Late in the evening, I lean against the window of the train,
Warmed by the glancing bands of sunset.
The train is cold, full of suited prospectors on their phones
Panning for a better tomorrow.
The clean thought lines of my day stretch behind me.
This evening? Hungry managers have eaten my time,
I know I’ll be working.
I can taste the freedom that the gold I am earning will give me.
I can hear the music of my portfolio growing.
I can sense the shining nuggets hidden in the shallow stream,
The pyrite turning up in my pan just spurs me on.
Just one more step. Just one more push. Just one more day.
Tomorrow.
Poem 2:
I’m proud of my life. Hard work is a challenge
Accepted and met.
But my body, my creativity–the tiny joyfilled child my soul recognises,
My companions, my capacity for bliss,
Are waiting.
They live in an imaginary future.
Filled with time.
Sunday afternoon the sun slants across the surface of the desk.
Bound by duty, responsibilities call out to me.
I’m caught, trapped, in a net of obligations.
Time my most precious asset, spent devoted to financing
Someone else’s children.
Poem 3:
This night is deep and full of strange noises–
Bats crying out, the creak of a branch scraping
Against the balcony railing, soft murmers of sleep.
Spirit rises up within as my relaxed body awakens–
Joyfull, alert, alive, vibrating with life force,
Almost– not quite– time for my alarm.
Later, dressed and ready, coffeed, combed, and smoothed,
I trundle my body towards the 9am meeting,
Glad when my bosses look at me and say
That’s right, Gill. 40 hours per week.
A fair days work for a fair days pay.
Happy Labour Day Everyone
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By reading this blog, you agree that you read it under your own risk, and Gill’s Practical Bookkeeping is in no way responsible for any harm or prejudice to yourself, your business, or any fictional examples above.
I am not a financial advisor. I do not have an AFSL. I am a chick who likes to read, think, write, and has access to google. You should treat this blog with the same seriousness that you would treat anyone whose main qualification is access to google. This blog is for entertainment purposes only. It’s a little like watching The Good Place for nerds or artists.
Anything you take from this blog is your responsibility. Nothing in this blog, even if you are mentioned by name, address, and telephone number, pertains to your personal situation. Anything you agree with, or disagree with, you are welcome to comment on, but your opinions belong to you. You are responsible for your comments. If they are offensive, I will remove them.
I was having a conversation with the adonis who I train with recently. He was talking about how we have freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Australia, and how that was great.
Yes, I’m aware of the irony of sitting in a comfortable Sydney home, on the internet, writing that we don’t have freedom of speech or freedom of the press in Australia.
This week Australia’s High Court made a decision that means that any company in Australia that has an internet presence, is liable for the comments on their social media accounts or website.
One of the consequences of this is that ordinary people who do try to speak out about things going wrong may well be moderated out of the discourse.
Australia updated secrecy laws in 2018, making it illegal to talk about certain things, either in Australia or overseas (if you’re interested, read part 5.6 of the federal Criminal Code (1995)).
Write something on social media about freedom of speech in Australia, tag your local member, the Attorney General’s Department and the federal parliament
Participate in public discourse– bring it up at dinner, bring it up at a public forum, talk about what’s going on
Start or sign a petition asking for change asking for the right to protest.
Start a T-shirt Campaign
Make Art about it
Write a story about it
Express yourself through poetry
Make some rocking music
Put your thoughts into photos
Meditate on healing the world
Send good wishes into the lives of other people
Connect with people in your community so that we can lift the cohort
Get a qualification or do a short course to keep yourself fresh and keep your brain working
Meditate on having love in your heart
Learn a language
Become F.I.R.E so you’re not a slave to a job any more.
It might not think that these will change things politically, but every time you lift yourself out of fatalistic, nihilistic depression, you remind yourself of the truth:
You have power. You have creativity. You can do something. Change is possible.
Remember: Always be kind.
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This blog is fiction. By reading this blog, you agree that you read it under your own risk, and Gill’s Practical Bookkeeping is in no way responsible for any harm or prejudice to yourself, your business, or any fictional examples above.
I am not a financial advisor. I do not have an AFSL. I am a chick who likes to read, think, write, and has access to google. You should treat this blog with the same seriousness that you would treat anyone whose main qualification is access to google. This blog is for entertainment purposes only. It’s a little like watching The Good Place for nerds or artists.
Anything you take from this blog is your responsibility. Nothing in this blog, even if you are mentioned by name, address, and telephone number, pertains to your personal situation. Anything you agree with, or disagree with, you are welcome to comment on, but your opinions belong to you. You are responsible for your comments. If they are offensive, I will remove them.