Observing & Growing

The King Parrots came for breakfast today. Just two, and both males with their fiery red breasts. I offered left over oats with sultanas and walnuts, but no, they just came to say hello. Pretty brave with a tomcat and fox terrier on the deck.

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   “Money is a great servant but a bad master.” ― Francis Bacon

I have baggage when dealing with the wealthy. Growing up in a beachside suburb that got uber trendy in my young adult years, I witnessed the gaudy, snobbish and ???. As a stylish European car sped by, shattering the peace with an engine roar that screamed "in your face loser". Being catholic I took the high moral ground; benevolence, the oil crisis and then the global warming crisis, fuelled my disdain.

Then I took ownership of a disabled yacht hanging on an expensively rented off some of Sydney's wealthiest beachside addresses. To maintain my inner peace, I averted my eyes and kept to myself. I feared their gaudy portrayals of wealth and prestige. In short time I began to covet these peoples' fitness, sociability and their range of watercraft. Lithe, peaceful, at peace with the world. Yes they crammed all open space with their Audis, Rovers and other unrecognisable makes, but they strolled about in loose fitting clothing and had the swagger of surfers. Offshore, yes there is a good smattering of unbelievably large motor yachts and well appointed sailing craft, but the beaches and lawns were littered with smaller well used craft, Hobie cats, kayaks, paddle boards and patched up dinghies. The steam inside me mellows with each gentle greeting and I come around to the fact that, on the face of it, these guys are pretty cool. I suspect that from Monday to Friday they'd become almost unrecognisable, but at play, I can really appreciate their love of wind and water.