What I Need To Know

Way back in January 2012 I wrote a post entitled All I Need To Know in which I said that all I needed to know was in the story of Noah’s Ark.

Since then I have become even more convinced of the wisdom of Old Noah.  In the two years since I wrote that post my life has been totally turned around.  I no longer live alone in my old villa.  Instead, I live in a brand new house with my partner.

I re-read the post and thought how well my life has gone in the past couple of years and how apt Old Noah’s thoughts and actions are still to us in the 21st Century.  We can all learn from him.

In the earlier post, I listed what I had learned and now I would like to comment on some of the items in that list.

• I did listen to the voice within when friends told me I was making a mistake selling my house and going away for an indeterminate time.  I went to Florence and
• I followed my intuition.
• I made my preparations in advance – I put the house on the market, contacted the travel agent and booked an apartment in Florence.
• My life was built on a strong foundation and my little house had withstood all that had been thrown at it for more than a hundred years,
• Even though my possessions were in a storage unit that was set alight, the things that were important to me were stored in heavy plastic boxes and they survived.
• Well I have chosen my companions well and
• I love my companions and fellow travellers.
• And some of these travellers aka my children I set free to return as and when they wished.
• Yes, I did listen to other people’s opinions but always made my own decisions.
• I learned that it is better to live with somebody else than living alone.  But I also learned to be selective when making such an important decision.
• I make time for quiet meditation which nurtures my soul.
• I embraced many new experiences since writing the original post not least being alone in Florence and not speaking the language.
• I was brought up in England and have always loved the feel of the gentle rain on my face.
• And I also love the sunshine and notice how differently people behave when the sun is shining.
• I volunteered at the Hospice and continue to believe I got more from the experience than anyone at the Hospice did.
• I have accepted the assistance offered by others – I hope this acceptance has been gracious.
• I know that there will be hard times interspersed with the sunshine and light.
• I have known for a long time that we share this planet with a myriad of other creatures both large and small, and we don’t must share the bounties with them
• I continue to nurture an attitude of gratitude.  I am very aware of how very lucky I have been all my life.
• I know that one wo/man with a strong belief can overcome and succeed in spite of the odds – here in New Zealand we have Beverley Pentland who was an advocate against fireworks sales and had legislation brought to Parliament – raising the minimum age for purchasing fireworks to 18 years – restricting the sale period to four days from 2 November to 5 November – limiting the decibel level a firework can produce to no more than 90 decibels.
• And I love fish.

This proves to me that I can and will continue to learn for the rest of my life.