community – everydaysparks

Some Lockdown Reflections

Posted on October 3, 2021October 3, 2021 by Cate

So it feels like we are finally coming close to the end of our strict lockdown in Sydney. It has been an interesting time. I think everyone has been bitten by the lockdown in different ways, often feeling as though they can’t complain about how rubbish it has been for them because of how rubbish it has also been (in different ways) for everyone else.

Those who live by themselves have likely never felt as isolated as they have in these past months. But check that complaint if you can work from home, live near the beach, and don’t have to home school anyone.

There are the families who have been spending way too much time together as their homes have become offices, schools and (in the case of some areas of our city) almost prisons for months. An impossible juggle. But pipe down if you can work from home, are surrounded by people you love, and have a new respect for real teachers.

Our elders have been disconnected from life (often without the technological capability that has helped most of us stay connected). With no access to family, friends and community, missing out on marking important milestones like funerals and weddings. But shush if you are generally in good health, have been vaccinated and have a comfortable home.

And that’s not even talking about our friends in Melbourne, or people stuck overseas, or people unable to get to family overseas. Or frontline workers or essential workers. Or people who can’t work. Or students starting school or finishing school. Or people starting jobs or finishing jobs. Or folks with mental and physical health challenges trying to cope with this added weight on their shoulders. Or new parents or people who have lost loved ones.

Lockdown has bitten everyone. In different ways and at different times, sure, but we have all been bitten and it freakin hurt. Of course, we don’t yet know what the impact will be – what will bounce back, and what has been permanently changed.

I hope we will keep our appreciation for our neighbourhoods and being part of our communities. I hope we will continue to check in and stay connected with our colleagues, friends and family – even if it’s just by sending a text to show you’re thinking of them, or sharing something funny or interesting that we’ve seen. (If you care, I think it is really important to show it.) I hope we will continue to find ways to help the vulnerable in our community who are faced with risks on so many different fronts, all the time. I hope employers will find a way to balance the return to a (incredibly important) workplace community with the flexibility and personal gains that we have created during lockdowns.

And if you’re reading this and you’ve survived a lockdown, give yourself a pat on the head. By making it through, you have shown resilience and strength and courage in the face of a time that we could never have imagined. And that is something to be celebrated – soon (likely with more distancing and hand washing, which is not a bad thing). WELL DONE, YOU.

Sparks in the wild

I love the Humans

Posted on February 10, 2014February 9, 2014 by Cate

It’s the week leading up to Valentine’s Day and, whatever your status or your take on the whole festival, it’s a good chance to think about what we love. Whether that’s people, furry friends, places, foods, languages, brands, weather, hobbies, or even shoes. Or weird stuff, like those people on My Strange Addiction who love eating the synthetic filling in couches or love their car (as in, really love their car) or love their teddy bears as if they were children. (If you don’t believe me, you can check out the stories on the show’s website here.)

Anyways, this week I’ll be posting about some of the things that I love. Today, it’s the incomparable Humans of New York.

Image from the Humans of New York Facebook page here. — [Image from Humans of New York Facebook page.]

It’s more than a blog and a book and a community – I’d say that it’s a public service. When I first encountered it, I was hooked. With a snap and a few lines from someone out and about in NYC, you get an incredible insight into their life – sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes hopeful, sometimes heartbreaking. For a fanatical people-watcher like me, it’s gold.

[Image from Humans of New York Facebook page.]

Brandon Stanton is the man behind the Humans (well, technically he’s behind the camera in front of the Humans). What started as a ‘photographic census’ of NYC grew into a hugely popular blog and it’s now even bigger thanks to Facebook (the page has almost 3 million likes). There’s also a book of HONY photos and quotes that you can buy.

These are just a selection of some of my recent favourites. If you are on Facebook, I strongly suggest that you get on board with Humans of New York. You can also check out the book here and the blog here. I LOVE IT!

Sparks in the wild, WWWhat?

Things With Faces

Posted on January 9, 2014January 8, 2014 by Cate

I like things with faces. Animals, people, watches – those kinds of things. Nothing strange about that, I’m sure. But I really like spotting unexpected things with faces – in nature, or on inanimate objects like doors or street signs or pieces of toast.

Many years ago, I found a photography book made up entirely of images of faces in unexpected places and I was excited to know that there was at least one other person who shared my interest. And now, thanks to Facebook, I know that there are at least 63,976 people around the world who also like things with faces. Because there’s a Facebook page called Things with Faces. Their tag line is Admit it, you see a face. And it’s a very good page to look at if you need a giggle.

Time's up. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page] — Time’s up.
[image from Things with Faces Facebook page]

Say cheese. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page] — Say cheese.
[image from Things with Faces Facebook page]

Surprise! [image from Things with Faces Facebook page] — Surprise!
[image from Things with Faces Facebook page]

ET, in ice cream form. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page] — ET, in ice cream form.
[image from Things with Faces Facebook page]

Happiness in a cup. [image from Things with Faces Facebook page] — Happiness in a cup.
[image from Things with Faces Facebook page]

And finally, one of my favourites.

[image from Things with Faces Facebook page]

If you’re on Facebook, I strongly suggest that you check out the Things with Faces page. (Oh, and while you’re there, you might want to like the EverydaySparks page too!) If you’re not on Facebook, you can always google ‘things with faces’ to find similar collections of pics. And when you’re out and about, remember to keep alert – THEY ARE ALWAYS WATCHING.

WWWhat?

Freecycling

Posted on November 25, 2013November 24, 2013 by Cate

On the weekend, I read an article about Freecycle. And I thought it sounded like an interesting idea, so I dug a little deeper. In case you hadn’t heard of it either, consider this your cheat sheet guide to this very cool global phenomenon…

According to their website, The Freecycle Network is made up of 5,119 groups with over 6.6 million members around the world. It’s a nonprofit organisation (the site groups are administered by volunteers), designed to help people reuse stuff that they don’t need by giving it to others and keeping it out of landfill. Kind of like swapping stuff with the neighbours in your village. If you actually still spoke to the neighbours in your village.

Their motto is ‘changing the world one gift at a time’, which sounds pretty great to me. And when you check out the groups in your local area, you can see the huge range of stuff that people are either giving or wanting – from shredded paper for Christmas hampers to specific books to chickens to horse poo. And a lot of people want old bathtubs for their gardens, it seems.

But like any community, there are some scammers around. One of the groups that I looked at warned about a FREE PUPPY SCAM!!! and another cautioned members to beware of people charging extortionate delivery charges for their bomby old televisions. So be careful – it’s a jungle out there. And if you need a machete to get through, I think I know of a Freecycler that can hook you up…

Anyways, I highly recommend that you have a look at the Freecycle site and check out groups in your local area. Just be sure to balance out your giving and your taking, lest you end up with a backyard full of old bathtubs and a bedroom full of shredded paper. And a starring role on that show Hoarders.

Sparks in the wild

My first parkrun

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Cate

I’m not sure if you’ve heard of parkrun – I hadn’t heard of them until I read an article in the local paper last week about one starting in our area. Such a cool idea – I’ll let the parkrun people explain it: parkrun organise free, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in. These events take place in pleasant parkland surroundings and we encourage people of every ability to take part; from those taking their first steps in running to Olympians; from juniors to those with more experience; we welcome you all.

Mosman parkrun, Balmoral Beach. [image from Mosman parkrun Facebook page] — Mosman parkrun, Balmoral Beach.
[image from Mosman parkrun Facebook page]

Sounds pretty good, yes? And when they launched a parkrun at Balmoral Beach in Sydney, a picturesque part of the world not far from where I live, I thought I would go along and see what it was all about. As an aside, I haven’t been running for over 12 months after being scared off by a couple of big injuries in quick succession. And I wanted to avoid going back to the physio’s torture chamber and putting on those horrific communal short shorts (which I wrote about here last year).

I was in there somewhere! [image from Mosman parkrun Facebook page] — I was in there somewhere!
[image from Mosman parkrun Facebook page]

Saturday was a lovely day in Sydney and I arrived at Balmoral about 10 minutes before the 7am start. There were an assortment of people there – almost all of them looking like super fit and fast runners, sponsored by major sporting brands. I started to suspect that the parkrun promise – encouraging people of all abilities to take part – had not quite reached glamorous Balmoral.

I skirted the edges of the group, still thinking I could skulk away and get a coffee and just watch them, but then summoned up the courage to speak to a volunteer in a fluoro green vest. Meg was a parkrunner from Curl Curl on Sydney’s northern beaches and had come to help out with the first ever Mosman parkrun. She assured me that there would be lots of ‘normal’ people there, even some walkers, but as we looked around the group, I think we both doubted whether that was true. Then I saw some people with prams and a few older ladies and thought I might as well give it a go.

Flagging the end of the run. [image from Mosman parkrun Facebook page] — Flagging the end of the run.
[image from Mosman parkrun Facebook page]

And so I did. I ran the whole way – more of a shuffle than a run, mostly – and when I was tempted to walk, the words of my Camino buddy Shane rang in my head: DO NOT STOP. And so I didn’t. The atmosphere was lovely and there were lots of smiles and high fives from the 102 runners – the fastest ran past like a blur and finished in half the time it took me, but I was very happy just to get to the end and find the earlier finishers hanging around to clap and cheer the slower peeps.

Some Mosman parkrunners. [image from Mosman parkrun Facebook page] — Some Mosman parkrunners.
[image from Mosman parkrun Facebook page]

So, that was a great start to Saturday morning – exercising (for free!) in a beautiful place with nice people – and all done before 8am. Everyone was nodding and smiling and looking forward to building this little community that had just formed.

Now I don’t want to get political, but this story has since taken a bad turn. By yesterday, Mosman Council had squashed the new parkrun community like a bug – cancelling the Balmoral run because of blah blah blah. An annoying setback, but hopefully the organisers will be able to come up with a different route that doesn’t upset the precious people and lets the parkrun community thrive. If only so I can try and beat my first run time and feel like an Olympian with a new PB!