You Can Do It!
Have you ever had the feeling that you’ve been unknowingly guided to an experience for your greater good? An experience that you had never intended, but through a serendipitous chain of events it appeared in your path, so you took it? Well, that’s the feeling I’ve been having this week after an absolutely wonderful day of climbing Bell Rock in Sedona, Arizona.
The Wisdom of Dogs
There is something magical about dogs - particularly working dogs - that gives you a sense that a greater force is at work through these beautiful creatures. Their mission to happily complete a task for their master to the best of their abilities is something to behold. Successful working dogs are intelligent, intuitive, hard-working, dedicated, and loyal; and like all dogs, offer unconditional love. They also display a sense of wisdom that can act as a wonderful teacher to us humans - from living unselfishly, putting the pack first, and living for the moment. Their importance to us is far-reaching, but only when we look really closely do we see just how much we can learn from them.
How Do We Cope With Loss – In a Pandemic World?
“We all face moral and ethical challenges in our lives. Sometimes we make mistakes, but we are all just human beings with flaws. All I try to do is good deeds each day.” Rodney Joseph Wortley, April 2020.
Rod, Roddie, Phantom - or Rodney as I often liked to call him – was my wonderful Stepfather, who sadly passed away suddenly in Adelaide on the 5th January, 2021. I’d known him for 35 years, since the age of 12, and he became an extraordinarily positive influence on me. He had an enormous zest for life - he was fun, he loved teasing and stirring the pot, he helped so many people, he did so much for my mother and our family, and he always, always looked on the bright side – so much so that the last song at the funeral ceremony was ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’. I have been blessed to call him my second Dad.
Due to the pandemic, and the subsequent restrictions on entering Australia, it was impossible for me to fly home to mourn his loss with my family. Thousands of Australians have found themselves in similar situations over the last 10 months - whether they’re Australians that are unable to get back into the country, are already in the country but can’t cross state borders, or just couldn’t attend a funeral due to a variety of location restrictions. But it’s not unique to Australia – similar problems are echoed all around the world. It’s made me ask the question, in this unique time in our lives, how have people been coping with their loss when the traditional ways of mourning have been taken away? And just how important is religion in coping with the loss of a loved one?
My 20th Post - 20 of 20 in 2020
When I discovered earlier this week that I had written 19 blog posts, and then realised that I’d travelled to 20 States in the US this year, it was just too much of a coincidence to not write a 20th post to round out 2020 - even though I proclaimed my last post was my final one for this year. In keeping with the weird, wacky, and totally-different-to-my-everyday-life year that 2020 has been, I’ve picked 20 experiences from 20 different States I’ve visited, in 2020, which reflect this most unusual year.
2020, The Big Reveal - some highlights of a historic year
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!” Dolly Parton
And isn’t that a wonderful perspective to take as we close out ‘2020, The Big Reveal’ - well, that’s what I am calling it at least. In a dramatic year that has seen so much loss, sadness, division, dispute, and abandonment; and where true colours have been revealed, I wanted my final blog post for 2020 to focus on the positives of the year, from both a personal and a wider perspective. My deep feeling is that 2020 is the year we were meant to have, where all our (metaphorical) masks and crutches were taken away from us, in order to reveal who we truly are as people, as communities, and as countries. My heart goes out to those that have suffered greatly this year - there are so many - and I recognise that, whilst I’ve had a few inconveniences this year, I’m definitely one of the lucky ones, and my appreciation of so much has sky-rocketed. So, I wanted to share with you some things that have made me laugh, or inspired me, or that I’ve found beautiful, in this crazy year of 2020.
Nostalgic Feels
Nostalgia: a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.
This topic has become entrenched in my mind over the last couple of months – partly because of the longing for a return to ‘traditional family values’ I’ve heard spoken about here in the US in the lead up to the election, and partly for my own pining for home, family, friends, and a country a lot less divided than the one I’m currently living in. It’s made me wonder, why is ‘nostalgia’ for the past such a strong emotion for us? Are our memories etched with a fondness that is really just an exaggeration of truth; and do we tend to eliminate the negative memories? Can feelings of nostalgia be trusted? It’s also made me ponder towns and cities that are built around the nostalgia of the past, and what type of emotion that creates for visitors. One such town I visited recently that falls into this category is Hot Springs, Arkansas, and I explore this topic of ‘nostalgia’ through my travel photography of this intriguing town along with some research.
Why Vote Trump 2020 - Follow Up
“Whatever you do, don’t talk about politics, religion, or guns!”
That was the advice I was given by many (Americans and Australians) amidst our move to Memphis in the US. They knew the topics were extremely divisive and would only cause heated discussions.
“Well, I think I’ll just ignore that” I thought to myself after living here for a year, because how do you really get to know a ‘culture’ unless you discuss the deeper issues? I’m here for an educational time, not a long time, so I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind and delve down into some of the interesting topics that so many of us ‘outsiders’ seek to understand.
Why people vote(d) for President Trump was one of them, and in this follow up to my most recent blog post ‘Why Vote Trump 2020’, I write about some of the feedback I received (or didn’t), I share some of the videos that have since been shared with me to further explain the topic, I briefly discuss ‘media’ and the power they wield over the world, and I share the podcast I was recently a guest on. It’s been an exciting, eventful few weeks!
Why Vote Trump 2020
“He’s an egotistical, narcissistic, morally bankrupt, would be tyrant of a President asserting his power and superiority whilst destroying his country”; or at least that is what many people outside of the US think about President Trump.
Then there are those inside of the US that hold a similar sentiment: “I know I speak for many New Yorkers - well at least the 80% of New Yorkers who did not vote for him in 2016* - by saying that some of the first words we uttered when The Donald ran for President were ‘joke’ and ‘stunt.’ (* only 19% of registered voters in affluent Manhattan as well as the working class boroughs of the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn voted for Trump in 2016.)
The US is a rich, resourceful and beautiful country, which from my experience is filled with wonderfully kind and hospitable people, yet many of them are currently the subject of global fascination and pity, as outsiders (and many insiders) can’t understand how these same people could elect a man like Trump and what sort of a political system makes it possible.
As an Australian, that for 20 months has been living in the red state of Tennessee, surrounded by many Trump supporters, I know there is another narrative that isn’t heard widely around the rest of the world - besides the tribal like and widely televised ‘God, Guns and Trump’ axiom.
What do the traditional Republican voters think about Trump, and why might they be voting for him in 2020? With my skepticism of the truthfulness of US media, I decided to go straight to the source, and ask some of those Republican supporters exactly why they would vote ‘Trump 2020’.
Following are my findings, either explained at a deeper level, or questioned via some of my own research. Most are obvious and fit within the narrative of the Republican Party, but they offer a real and authentic perspective of those intelligent southerner and northerner conservatives I’ve met here in Memphis, that have lived in the US their whole life, and that have a greater understanding of what is at stake, than my limited knowledge.
I Come From a Land Down Under
This week I share a few thoughts on being an Aussie in ‘The South’, and some exciting news - for me anyway.
Mississippi Soul - Abandoned, Part 3
After 5 months of intense 24/7 time with the 5 other members of my family - due to COVID Pandemic restrictions - I was in need of some alone time. As I drove in solace through the vast, fertile land that is the Mississippi Delta, listening to Alannah Myles ‘Black Velvet’ – ‘with that slow Southern style’, I felt a magnetism to a place that I had heard about my whole life - but really knew little about. Much like the Bermuda Triangle, I wondered, once here, would I ever leave - not physically, but my soul? As I neared the Delta town of Greenwood, I was expecting what Charley Pride sings about in his song ‘Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town’ - ‘one dusty street, you walk up and down, and nothing much to see but a starving town’; but instead, I just felt an overwhelming sense of suction – like I was being drawn into a new world. But rather than aliens and strange lands, this world was embellished with God, love, fertility, music, creativity, and a dark past. Its mysteries drew me into its web and captured me. An alluvial, gold bearing, triangular land - what secrets would I discover on my 2 day escape from reality?
A Road Less Travelled
In the words of Willie Nelson, ‘On the road again, I just can’t wait to get on the road again….’
The excitement was brewing in our household. Lockdown restrictions had been eased, and planning was in the works for a road trip through six iconic US States. The high-stake negotiations on who was sitting where in the car were underway, and the debate on which fast-food outlet we would eat at for the first night was worthy of an award. The itinerary was set, but loose around the edges, keeping it open for those spontaneous moments that would surely crop up. The bags, including the all important face masks and hand sanitizer were packed, the car was full to the brim with pillows and blankets, the movies were downloaded onto iPads, and the anticipation levels were high. We were off and we were excited!! We were back doing what we had set out to do when we moved to America - travel, become a little more educated, and have adventures along the way. From America’s oldest history of 1st settlements, to America’s newest history of statue removal and protest camps, to natural beauty and fun adventures, it was an epic road trip though many different types of America. Read on though this photographic journey to learn more.
Midsummer Break
I’m nearly six months into this blogging thing – who would have thought! It strikes me that it could be a good time to find out what you would like to read and learn about. I’ve never asked - but then again - when I started this, I never knew what ‘this’ really was. It’s just been a space where I could a) share photographs I’ve been taking, and b) write about some of the observations and emotions of an Australian living in Memphis with my family. It’s also been a space where I could write about some of my ‘past’ emotions – perhaps too much information for some - but it’s felt quite liberating and cathartic, and I think it helps others to process their own emotions, past and present (or so I’ve been told). In this briefer post, I’m summarising who ‘you’ are – the people that have been reading my blog, I’m sharing some thoughts on where I’m at with blogging, I’m updating you on where my family is at, I’m providing insight to some recent US experiences, and I question you to think about what you’d like from me in the future regarding this blog – is there something about the US or Australia that you would like to ask? I probably can’t answer it personally, but I’m certainly enjoying researching, learning and sharing my posts, and I hope you might be too. If you’re not, then I’d love to know that too, as this process is one big learning experiment for me…
Abandoned - Part 2
Jim Crow Laws
Redlining
White Flight
Food Deserts
These are all terms and phrases I’d never heard before, until I moved to Memphis, Tennessee in December 2018. I’ve heard them infinitely more these past few weeks as the national conversation has turned from COVID to Black Lives Matter (BLM), which has also led me to procrastinate on writing this post. All of a sudden, there is more of a spotlight on what one (ie white folk) has to say about BLM – or more importantly, what one doesn’t say, and instead listens and learns, as this New York Times article writes, and many others I’ve read:
‘As a new generation steps up, activists and historians believe there’s important work to be done for white people: Listening to black voices and following rather than trying to lead, for one, and undertaking the deep introspection required to confront unconscious bias and the perks of privilege that come just from being white.’
and ‘Educate yourself before you engage.’
Who am I - a white Australian who has only lived in the US for 18 months - to write about such topics that I know so little about, and what do these issues have to do with photographs of abandoned buildings anyway? This question has been playing on my mind, and I’ve been wondering, should I still write this post? Well, I guess the answer is yes. As an observer in the US, with no political party allegiance, there are many conditions and issues that have made a clear impression on me, which may not be as apparent if I’d lived here my whole life. In this photo story, I will try to explain the deep rooted impact of the inequities listed above and the role they played in the blight of abandonment we see in Memphis and throughout the US today.
Whitewashed Florida
With ‘Shelter at Home’ restrictions slowly easing here in the US, my family and I were fortunate to be able to travel to Florida for a week’s holiday at the beach. We’d heard that the 30A Scenic Highway on the ‘Panhandle of Florida’ (the North Western part of the State in Walton County) had beautiful white sandy beaches and turquoise water of the Gulf of Mexico; and it was also one of the closer beaches to Memphis (about 488 miles, or 785 kilometres). Perfect! We booked in a last minute trip and discovered that it was all of those things and more, and it was a wonderful family holiday for us that dearly missed the ocean.
But….
With the recent death of George Floyd, and the subsequent protests around the US (and the world) while we were there, my mind was often far from white sandy beaches. What I found myself thinking about, besides how beautiful the area was, was also how white it was, in every sense of the word. It was a world away from the protests and there was minimal evidence of COVID concern. It often felt like the town in the movie ‘Pleasantsville’. We only ended up booking this holiday because our trip to Australia was cancelled due to COVID, and we weren’t sure if a beach holiday was enough of an ‘American experience’ - coming from coastal Australia, we basically grew up at the beach. But in light of recent events, it became quite educational, and very much an American experience.
In this photo story, I take you on a journey of this stunning location, and offer a little history relevant to the current times.
Abandoned - Part 1
One thing that has intrigued me since arriving in the US to live, is the vast amount of abandoned buildings I’ve seen. I first noticed them in downtown Memphis, but then I’ve also observed them throughout parts of the US when we’ve travelled. In some areas, they dominate the landscape and emanate the feel of a modern day ghost town. It’s compelled me to ponder many questions – why are there so many in one of the richest nations in the world, are some areas harder hit than others, what is the story behind their abandonment, and who are the people behind the stories? It’s also raised other questions in my mind – what else becomes abandoned, and why – not just buildings, but whole towns, cultures, ideologies, and most importantly, ourselves? I’ll be delving into these questions in this 5 part series, and in this first photo story, I explore where the intrigue came for me in the first place, the generational farm I grew up on, and the Irish and Indigenous peoples forced to abandon their lands.
The Gift of Great Teachers
We’ve just had ‘Teacher Appreciation Week’ here in the US, and I’ve never appreciated teachers as much as I do now! And I think this is echoed around the world. The abrupt move from teaching classroom style to home learning for three quarters of the world’s population is simply hard to fathom. What an enormous feat these teachers have achieved. Today, Mother’s Day, I reflect on the wonderful teaching gifts I’ve received throughout my life, and share with you some of those gifts that have helped shape who I am, particularly during the challenging years of motherhood when I was a bit ‘lost in the woods’. From books, to health professionals, to healers and beyond, I hope these may be of service to someone else. For “every woman that heals herself helps heal all the other women who came before her, and all those that came after her”.
Nationalism and Nostalgia
Nationalism and nostalgia - two themes that have pervaded my psyche over the last couple of weeks. In today’s writing and photo story, I observe some recent US events and report who COVID-19 is affecting the most here. I ponder the influence of the media on us all. I explore my son’s American History school work. I take a trip down memory lane, and I showcase some of my photography that shouts ‘America’. It’s an observational exploration of this great and diverse country from a newcomers perspective.
Treasure Hunts, Jigsaw Puzzles and Things That Make Me Smile
his has been a hard one to write this week. I started off deciding that it was going to be a really positive post about things that have made me smile lately, accompanied with fun, colourful photos I have taken. Whilst it is still this, I’ve also ended up talking about my parents separating when I was 13, that wasn’t the plan! …………... But, as it just seemed to want to flow out of me from some other place, I realised that there are many positives to come out of the adversity that we go through, and I understood what this post was really about. I’ve struggled to express myself succinctly this week, but I still hope you enjoy this latest installment. If I can make one person smile from my creative expression, then I think it’s worth putting it out there.
Treasure Hunts and Jigsaw Puzzles, two things we’ve been doing this week. But perhaps also a metaphor for life….
Pandemic Emotions
It’s a very emotional time; and I think we’re all just trying to process how we feel, and get through day by day, or feed by feed as I used to say when I was a breastfeeding mother. Personally I’ve had a bit of a stumble this week, and at the first hurdle! The reality of having six people in the house at all times, four of whom are home schooling, hit home. Couple that with distance from family, restrictive movements, and of course the fact that this virus is pretty damn scary, and some strong emotions surfaced.
Memphis Ghostown, but ‘The King’ is not dead!
Some thoughts on why we’re staying put, some relevant music and spiritual advice, and a tour of Memphis iconic sites in this environment.