Life Lessons!

Hello!

I wanted to share some valuable insights from the last few months. This is not going to be a short article, so no worries if you skim read or give it a miss - we are all busy! ;)

I took a break from corporate life (thank you to all the great leaders at Sage for your understanding) to attend to some family business and ... well contemplate and explore other aspects of life!

My father died a few years ago in one of the first lockdowns, and I was unable to physically be present at the funeral due to the strict interstate travel laws (I was working in Sydney at the time). Now it's just my mum and she's not in great health, so I didn't want to miss out on some quality time with her! Growing up, my mum was a stay-at-home parent, raising 4 kids often by herself as dad was around but not as present as dads are today! Don't get me wrong, we were well provided for, but mum bared much of the load. My mother is now in care and has dementia which gets worse all the time... she can still recognize her children, and her hazel eyes tell me her essence is still in there, you get fleeting moments of recognition, and you know a spark of a memory has appeared and then disappears.

As I take time to reflect on family I realize, she was every bit as accomplished as the professionals I’ve worked alongside in the corporate world. She taught me about leadership, resourcefulness, and resilience—qualities that have guided me throughout my career. She also had a zero-tolerance approach to bullying or making fun of people and their vulnerabilities or differences ... I distinctly remember, my first day of primary school and how she told me in no uncertain terms that if she heard anything about me behaving in this way - it would not be a good time for me! In those days, it meant a smack or proper home detention - she was serious! Mum is the daughter of post WW2 Italian immigrants, and she couldn't speak English when she started school, her lunch box contained ethnic food and she was shy and often felt like an outsider and was bullied pretty badly - so she passed the lesson she learned from that painful experience on to us kids in the most heartfelt, if somewhat 'no nonsense' way! She was however a clever cookie and developed a love for reading and the arts and cinema (which gave her comfort) - a love that I definitely embraced. Even though she only made it to the eighth grade she read anything and everything, as she was deeply interested in the world! We watched John Wayne classics together, Gone with the Wind and sometimes my brother and I (we are 3 years apart) would watch The Godfather films with both mum and dad, ahem maybe a bit age inappropriate for kids under 12 - but those were the times! And we loved it! We mostly loved it as it was an opportunity to ask dad about Sicily and his upbringing and his siblings which he wasn't always up for talking about.

As I think about our childhood and the world my mum navigated, I remember her making chocolate cake and homemade chips (potatoes she chopped herself) - and randomly dropping them off at some kids in the next street whose parents weren't doing well. She just gave them the food and said she'd pick up the dishes another time, there was no judgement and no interference, just practical kindness! What a legend! Years later I ran into one of the boys from that family who went on to be a famous footy player and he pulled me aside and said he never forgot my mum and her quiet, non-judgmental kindness!

What's the point of my story? I guess it comes down to one simple realization... I always loved my mum but in the last few months as I have a new appreciation of what life was like for her - Now I admire her more than ever! She was a good, kind woman who went to church every Sunday and dragged my brother and I along too until we were too much of an embarrassment as we got up to mischief and giggled at the wrong things! We don't know how long she will be with us - but I'm glad to have had some time to really think about her and my experience being her youngest child - it's priceless!

Speaking of mums, while I don't have any human children - my own fur baby has bought me countless joy and also taught me a lot about love and acceptance! My nearly four-year-old Cavoodle - Marcus (named after the famous Roman emperor /philosopher of course is the best Covid (or any other purchase) I ever made.

Marcus has exposed me to a whole new world of dog love, dog park friends who have become a big part of my life and the privilege of having a dependent. He's spoilt as anything and why not? He's so much fun and so smart and always has a smile for everyone! He lives the most charmed life and is a big party boy! We call him party boy Marcus.

One more person that I want to mention is Fleur Harris who is one of the most talented, beautiful, wonderful, funny, kind and generous souls you'll ever meet! https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/fleur-harris-5755153b/

If you don't know Fleur's brand - she designs the most magical, beautiful, unique and delightful products you will ever find... her collaborations with other brands have inspired and created some of the most breathless pieces you'll find like her work with Adairs kids range https://fleurharris.com/pages/adairs

And so much more ... visit her website and prepare to be blown away by her designs and rare and real talent for making everything magical and beautiful! I have been spending time with Fleur and understanding her creative process, flow state and commercial approach as well as the ups and downs of being an independent artist. I am honored to call her a friend and a possible collaborator (more on that another time). Her work blows me away and I'm a tough crowd!

So that's what I've been up to but I'm ready to get back into the workforce and while it's not the most ideal time of the year to find ones' dream job, there is also 'no time like the present'.

Let me know if you hear of anything I may be suitable for and if you have gotten this far and have taken the time to read my musings of the last few months - thank you so much!

Wishing you all the very best always!

Rosemary