whether we have embraced this equally. The government has supported our indigenous people in many ways. Can we, the average Australian reach out and embrace the aborigines in their space in their time and in their way?

I haven’t because I don’t know how. I have many questions because of the respect I hold for these people who have been persecuted, and yet still hold a deep connection to the land, who wait patiently for us to be courageous and reach out. I want to know and understand that connection they have with the land. I believe during these times of climate change that connection to the land is the secret to the survival of our Mother Earth.

Each of us must take the time to listen, hear and learn what is next in the development of our culture as we move forward into a tumultuous world that is changing daily. Fear of change is because we are afraid of what we might hear, but listening brings understanding that enables change, and the exciting thing about that is that it goes both ways.

Enjoy your 26 January, 2021 in whatever you are doing today that is special and close to your heart.

I’d love to hear what you have been doing. Leave a message below.

What did I learn from zebras?

I suppose you’re wondering what zebras have to do with a broken arm. Read on and find out.

Back in November 2020, I fell over and broke my arm. It happened so quickly. One moment I was standing, giving the mower a final push and congratulating myself on a job well done, the next, I was down on the ground, wondering how I got there. I have no recollection of the accident.

When the doctors asked, “Do you remember putting your arm out?”

“Well, no, it happened so fast.”

They looked quizzically at me and all I could say was, “I stepped backwards, and the next moment I was on the ground.”

Unfortunately, it was a bad break and I needed surgery. Apparently, surgery aids healing, so I didn’t mind having surgery. Yes, it healed quickly. Eight weeks after surgery, I am out of my splint, continuing with my physio and back to writing.

So what have I learned during the past eight weeks?

• The ambulance comes quickly and the paramedics are kind, gentle and really care about you, and want to do what is best for you without you having to suffer too much pain.

• The public hospital system in Australia is good. Again, the workers are kind, gentle and really care about you, and want to do what is best for you without you having to suffer too much pain.

• I can tolerate a lot of pain. I was given an epidural in the upper arm prior to surgery for my arm. This enabled me to have less general anesthetic, which means I woke up from the surgery quicker than I usually do and there was no vomiting after the anesthetic. Unfortunately, I had no control over my arm because I couldn’t feel it, but when the anesthetic wore off my arm, the pain was bearable. This was a huge plus. Would I do that again? Yes, definitely!

• The body is amazing at healing itself. All it needs is rest and time and patience from me.

• We have compassionate friends, family and neighbors to help us. I have no family where I live, however, my loving sister came down from Brisbane to help take me to my appointments and other shopping when I was stuck. Much love to dear Tricia. My friends and neighbors stepped up, ensuring I had enough food, they cleaned my house, hung my washing, took me to the doctors for my appointments, and my out of town friends who live in the country, invited me out to their place for a few days for a change of scenery. I am grateful for all these kind folk. I could not have healed so quickly without them.

• For work, I could only type with one hand, which was frustrating. I decided to put the recovery time to catch up on sleep and reading. This was very good for the healing.

• When I wasn’t tired, I wrote by typing with one hand. It was slow and laborious, so I decided to use the dictation app in Word. If I dictated quickly, the program didn’t understand me and all kinds of interesting words were typed. However, when I slowed my speech, it worked well. Again, the slower pace frustrated me, so I decided the universe was telling me to rest. I got the message.

The biggest lesson I learned though, was to slow down. I can be so energetic that I go too fast and want to get things done in a hurry. This is not good for me as I am getting older.

I have now learned to slow down, there is time, and everything will be done in its own sweet time. The image above is a peaceful setting. The zebras are grazing, seemingly without a care in the world. Being a zebra has many benefits, so I’m slowing down and enjoying the good life, just like them.

What am I eating?

On the ABC Television last Sunday night, I watched Fight for Planet A: Our Climate Challenge. This program, hosted by Craig Reucassel, opened my eyes to how our eating habits are affecting our planet. This documentary mainly focused on the amount of carbon footprint our beef industry and the land clearing that goes to produce our beef has on our earth. This was an eye opener for me. I reduced the amount of red meat I eat several years ago, turning to fish and chicken as my preferred proteins. I’m glad I did this because I was horrified to learn how raising beef impacts the carbon footprint.

The documentary, had me thinking about the amount of plastic that is clogging our waterways. It appears these issues are impacting my health more than I thought. I have been concerned about the amount of plastic entering our waterways since the 1970s.

Plastic is a great invention. It has helped us in all areas of our lives, including putting men on the moon. When I look at the image in this post, I am horrified at the amount of plastic this fish is swimming with. How does this fish see the plastic? As food? I hope not! Because if this fish eats any of this plastic it will die. Its stomach will become full of this indigestible garbage. The long-term effect is death of our sea creatures and eventually death of humans and the death of our planet.

The image shows the big pieces of plastic rubbish. What about the smaller pieces that have been pounded by waves and broken down into small pieces.? Where are they going? I would bet into the bellies of our fish, too, and those smaller microscopic pieces may just slip into the blood stream of these fish and become imbedded into the flesh and eventually into our own stomachs when we eat the fish.

We are facing some major food issues here. Above the water we are faced with carbon issues and below the water we are faced with plastics causing major health issues for ourselves and most importantly our children, not to mention the clogging of the beaches.

It’s time we took these issues more seriously. A huge thanks to Craig Ruecassel for bringing these issues into our living rooms and showing us how we can make a difference by being mindful of what we buy and how we dispose of our garbage.

I’d love to hear how you are changing your lifestyle to reduce the effect these two issues have on our plant. Leave me a comment below.

How can I get better writing habits?

Getting better writing habits doesn’t happen over night. It takes discipline, believing in yourself, trusting your abilities, and determination. You must also be excited about your writing project. Assuming you are really excited about your project and you are committed to getting it finished, let’s get you started on some new habits.

It takes time to develop new habits. In the beginning, we want them to be uppermost in our psyche and working for us immediately. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. The first question to ask yourself is, ‘Am I committed to my writing?’ If you can answer this with a heartfelt ‘yes’, you have the power to change your habits.

The next thing to consider is that you really want to be a more productive writer. Many people want to write. They start out enthusiastic for the project, but then the writing gets hard. They realize writing a book is hard work. Writing a book takes a lot of time, which means sacrificing time with family and friends. Writing a book is solitary work, and as humans we need time with other people. So there are many factors that contribute to becoming a more productive writer.

It’s a new year and I’m suggesting you don’t try all of the habits necessary for writing a book at once, but to focus on one habit each month for the next twelve months. By focusing on habit one per month, it should make building your habits for writing more sustainable over the long term, and in 2022 you will be synced into this new habits for an even more productive year.

So here goes:

• January. Physical space. Make sure you have a regular writing space that you go to where you can focus on writing. Make sure there are no distractions. Make it a place you enjoy going to. If you like being near a window, set up your writing area near a window. If you like a room where you can’t see out, close the blinds or face the wall, and/or ensure there is a door you can close to block out interruptions. Good lighting is important. Move your desk around several times if you have to. Just get comfortable in your space. Make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing. You don’t want to be distracted by a shirt that keeps falling off one shoulder or your pants are cutting you in half at the waist or other parts of your anatomy. Make sure you have all your stationery close to hand, so that you aren’t getting up and walking around every five minutes to get the stationery you need. If you go to a public place, make sure you have your earphones with you so you can avoid tuning into what is going on around you.

• February. Focus. Before you start a writing session, quieten your mind from all that’s happening in your life. This is a simple exercise to do. Ensure you have all your notes and stationery to hand. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Let all the thoughts of your daily life drift away and fill your mind with what is happening in your writing project. No stress here. You have devoted this time to your writing so let the thoughts that aren’t related to writing go. You’ll get back to all that other stuff at a later date. This is the time to focus on writing alone. Let those around you know you aren’t to be disturbed unless the house is burning down.

• March. Determination. Become more determined you are going to be more productive. You might have to become bloody-minded about this one. Remember you have thirty-one days to achieve this, so don’t despair if it’s taking a few days for you to become comfortable with this. A new habit usually takes 28 days of focus to become a habit.

• April. Believe in yourself. Something has brought you to be a writer. What is your motivation for writing? Do you believe you’ve been called? Then allow this belief to become real in your mind and heart. Take hold of that belief and allow it to consume you in the essence of who you are. This allows you to connect with yourself at a deep level. Once this belief is aligned with your mind, you find you become more creative. You are more easily able to tap into the senses as you are writing. One of the hardest things for a writer is to believe in themselves and their work. Conquering this mindset will change the way you look at your writing.

• May. Write. You are a writer, so get those words down. When you choose your writing time, put your hands on the keyboard or pen in your hand and don’t stop. Just keep going until your allotted time is finished. I set a timer when I write, including my blogs. This helps with keeping my fingers over the keyboard or my pen over the paper. This is like having a deadline and you want to get as much done as you possible can. So don’t stop until that timer goes off.

• June. Relationships. You have been going on your new habits for five months now. Don’t forget to take time out to be present with your family and friends. It’s easy to have your mind on your project all the time. Don’t! Your family have given you the space to write. Give them the same respect as they have given you. Give your time to them with a happy heart. Your relationships will improve and so will your writing. Building the better relationships have freed your mind.

• July. Trust your subconscious. When you are engrossed in a project, you consciously work on it. At the same time your subconscious is also sifting and sorting through all the information in your mind for what you need for your project. Sometimes it needs more time to find the stuff you need. This is why, when you sit down to write, the words aren’t flowing and other times there is a flood and your fingers or pen can’t keep up with it. Other days you may have worked all day on a piece and can’t seem to get it right. Next morning you wake up and there is the solution. This is the power of your subconscious at work. Trust it! Continue the practice of letting go you did for June to improve your relationships, and combine that with trusting your subconscious this month.

• August. Refill the creative well. If the writing is tough going, it can be that you need a break away from your writing. Your mind can get tired, feel overworked and you feel your creativity has died. You need a break. It’s time to refill your creative well and it should be done at least weekly. This means taking time out to do an activity by yourself. Go somewhere or do an activity that you love. Here you will forget about the writing and concentrate on where you are and what you are doing. This activity may be something new you want to try or a favourite place you want to go to. This is your time on your own. This is where you are listening for what your soul is saying to you. That’s why you need to be alone, so you can ‘hear’ the message.

• September. Journaling. Journaling is a great way to clear your mind. I journal every morning before I start work. It’s a mind dump where you write about all those thoughts that are pushing forward for attention. I use the journal to record how my writing is going. If I can’t seem to get a scene right, I write about it in my journal until I get some clarity. I write the questions in the journal and I work at it until I get a breakthrough, so that I can continue writing the story.

• October. Fear. Fear is part of being human, but misplaced fear can stop us from writing. What are you afraid of? Succeeding? Failing? Until you address this issue, you are sabotaging yourself as a writer. Every author has doubts about their writing. Feel the fear and do it anyway. What have you got to lose? If you are worried about the time you spend writing, then maybe you should be looking for something else to do. Writing is time consuming, and it is a solitary activity. If what you’re thinking here is holding you back, you need to have a close look at the reasons why you are writing.

• November. NANOWRIMO. NANOWRIMO stands for National November Writing Month. In November, this is where you can come together with a group of other writers to write your novel in a month. It doesn’t matter if you reach your target or not. NANOWRIMO is a great way to get focused on a project for a month. Go here to find out more: https://nanowrimo.org. This is where you can catch up on your writing, if you have struggled with your output during the year. I have never done this challenge because I am already motivated to write daily. However, if your have been struggling, NANOWRIMO could be the very thing that gets you back on track.

• December. Review. You’ve worked hard all year on all of the above habits to becoming a more productive writer. This is the month where you take time to evaluate how you went throughout the year. There will be wins for you, and there will be some ‘I could have done better’ moments. Remember that you are human; you have high moments and low moments, and your loved ones need you, too.

Throughout the year, for the first post of each month I will give you a reminder of the habit we’ll be working on each month. I am hoping you will inspired to put your best effort into each monthly habit. I want to encourage you to be yourself. You know what is right for you, and as you work through this exercise this year, it’s about your habits and what you want to change for your writing life. I’m here to answer your questions on the journey this year.