Category: work

February 2026

The end of February caught me off guard. Such a short month with many things going on! “Back to school”, I repeat. My daughter corrected me when she was a secondary student, telling me that it was back to school for her, but back to work for me. Absolutely right.

I think about the teacher/learner, work/school, dichotomy. I love teaching because it’s eternal learning. I love my job because I learn and connect. I have a privileged opportunity to make a difference. So many new things to learn in all kinds of ways: new students, new curriculum(I’m teaching art!), new leadership role (Marrung Lead– so humbled to take on this role) and a new team in our office. I miss having Peter in our office. My son-in-law is one of the best men I know. I’ve been so lucky to have him in my office for the last couple of years. When I recollect what’s happened in the past month, moments of such variety, I feel overwhelmed by the constant change. The overload of input and output and the range of feelings. I have noticed a shift in my energy levels and capacity to get things done. I have cried a lot about the losses that have rewarded me with this time and energy.

I went to my grandson’s first market stall. I bought a necklace he made and have received plenty of compliments about it. I feel so pleased that he is learning these entrepreneurial skills at a young age.

I could get ai to improve this writing for me, and the reader would likely appreciate it. I want to be considerate, but this is a space that has never been well read, so I’m just doing it for me.

The best thing I’ve read this month: https://tommydalts.substack.com/. It’s inspired me to write more words, rather than just sharing what I’ve been into.

This review was a good read. I never liked the novel. I love the Kate Bush song, as the introduction to enjoying her music for a lifetime.

November 2025

In October I lost my dad. It was a loss after long and difficult months of declining health. I miss him. I started missing him a little when he was sick and those little realisations of parts of him that I’d lost. The thought processes that went “I’ll ask dad about that… oh I can’t because he can’t anymore.” Little waves of grief would capture my breath, bringing tears that had to be quickly brushed away to deal with the real demands of keeping him alive. I have no words for how grateful I am to have had him for all these years.

I’m thankful for the people in my life who turned up and supported us during the time of being in and out of hospitals. I’ve been to a whole new world, hospitals, nurses, doctors, aged care, and disability were not a regular fixture in my life. It was an experience I both want to keep with me to absorb into care and compassion for others, as well as package up and throw out with the rubbish, hoping to distance myself from it forever. There were some truly excellent professionals that I have seen in action. They work in difficult systems and circumstances, and I truly value their dedication. Many things were not ideal, though, and it was difficult to bear. At the end of it all, I don’t want to complain. If I could think of how to improve it, I would, but I really don’t understand enough to make a suggestion.

“The invisibility and under-recognition of “women’s work” – that is, the work that society assigns to women – is not just a matter of numbers.

It’s an erasure and diminishing of the value of women’s capabilities and contributions to our economy.”

https://theconversation.com/unpaid-womens-work-is-worth-427-billion-new-research-shows-see-how-much-your-unpaid-labour-is-worth-267860

Every week I listen to this man’s podcast and laugh. I enjoy them very much. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/stream-of-contentedness-with-lewis-garnham/id1779506603

This month, there have been celebrations and occasions with my kids.

March 2025

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/on-singing-to-the-beloved-in-times-of-crisis/id1465445746?i=1000696748899

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-16-fashion-icon/id1779506603?i=1000696463170

I’m thinking a lot about ‘care’ this month. I’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals over the past six months and felt the impact of having caring nurses looking after my dad. Those kindnesses mean so much to me and him and all who love him. Working with people can be pretty challenging. As a teacher my care factor varies throughout the day. I wish it were always at full strength. I am trying to imagine a world where caring for one another is easier. People who are around others in their work have so much power to make someone’s day.