I hope you have all had a pleasing week. Mine has been a bit of a mixed bag, however I’ll save that for another time.
Every Sunday morning one of the first things I do when I get out of bed is make myself a cup of chai tea and check my private Instagram account. When I set up my first Instagram account some years ago, I did so after doing a short watercolor painting course. My teacher, Fiona Kate, suggested we create an Instagram account to showcase our watercolor designs so that she could keep track of our progress. I was very excited as I’d actually never heard of Instagram before this and I’d also never tried watercolour painting. Both of these things were new to me and I approached each with some vigour. I enjoyed my artistic creations more so because the process was so relaxing rather than me having any artistic talent, and I enjoyed the visual aspect of Instagram and the window it gave me into other people’s lives. My painting adventures didn’t last more than a few short months, however my Instagram account continued on and I still add pictures and stories to it today. I mostly use it to document the things I love, a record of sorts, of flowers and gardens I see on my daily walks and the changing seasons, places I visit and travel to, and occasionally some cooking I might do in the kitchen or a meal shared to mark a special event or celebration, and far less often, a photo of my nearest and dearest. I don’t often post pictures of myself or my family because I’m not confident about them being shared out into such a public space. In the early days, my participation on Instagram became a bit of a lifeline to combat isolation and loneliness and it was always uplifting to interact with some of my regular followers who would continue to pop up on my feed. These days however, I find it to be a bit of an intrusion, consuming large chunks of my day that I could otherwise be spending doing other things such as having ‘real life’ interactions or reading books. In spite of this, there are a few lovely Instagram accounts that still peak my interest, not least of which is @belindajefferyfood which has become a highlight of my Sunday mornings. I love Belinda’s account not only for the photos of the beautiful recipes she creates out of seasonal produce from her local fresh food markets, but more so because she is a wordsmith. She paints a picture with her words and articulates them in such a gentle manner, touching your soul in a way that you feel like you know her, always conveying a sense of kindness and appreciation to all those who have taken the time to read her words. I can sense from her words what a lovely person she is, humble and not conceited, and I really enjoy being touched by a little bit of Belinda’s warmth every Sunday morning. It's so uplifting. You can follow and enjoy Belinda’s account here.
If you are an animal lover @babyanmlpics will also spark your interest and always make you smile.
Cuteness overload 📷 @dickvanduijn @babyanmlpics
Of course we mustn’t forget that there are two sides to every story we see in an Instagram post and whilst we are all quick to see the light side of a picture, what we often don’t see is the shadowy side. We must be able to change our perspective to consider the whole picture and not just what we can see. You can learn more about this on the mindset podcast The Space over here.
I’m loving the new podcast Something to Talk About hosted by Sam Armytage. Each week Sam sits down with a guest to talk about pivotal moments in their life. The debut episode where she interviews Hugh Sheridan is raw, honest and funny. You can listen to it here.
In the news this week the findings of the enquiry into Aged Care Quality and Safety were released. Suffice to say it wasn’t something for the government to be proud of. My personal observation of the way our elderly are treated has been challenging. On many days I bear witness to them being served up tasteless slop with little nourishment, being left in bathrooms unattended for hours, being given antipsychotic drugs to keep them compliant and make them easier to look after, with these drugs eventually leading to excessive weight gain and physical limitations that reduce day to day movement and them subsequently being placed in a wheelchair. The Royal Commission recommended better regulation of the use of these drugs which can see a person going from vibrant and alive to being physically slumped and sedated with a much poorer quality of life within a matter of a few short weeks. On Life Matters you can listen here (3rd March , Antipsychotics in Aged Care) to a geriatrician and psychiatrist discuss alternatives to prescribing these drugs for elderly patients in aged care and also How to Build a Better Aged Care System over here. On that note I must finish up this post and call my elderly mother.
Until next time may your days be both enjoyable and serendipitous.
Eugenia