Last Saturday we invited a family over for dinner. We met the lady while shopping for a suit. She was very helpful and proactive – took a lot of initiative in trying to find something that “suited” me. She was clearly driven and hardworking. It turned out she was from Klang and so we became acquainted. I didn’t get anything the first time but when I returned to the same store (Myer Doncaster) a few months later we met up again and this time she succeeded in selling me something.
Just a few days before that Tress had alerted me to a little acknowledgment piece in an internal corporate newsletter – our new friend received some acknowledgments for her enterprise. So I mentioned that to her, Tress and I got chatting to her again and we made a new friend.
We soon discovered some common background. They freely shared with us a whole range of stuff, including some very personal matters. While a little awkward, I appreciated the openness as it made it so much easier to engage with them and it was a breeze to befriend them as a result. They’re relatively new to Melbourne and it’s good to think they have somehow found their lives in Melbourne a little warmer and friendlier with new friends who shared common background. Our dear friends the Chewies were at the dinner and I hope the wider network of friends will be good for all.
And so that day was a terrific one. Tress and I started the day early. There was a matter which had kept the both of us nervous for a while and Tress attended to it early that morning while I went about cleaning up the home. She returned with the nervousness allayed so we were able to attack the day with gusto. I put aside the vacuuming and went out with Tress to shop for stuff to cook for dinner that night. We loaded up the trunk of the Camry, went to lunch at Madam Kwong’s, came home and resumed work. We unpacked the groceries, I resumed the house cleaning, then went out and mowed and tidied the gardens, cleaned the deck, then washed up and did the cooking in time for our very warm guests (Tong’s and Chew’s) to arrive.
Sunday was a hot day and we had wanted to visit the rhododendron park at The Dandenongs. I started to feel a tightness at my right archilles however so we abandoned the idea. We went to lunch (Madam Kwong’s again!) and then came home and chatted with the Chews who came over for coffee. A little later I just rested my foot as Tress kept busy cleaning her car…
I’m not sure what I aspire to now. Right at this moment I’m merely looking forward to weekends, especially weekends with nothing planned. Further afield I look forward to the long Cup Day Weekend when both Tress and I would be taking the Monday off to have a 4-day stretch. Beyond that I look forward to when Kiddo returns from Singapore for 4-5 weeks and spend Christmas in Melbourne. I look forward to those long languid days when we can have an easy barbie dinner cooked over the Weber, play cards, take drives to the beach. After that I’m not sure what I look forward to.
I’ve thought of extending my MST work to Ridley (now that we’re Anglicans) but I’m not sure we can have a sustained run of uninterrupted stay in Melbourne for that to happen. I’ve recently been inspired by Tony Abbott’s volunteer fire fighting feat and wondered if I can do the same. I also wonder how long I can plug away in a job as a financial services/BPO/superannuation/corporate lawyer – feeling as I do about things corporate and the players inside. My mate said many times, that it should be just a means to an end and work satisfaction/passion are often over rated anyway. One needs to just put one’s head down, work away for x hours, and then go home and live the other parts of one’s life. These are just scaffoldings we hold on to build whatever it is we want to. For a long time that was church work. I don’t know now what that is or should be. St Alfred’s feels like a church someone like me need do nothing.
I guess other than wondering what I look forward to or aspire to, I should just reach out and be friends and be blessings to people like our new found friends. Whatever it takes to make someone’s life better…
Someone once pointed to a cake slice cutter/server to make the point… (thanks Sue)
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Ante 