Gifted Time

Family, friends, acquaintances and readers. Those who know me well have received countless letters and emails over the years. Since leaving Aus in 2015, it was my best way to keep in touch and share with you the adventures I was having. My Uncle Steve, Dad’s brother, suggest I do something about my writing. He planted a seed, it’s grown, and since I’ve been reading long-form essays by my favourite writers for the past few years, I now feel a sense of urgency to “put out” what I’ve been storing away in my diaries and notes section of my iPhone. The urgency is felt because it feels like people are using my words, my ideas — and I need to express them before people think I am “copying!” the actual truth is not so, which you will discover after reading my first journal post. The truth is that at once, many of us are feeling and thinking the same, and we are simply peppering/expressing the thought/idea in our unique way. So, I will be gone with my fear, and also be grateful I had it because now, I can dust the cobwebs off my storytelling and share some stories with you.

I hope you find some resonance, familiarity, and connection in my words. I look forward to hearing your perspectives on what I’ve said, and I also ask for your open-mindedness before reading.

How to open your mind? Close your eyes and focus on the space in between your eyes, slightly above. Focus there, and take a few deep breaths, focusing on lengthening your exhale. And then repeat, “I am open to seeing a different way, for there is a rainbow of understanding, and I haven’t yet the key to access all of the colours.”

Ok, I am sending everyone lots of love. I hope you enjoy grabbing a cup of tea, putting your feet up, entering my lived experiences and viewing my take on them.

Note: This isn’t directed at YOU; it’s only directed at you if it resonates and a bulb goes off in your awareness. For all I know, you’ve already discovered and are living your whole-est, most fantastic self. And if this does resonate, don’t feel guilty like I did; take a step in a new direction, one step at a time. Don’t rush. Don’t panic. Allow your transition from consumption to creation to flower organically like flowers bloom comes spring.

GIFTED TIME

Themes:

Gifted time

Creation over consumption

A return to the natural world versus the synthetic one

I went to the shop to buy tomato bouillon (“sauce” for the Aussies out there.) It took me 15 minutes to walk to the shop, pay $4, and walk home.

I walked home, tomato bouillon in a tote bag, unaware of the life story behind this jar of bouillon.

I didn’t know how long it took to plant tomato seeds, grow tomato plants, harvest tomatoes, save seeds for the next season, and prepare and preserve tomato bouillon. I didn’t know what value was within that $4. Or, instead, I’d never given it a second thought.

As I returned home, the sky had darkened outside, so I flicked a switch, and there was light again. I never took a moment to consider that someone had dedicated so much of their time and thought and practised with an endlessly curious mind, formulating experiments to make this light switch possible. Alas, I also didn’t know that saturating myself in artificial light is against what my biology needed to thrive. I didn’t think about the fact that there is darkness by design.

When summer came… I walked to the thermostat and pressed a button that instructed cooling air to lower the temperature in my home. And then winter came, so I pressed the button which ordered warm air to warm my space.

I could press buttons up and down, warmer or cooler, depending on what comforted me. I never thought being in slight discomfort could build resilience in my character. Pressing a button is much quicker and easier than layering up or suffering in pools of sweat.

Would I have known what to do with a seed once it was in my hand? Would I have learned to light a fire without access to buttons, switches and electricity? Did I know how long it took to go into the forest, select wood to be chopped, cart it home, chop it, stack it, light a fire, and then tend to that fire to keep warm?

Well, I am a human and intelligent enough to figure it out. I don’t discount that. But, all of these jobs… all of these activities, they take time.

Time. What did I spend my time doing when I had a sauce made for me and electricity at my convenience?

Hey, I'm Alex or Ally if you’re new to my journal. Or my “coffee table diary”, as I like to call it, a diary that isn’t so private that I wouldn’t mind guests reading it, hence leaving it on the coffee table! And everyone knows this gal loves a cafe!

I never knew how much time I had on my hands before moving to a village in Romania, Eastern Europe. For anyone unsure, Ukraine and Russia are to my right…

I had not one iota of an idea of the time I “had”. I’d argue I had even less time; ha, less time… ya right, luv! (Insert Northern accent.)

I am living in Romania, a very simple life, and witnessing these time-consuming activities happen around me. Real survival stuff. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs stuff. I had found myself questioning, before, in my modern life, with all of the time I was “gifted”, did I use it wisely??

I use the word “gifted” because, in countries, such as Australia, so much has been done (created, invented, put in place), which enables one to live a life akin to kings and queens of the past. But when one is born into a life of convenience, one knows no difference, right? When one is born thinking supermarket shelves are where food sprouts from and that the light bulb appeared as magically as light in a bulb does, one is born somewhat deluded, for missing out on the entirety of a process, can lead to a false reality.

In the poorer villages of Romania, people grow their tomatoes, make their sauce, and either sweat in summer or make fires in winter. “Poor” is true in the sense of not having an abundance of money, but rich they are in the intangible meaning of the word rich; for having “hard” lives, they are more wholesome, as opposed to an easy yet hollow/illusionary existence.

I absolutely did not use my gifted time wisely. I was totally unaware I even had gifted time. So I beg your pardon, as you also may be unaware of what gifted time is until reading this journal post.

I was too busy going on coffee dates with my gals. Too busy visiting the latest F45 gym or downward-dogging at Power Living. Too busy dancing to ecstatic electronic music in dusty playas with unicorn-loving glitter-wearing besties, between study and work, of course. A cookie-cutter northern beaches girl, albeit a fraction less snobby and down to earth. Bloody hell, I had a good time. But I had no genuine concept of time—or real life. Sure, I was living life, and as far as I know, it was real! But- it was a life with missing parts… My life was filled with switches and conveniences, and luxuries. And I wasn’t offering anything in return for the gifts given to me.

My life was somewhat separated from what my biology is designed for. However, it’s funny how “civilised” people are drawn to activities, like an F45 class, to sculpt bodies to how they used to be shaped (toned, muscular, strong), from living a life close to and within nature, (hunting, gathering, naturally active lifestyles) as opposed to the body that represents a life of “ease” (overweight, immobile, painful joints)— one could argue that a life of ease is what causes “dis-ease.” No?!

This journal post will be a little tangent-y as I practice my writing and story-telling hobby. My posts may also showcase some “non” words, like tangent-y. But I will assume you’re bright enough to know I know they’re not words, haha; should you care to listen to what a “nobody” thinks?

That’s me, a nobody. I’ve done nothing extraordinary in my life; I’ve not excelled in any particular area either. I find this to be a shame…but in the spirit of positivism (not the toxic kind, I mean the positivism that runs naturally through my veins) - I’ll look to my present and future and see how I can amend the averageness of my being-ness; I’ve reflected on what I mean by average, and I believe to live an average life is when one doesn’t awaken to the innate gifts within or the concept of gifted time, and therefore, is never able to express one’s self totally or to respect one’s life-time, and therefor, holds stagnation, frustration and unfinished business within.

I know I’ve been selling myself short, as many of us do, and not focusing on honing my inner gift. There are so many gifts that have never had the wrapping taken off. Unknown, undiscovered, underutilised lives…Yet we live in a time, where we have SO MUCH TIME, gifted time…

The reason why we need to value this and discover the masterpiece within is that, as a society, we are on a trajectory, for better or worse. Think back to the pyramids- how they were made is just theory and speculation: when really, the technology is FORGOTTEN. If it wasn’t forgotten, we’d be using similar technology now. However some brilliant minds are working on alternative sources of energy that we have never utilised/considered before in this current civilisation, inspired by the mystery of the pyramids (energy that is free and available to all, not capitalised) – but whether or not the “superpowers” will allow that to be known to the public is another issue. Central control employing censorship is the force behind these discoveries becoming commonplace. But the question is, why and how did they forget about that technology? Was it complacency?

On the super yachts that I worked on for four years, only a select few minds decided to learn to navigate the seas by way of the cosmos: “celestial navigation”, a super incredible skill to have in the modern day. And the rest were happy to use computer navigation—the easy route.

The reason I share these examples is for us to apply them to our current society. As a generalisation, we have forgotten how to do basic human skills like weaving, sewing, agriculture, handcrafting, sacrificing animals and the knowledge of using them “nose to tail”, respect for the life once lived, and more. Instead, we buy clothes shipped from China, we buy animals that were killed in giant slaughterhouses, and we buy furniture from Ikea (and I know, for most of us, that’s all we can afford!) — but are you starting to sense the breakdown here? None of these options is good for the people, the planet or the animals. I’ve been to India and seen the conditions women and children work under. I’ve watched documentaries and seen sentient animals live in absolute misery to feed the dulled-down zombie masses. I’ve seen the catastrophic deforestation in Romania, wood bought by Ikea, to churn out their furniture that doesn’t even last an entire life span. Don’t get me wrong; I love IKEA because it’s affordable and convenient… but in the rush for convenience and “having”, we find ourselves in some ugly predicaments. Issues like the ones listed above contribute to the many breakdowns prevalent in our time.

So many people have awakened and understand the importance of using our hands, and our minds, so that we don’t continue to give away what it means to be human to artificial intelligence - and to giant corporations —because there is no guarantee that this scenario is going to end well. The probability is the opposite. Yet, so many people haven’t… and it’s worrisome.

Perhaps we’ve gone too far, and we are doomed anyway. But- when I start thinking of doomsday, I rescue my loss of hope by considering reincarnation- and what we do in this life will influence our next reincarnation- so- do well, be well, live with integrity and, values and morals. As mother Teresa says, the good you do may be forgotten tomorrow, but do good anyway. The energy of GOODNESS isn’t lost, even if it may feel so in the moment.

Right before publishing this post, I found some words that are much more nourishing and upbeat, written by Xavier Dagba. “The world isn’t getting darker; it’s detoxifying. The darkness you see represents the toxins that cripple the collective psyche of humanity. You are only seeing it because it is being extracted. Your heart-centred presence is the antidote. Keep shining.”

There. That’s more Pozi Pam, isn’t it?!

Alright, back to it.

Gifted time… what on earth do you do with yours?? Honestly! The “brilliants” of the past discovered a lot for us to sit here now pouring pre-made tomato bouillons into store-bought pans, flicking switches and pressing induction buttons to warm our pans. If you’re like me, you were born and given all of these conveniences as if they always existed. Perhaps lost ancient civilisations developed similar technologies — but going off of our society, our immediate ancestors, who cooked with fire and used forest leaves to wrap their meats in…. These technologies have developed over time; by people who observed, tried, remained curious, and tried again until they had something that made human life more functional and cohesive. And easy. Hmm, but as you may begin to agree, easy isn’t beneficial for the resilience of the human mindset and character. Easy breeds laziness. And when we become lazy, we forget… hence the mention of the pyramids above.

I know I sit here writing this essay on my electric device; it spells checks for me; it cuts and pastes paragraphs I want to move around. What may have taken someone a week to assemble takes me two days. (This is only an example, I’ve been writing this for a month on and off amongst my motherhood, work and homesteading duties.)

And modern-day authors publish so many books in their lives because their process is so much quicker.

But in the process, have they lost integrity in their work? Have they missed the resilience earned when it takes time to do something of value? Have they rushed and created quantity over quality? Have they let money be the driving force of their actions instead of creating from a pure place of passion?

With traits of greed and gluttony leading, totally activated within, people forget that quantity does not mean quality; they are blind-sighted. I’m not saying all prominent authors are greedy or gluttonous; I generalise, by the way.

I know that I sit here and utilise technology because it suits me. I question whether I am hypocritical or whether it’s okay to find a balance between what technology is available to me and what is natural. I’d love to write this with a pen and paper; the thought sounds nourishing. But, I don’t, because, well, this is EASIER.

Moving on… The part of the human condition to “want more”, to “be better”; If you see a mountain, you’ve got to climb it. What’s the view like from up there? You’ve almost got to be slightly insane to have blind faith in something you’ve never seen, that you imagine, and to go for it anyway. But that’s how many discoveries, inventions and creations came about. An idea is plucked from the ether, and if YOU grab it, YOU can bring it to life. However, the quote, “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”, by Thomas Edison, remains valid. How many ideas have you had let slide? It takes innovation, focus and determination to see something through, through the tests and failures while staying determined until you arrive at a breakthrough. And it takes a genuine passion for continuing something even when you don’t receive recognition.

There is a book I read, I believe “Big Magic”, by Elizabeth Gilbert. And she says (I paraphrase very roughly as it’s been years since I read it); ideas appear in the universe, and a few people “grab” them simultaneously (that is, from the ether), and maybe one or two folks succeed in bringing the idea to life - into physicality. In a sense, the concept invites you to bring it to life…. if you can be bothered; do you have the focus, the fire within, the urge to climb the mountain?

From the quantum domain (invisible to our five senses) to the local domain (physical, five senses); only a few people per idea come close to bringing it to physicality because it takes stable-minded and enthusiastic human beings to achieve things.

So, will you reflect with me; with all your gifted time, how many ideas have you had that didn’t eventuate because you weren’t willing to perspire over them? Or because you were distracted and using your gifted time to participate in low-vibrational activities?

What were you distracted by? I mean, the tomato bouillon was made… the thermostat had been invented… it’s not like you needed to plant a tomato seed or go into the forest to collect wood…

My point is that YOU (we!) have been gifted so much time simply because we don’t have to do basic human tasks like growing and cooking food, cutting wood and making fires.

I am in the discovery phase of finding a harmonic balance between the technology available to me whilst remaining HUMAN. I’ve been gifted time, and feel grateful. And I have realised, if I don’t learn to CREATE, then I’ll denigrate. Creation is incredible for my/our neural pathways; as you know, the brain is a muscle, which I/we ought to be flexing just as much as our fit F45 bodies.

The reality is that the majority, absolutely the majority of people, spend time doing the most useless, low-vibe stuff; scrolling Instagram (me included), having way too many alcohol-infused catch-ups (old me 100%), watching numbing television shows and listening to and being brainwashed by biased mainstream media news outlets.

We are in an era of CONSUMPTION — so much so that the average person has forgotten that they are CREATORS. And what else happens with overconsumption? We fail to think, to question, to create, to problem solve. We fail to recognise that we are over-exploiting and not giving back more than we are taking.

We spend our time doing the most soul-destroying activities. Soul destroying may sound like an aggressive accusation, but try and think of it as “nourishment”-do you engage in activities that you know nourish your soul; or engage in time-filling activities that fill a void or a blank; activities that only feel good at the moment but generally, once stopped, leave you with emptiness and on the search for the next upper or stimulant? (coffee, wine, beer, ciggies, drugs, sugar, social media, etc.)

I'm talking about the sorts of activities that spark the “high” response in our brains, addictive activities that keep us reaching for more, from facing TRUTH in our lives, as well as our GREATNESS, activities that ultimately help us to avoid and disguise our dissatisfaction. Activities that numb us.

When filling up our day with “high” activities that stimulate the brain's reward centre and release the chemical dopamine, we are filling/avoiding SOMETHING, filling up parts of us that desperately need attention and questioning. (If you want me to elaborate on this topic, let me know in the comments.)

There are many occasions when we shouldn’t be happy, but we are; we are because of stimulants. The stimulant covers up our agitation, discomfort, boredom or our loneliness, for example. We are avoiding our suffering, an integral dimension of the human experience. Suffering propels changes that are necessary to make should we want to recalibrate to contentedness again.

This is a complex topic, I have too many tangent-y thoughts to include in this post, so I will elaborate another time.

I’m not suggesting that everyone needs to “get back to the roots of life” like I am attempting to do; I’m not suggesting that it is the be-the-end-all solution to the catastrophe that society is in right now.

But I reckon to honour this “gifted” time we possess… to begin to use it more meaningfully, is what’s needed. That quote, “don’t knock a gift horse in the face” is quite suiting, don’t you think?

Turning it over to you, my reader, for a moment… If any of this applies to you, then what could you do without engaging in some of the “not-so-soul-nourishing” activities listed above?

I ask you to think, what could you be doing to bridge your reconnection to the natural world, the world of creation, abundance and life force? Also, WHO ARE YOU? Do you even know what you’re capable of?

If you think of the trendy activities that you are drawn to; pottery classes and salsa lessons, and the like… those activities run deep in our veins—art, dance, movement, joy, and CREATION.

Are you a writer or a great debater? Do you see your local community needs a clean-up, a men's support group or a mother's group - what can YOU do, naturally, joy-fully, truth-fully? This is the question at hand.

Allowing fear to be our friend isn’t ideal, either. Easier said than done, right? I’ll press publish on this post and then endure a vulnerability hangover, most likely. But I’m going to do it anyway! I don’t expect to think or feel the same in twenty years, but I will honour that once upon a time; this IS how I felt and thought.

Idleness and consumption have led us to fear-based behaviours and thoughts. However, we must choose the alternative path of CREATION and living-ness; uncomfortable initially, yet liberating once done. I’ve written some “coaching” questions and solutions below, but fast forward if you’re not interested and join the conversation further down.

Do you want to AWAKEN your character and repurpose your gifted time?

•Do you find yourself constantly reaching for your phone?

•Is the tv or entertainment (of whatever kind) always on?

•Do you feel bored a lot?

•Is your neck or back sore from the scroll of social media?

•Can you only relax after a wine or a beer?

•Do you intuitively know you’re not living your fullest/whole self?

•Do you justify your behaviours and then surround yourself with people who also justify them and console you about yours instead of challenging each other to level up?

Ways to Repurpose your Gifted time and to Awaken your True Essence:

•Be okay with feeling bored. Feel bored without reaching for a “filler” or a “stimulant.” Boredom allows reflection and for your unease to the surface and for you to examine it. If any uncomfortable feelings arise, invest your energy into creating or expressing them. These are natural remedies for healing and resolving. Art is one form of mindfulness, too. Notice the time passes ease-fully (especially if you’re a painter 🤭). •Instead of consuming and watching MSM (mainstream media), hit me up for a list of influential truth speakers and “alternative” minds (people speaking a different narrative, “story” to the mainstream). These speakers and writers (some with credentials, others not) will begin to awaken the sleeping god/goddess within.

•Look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. What are you justifying? Do you know that you deserve better? Why do you lie to yourself? Do our ancestors, the original OG’s of creation, deserve more respect than how we are living now?•Instead of watching tv programs, watching documentaries and educational content. Find similar topics in podcasts.

•Books. Choose a few books and lay them on your coffee table or bedside table, and read. Read writing that opens your mind to different ways of thinking. If you wear glasses, take off the rose-tinted ones!

•Work on aligning with the sun. Rest in the evenings and put down your electronic devices. Practice presence and meaningful conversation with the people in your life. Rise in the morning and create a healthy routine (unless you’re in early parenthood, then keep surviving, mama; this society doesn’t support early parenting, and we will talk solutions on that another time!)

End of coaching questions and recommendations.

Remember that YOU are creating the future for the next generation. What kind of a world do you want your children, nieces and nephews to grow up in? Better than this one, right? If we want better, we must act better, and to paraphrase Gandhi, “be the change you wish to see.”

There’s also no room for guilt here (note to self-included.) We can only do better once we know better.

Do you wonder; if all the inventions have been invented and if everything has been created for us; what can you do? The most important discovery to make with gifted time is one’s authentic essence — and then transmitting that to the world. Once you enter that realm, you’ll learn those lines aren’t true; that who you are, the whole version of you, is needed to heal this broken society. It’s not black and white, though, discovering one’s true identity… there are years of conditioning to sift through… is it you, or are you that way because of them?

I had many of the symptoms listed above. I was consumer exhibit A.

Right now, I’m working on maturation and focus, less procrastination (lack of focus / a natural trait of the human condition that docs and pharmaceutical companies LOVE to diagnose as ADHD; “here, take a pill! Don’t worry about refining your character! Help make us more money and profits, thanks!!”)

I will be 35 years in July—and holy heavens. I certainly don’t feel inside how I imagine a 35-year person feels. I’ve got some backbone to develop (currently loading at a rapid rate thanks to the support of friends), and I’ve got some inner confidence to embody - both coming from “knowing” oneself… which I am continuously questioning and discovering.

What I’m saying here is being said right now by others, too (in different shapes and forms.) You see, this idea is mine, kinda. I plucked it from the ether - because it resonated deep within me, and although I’ve been stewing on it for some time, I feared it. I’m “nobody”, so who am I to open my mouth? Well, perhaps nobody, but a somebody to someone. Inspire to be inspired. Is that how the world works? I think it does, and I like that saying. So this idea is mine, but the universe works in waves and energy surges… so if my words feel familiar, it’s because others like me are perceiving the current presentation as I am… yet colouring the message with their language from their unique life experiences and perspectives so that this authentic message can be delivered to the masses. And we have a mass awakening. Yes, that sounds bloody great. You know we need one. We need change. The world is sick from the mind to the body to the soul. But we are HEALERS!!!!! Given the right conditions, we can absolutely heal. So first, let’s create the conditions that foster healing, reconnection, and creation.

I’ve been living this “back to the roots life” for almost three years… I feel the sludge in my bones, and I feel my creaky joints and unflexed muscles… I feel this because I’m doing something new. And the weight of how much there is to learn makes me feel inadequate and “heavy”. That’s my “fixed” mindset that does that.

I resist learning because I was too gifted, enjoying “the” life… the coffee dates, the margaritas, the fashion, the holidays; unaware of what it *really* took to get that plate of food on my table.

Now, my inner knowing tells me I am here to unravel my gifts and to learn the way of the land. To reconnect to nature. My nature. My inner self knows that there is much more depth to life than simply enjoying what others have created for me. And to learn this, my soul needed to be in a place with contrasting seasons; so I could learn to accept and surrender to my lows; not to run from or mask them.

I needed to live in a place that forced me to live with some discomforts to find new meanings and perspectives. To live where they plant seeds, are at the mercy of Mother Nature, and sleep on mattresses over 20 years old. The last podcast I listened to told me to replace my bed every two years. Wow. My morality and rational mind say no, no, because that level of consumption is crazy; what if all 8 billion of us, but divided by two assuming partnerships, so 4 billion people threw their mattresses every two years? What the actual grapevine? If it’s not viable for all of us, I don’t reckon it’s a sustainable idea. That’s another point, if we are consuming, we must also be questioning.

When you need to make the tomato bouillon to meet your basic needs of food… when you need to make the fire to cover your basic need for warmth… these BASIC human activities drive purpose and meaning. It’s impossible to be bored when connected to the roots of living. But not everyone needs to do what I am doing, to discover what gifted time is. There are much easier routes of discovery, such as having your own epiphanies, or, simply reading this diary, haha.

The self-help self-love culture had us all believing that it was only about US. The self-help self-love culture had some truths, but many of us took it out of context and forgot that the good we do for others is also done for us. We are merely reflections of one another… the self-help self-love also had us running from challenges instead of tackling them and finding solutions.

For me, going back to the roots meant healing. First, I became painfully aware of my inadequacies, and now I’m healing—self-healing. Although not entirely self-healing because it’s nature, the essence of life, healing me. I am recovering from a culture of convenience. I am healing from gluttony. And to heal, I needed some separation from the pull. Because to heal, I needed a supportive environment until the body wasn’t as reactive, reaching out addicted to the irresistible pulse of temptation. Temptations will always exist, but once healed, the healing is more potent than the weakness. It’s kinda how when my friends and I passed 25, we were ready to be done with hangovers on weekends. The feeling of having a full and healthy day outweighed the novelty of a night out, drinking and dancing. But even though I felt that since 25, I didn’t action it 100% until I removed myself from the temptations, of the influences of the party culture.

Integration is essential too. Some days it’s healthier for me not to think and live, to let it all marinade and soak in without so much self-analysis.

The last three years have been full of observation. I've been watching Marcela, a woman who can survive off the land; throw her into the woods with a spade and a warm coat (let’s be generous), no shelter or food… and she’d make clothes, build a shelter, and find food. She KNOWS so much, and none of this stuff is taught in a master's degree (perhaps it is now, but you know what I’m saying.)

They say that knowledge is passed from generation to generation and that, slowly, we learn which plants are poisonous and which ones to eat in abundance. But is knowledge shared, or were we created knowing? Much like a bird forages for worms, much like dogs eat grass when they feel poorly. NO ONE TELLS THEM. They. Just. Know—unspeakable knowledge, entwined in realms we can’t calculate or measure with science—the quantum.

So were we told? Or were we born knowing stuff… and forgetting? How did we forget? What happened to us? Unspeakable knowledge that we currently don’t possess. Are we in a period of “forgotten?” On the surface, we’ve forgotten, but when we analyse everything we are drawn towards (dance, cafes, art, music, writing), there is an undeniable imprint in our DNA that tells us we weren’t born to be zombies sat in front of TV screens and glued to iPhones. We were hardwired for face-to-face connection and hand-to-hand creation.

Gifted time. It is gifted, and we are so blessed. And we are so capable of living more connected and meaningful lives. In the west, the majority of us are born into supreme privilege; access to clean drinking water (crazy to call such a natural resource a privilege, but it is), roofs over our heads and, if not, a government to step in and help out, and so on.

For example, how can we yell to the billionaire elites at the top, “save the hungry”, when WE, regular privileged people, don’t do more? We can instigate a revolt for change within our societal systems, but we don’t because WE are living too egoically, precisely like the elites, just on a smaller scale. The Pocahontas song rings true right now. Click on this link and listen to the lyrics if you feel called to… Colours of the wind

To end this with a direct message, I ask you, what good can you do in the world based on who you are? What self-indulgent activities can you refrain from by replacing them with more collective, loving actions/projects/ventures?

Can we begin by gaining awareness of our consumption and then progress further by changing our levels of consumption and consumerism?

Yes, and the best way offset consumption is CREATION! And you’ll discover, as I am, once you awaken to the amount of GIFTED TIME you have, your inner creatrix.

People sit on the fence: everything I do matters, versus I am no one, and nothing matters. The latter tend to justify their undesirable behaviours by saying this.

The truth is, we don’t bloody know. But we DO know that if 8 billion people gave a toss, the world would 100000% be a cleaner, better place. This is unrealistic, as religions, beliefs, and ideologies get in the way. BUT. Let’s start with that.

However, half of the world (or more?) focuses on barely surviving each day. It’s the “privileged” (me and you reading this) and the “elites” that need to make the changes. The privileged and elites suffer from more mental health and physical issues than should be allowed, given what life (we) have the privilege to live. Not so privileged after all… And as far as mental health issues are concerned, I empathise GREATLY. I have many dear loved ones in my life that suffer/experience all sorts of challenges (and I will share my first-hand account of issues later on). However, the causes are too complex and ambiguous to attend to in this post, from medication side effects to genetics to autoimmune diseases to societal impact & more. Mental health is everything, and I believe that by having THESE conversations, we can begin to CHANGE the sickness within society and gain awareness as to why it’s so “normal” to experience mental health issues so that it ain’t so normal anymore.

We do matter. We really do. The world is a sparky hot cauldron of energy, and we are energetic beings. We FEEL things that can’t be calculated or measured with science. Our five senses are only the tip of the iceberg. We matter. If 8 billion people realised they count, if 8 billion people realised they matter, if 8 billion people realised that we are one and not separate, this world would be very different.

I could continue; I need practice at this essay/journal/blog post art, I hope I have made SOME sense. I genuinely welcome alternative opinions and constructive feedback in the comments. And if you feel this is worth sharing, help a sister out so together we can weave threads of change, so the beautiful sons and daughters of the world grow up grounded in reality, truth…

Alright, I am ending this journal post here. I’ve opened too many topics and perhaps should delete some, but I won’t; I’ll expand on them in other posts!

I’d love to chat in the comments and hear your feedback…

Ally

PS: I have a few people that inspire me to put pen to paper, so I’d like to name them here: Gabriel Mitoc, Peta Kelly and Tara from Slowdown Farmstead. Thanks, guys.