A Glass Full of Water

Are you a patient person? As you get older, are you becoming more or less patient? Does the following definition of patience fit you? Patience is the ability to stay calm and not get angry or upset when you have to wait a long time, deal with a hard problem, or face a slow task.  Earlier this year, Chris and I were the first customers when the doors opened (surprise, surprise) at 7am at a Mt Eden (Auckland) cafe. Being twins, we mostly like the same food choices. Our order was toast with honey and a flat white. Our toast order must have been seldom asked for and caused some confusion. The wait staff came back to us three times for clarification. The price changed a few times too. You could feel the stress levels rising as the wait staff were doing their best to get the order right and on time.  I can ‘hear’ a few cynical ‘voices’ saying, ‘the order wasn’t that difficult’. True, but they were inexperienced, still at high school and the last thing they needed were two curmudgeon...

I’m having difficulty staying retired. My first retirement was from Hamilton Boys’ High School and lasted 6 weeks. My recent farewell/retirement from Te Uku School lasted 2 weeks and I’m currently teaching one day a week at Te Pahu School.  Te Pahu means a bell or gong making a booming noise to summon people together. This small farming community is nestled below Mount Pirongia, 45 kms from Raglan. One of our ex Prime Ministers, Helen Clark, was born and raised there. She attended the local school, before boarding at Epsom Girls’ Grammar School in Auckland.  On my first day of teaching, I couldn’t help but notice and not long after tasting a magnificent pavlova, given to staff by a kind and generous parent as a way of saying thank you. Other parents randomly gift delicious treats to the staff as the term goes by.  The culture of the school is further enhanced when the staff have a themed morning tea together. ie party food, high tea, colour food. Once a term the staff do ...

My nephew Michael and his wife Heather have a son and daughter, their son currently attending Onehunga Primary School in Auckland. The school has a simple overarching value. We Care.  He loves school because he loves his teacher and she loves him. Sa is her first name and she leads the Piwakawaka (Native Fantail) Year 6 Learning community, leading by example. Their son said, “She likes me.” - he knows he has a secure relationship with his teacher. Sa can be firm when she needs to be and challenges him when his behaviour needs attention. The first time she was introduced to their son, she said to him, “Ive been waiting for you.” This beautiful, inclusive statement was followed by a hug for the parents too.  A few months later in the school year, Sa shared with his parents, “Your son makes me feel like a Queen. Queen Beyoncé.”  Occasionally, Michael and Sa wave to each other when he rides past the school and she is on road crossing duty. Michael describes her as a friendly,...

 I was recently farewelled from my part time teaching position at Te Uku Primary School, near Raglan. The farewell assembly was memorable. My speech was simple. Why have I been at the school for four and a half years? To help and to care and above all to be kind.  I have taught at every class level and loved it and I view it as being a privileged teaching position.  I then told the students sitting in front of me that I see in them, hope, joy and potential. I added, they were all precious and special.  I enjoy teaching writing. My goal was for each student to proudly say, I’m a writer.  And so to my beautiful book. I was presented with a unique, beautifully appointed book, ‘A Collection of Stories from our Lives’, written by Te Uku School Tamariki/children. Outlined below are a number of excerpts from their stories.  ‘I will miss you Matua (male teacher) Steve. I like it when you read the stories in your book (The Trouble with Twins A memoir). ‘I liked the ...

Campbell continued his conversation with me.  “Building our house was a wonderful experience and the builder asked me to help with his next two building projects.” Campbell then said, “People are the most important thing. I’m driven, but there is an underlying love for people. During these projects I realised that the people I worked for were just as important as the project itself. So, as a novice I went the extra mile, checking in, communicating and just being friendly.” “Lorraine says I’m still the same person as I was when I was in church, but now my tool belt has different attachments. I value relationships and the rewards that relationships bring. Both client couples gave me work post the house project and I added a new business, Repurposed Raglan. And you know what, I didn’t have to wait for another life to be a builder. Heather, Seb, Glenn and Andrea went from being clients to great, trusted friends. All I have done is to treat them well. Now I have plenty of work.”  C...

A tradie is a colloquial term used in New Zealand and Australia for a skilled (male or female) builder, mechanic, plumber, plasterer, bricklayer, landscaper, roofer or electrician.  Having a coffee with a tradie builder Campbell Forlong at The Hut Cafe recently was an insightful experience. The back story to his current career is that he came from a family of farmers and business people. Initially, he felt ‘intimidated’ by his wife Lorraine’s family of tradies  (mechanics, glaziers and builders).  Little by little he observed tradies working with their hands to restore, renovate and create something that was needed. Perhaps a seed of opportunity began to grow for him. Campbell then got some part time work as a labourer for a day a week. In his own words, he says,  “I discovered I could learn to build. Out of this came a dream, a desire to one day build my own house. At this time I was doing church and community work. Sometime during my 50th year I thought if I had my...