My introduction to Spotto came less that a year ago, but the impact it has on my life feels like it may be longer lasting.

Leaping out of the school playground and into my car, Spotto is now an ever lasting creature (even a virus!) that I cannot escape. Sometimes I shout it out and the kids (who have infected me with this thing) aren’t even bothered, sometimes the glory of declaring a Spotto is short lived when it causes real tears for those less eagle-eyed (“I wanted to see it first!”), and worst of all, as is often the case with jigsaws and colouring-in books, I find myself playing it on my own, when I am purposefully in a pre-planned me-time moment, there she is, bright as a yellow daisy, well, a yellow car…Spotto!

When I first learnt the rules, I thought it’d be hard – I mean how many yellow cars do you normally see, hmm, one a month maybe. But today I saw three in the space of 5 minutes.

I was on the way home from my jog along the river. Feeing serene and the perfect balance of exhaustion and re-energised. It’s funny, because when I was jogging I was very much in the moment and I consciously thought “all I can see is green and blue, how lovely, nature’s calming colours…” and then I get back to the car park feeling relief that my legs carried me the distance, ready to sit/collapse and calmly stretch, and then boom, there it is, a bloody yellow car. Once seen you can’t undo them. Sounds like a line from a horror movie poster, doesn’t it?

There is no magic though, it’s simply due to the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, an illusion of frequency, plus the support of confirmation bias, telling yourself it’s really happening…when it was happening all along you just didn’t notice it.

So despite its gaudy ways (yellow is pretty full on alllllllll over a car), Spotto has taught me, or reminded me at least, of a few life lessons:

⁃ Belonging – it’s nice to be truly accepted and playing in my kids world for a bit

⁃ Patience – it’ll happen, often sooner than you think; and if it takes longer there are other interesting things to see along the way

⁃ Simple games – made up of simple rules, no accessories needed, an equal playing field – I like it!

⁃ There are so many hues of yellow – can you call out for a gold tinged car? But hesitate and you may not get the call…it’s risky

⁃ And finally, if you put it out to the universe it’ll come back. Truth. (Oprah and Ashton Kutcher confirm this – Salt Lake City is still prominently ruling my head…and heart).

I know that when I started being grateful I feel it more, and then I saw more and more and more things to add into my gratitude journal. It really works folks. So, I reckon I need some new rules for this game. But what do I need to spot for? I think I’m already doing it – stripes and trees – they are everywhere…I’m losing track of what I have taken photos of! In all honesty though, I think it’s the simple stuff (again). Health? Happiness? Kindness? Yes I think so. A million dollars? Nah…I don’t want to buy a yellow Ferrari or Lamborghini, imagine how annoying it’d be everyday…Spotto, Spotto, Spotto…

Love Stripes and Trees xxx

Ps sorry for any future sightings of yellow cars and the desire to shout it out, but if you do get bitten by the bug, I’d suggest transforming it into something more fulfilling.

Isn’t it strange when you go away from home, either on holiday, or for a business trip, and time starts misbehaving, tricking you into a false sense of reality?

Strong protective stripes whilst boarding the plane

The build up to travel and the anticipation alone is time consuming, especially for a minimal packer like me who likes to meticulously plan every outfit and not have any wastage of item…yet still have some choices…I have finally mastered this skilful art, but I pack, unpack, repack, many times!

The time away is sometimes fast (‘slow down please…I’m enjoying this’), sometimes slow (‘I’m ready to go home now…’), but always intense, like one the brightest hottest widest rainbows you’ve ever seen.

And then…all of a sudden…you are back home and have been home for more days than you were away and you can’t quite work it out. Did it even happen?

It’s been 7 days since I arrived back from a 6 day work trip to Salt Lake City. The last 7 days have not been technicolor, but more like a grey fog of jet lag, work stress and a continuation of processing the people I heard speaking in the other world that was my temporary home.

However, despite the post-trip lull, my love for family is stronger than before, and my hugs potentially a little tighter – I have definitely come back wiser. There is definitely something bubbling away inside me.

My eyes are wider, my taste buds are alive (fruit, oh how I missed it), my heart is more content and my brain has expanded and my ears are working harder. Listening. Properly listening. With intent.

Obama listened to his audience, with his whole body. The calm energy that he emitted was felt in every part of my body, and my ears could not listen harder…with my eyes fixated on him trying to help make sense of the familiar sound of his voice in the room. He spoke so well, so articulate, and with true kindness. But he also listened. Listening to the huge crowd and responding to the odd murmur or holler with humour, and more interestingly, listening to himself and adding more to his already poignant stories as he eloquently vocalised them. So aware. So present.

Oprah also listened. Yes she talked a lot, she was so incredibly passionate, I could’ve heard her talk for hours. But she too displayed the behaviour of Obama, and actually went further to acknowledge the importance of listening and of being listened to:

“In all of your interactions, in your work, in your home, with your children, with your boss, with your partners, everybody just wants to know: Is it okay? Did you hear me? And did what I say get through?”

I heard her. What she said got through to me. Despite the imbalance of one person on stage to 11,000 in the audience I could tell that this was a two way street. Oprah was open. She was truly human.

Stripes at the gate in Dallas, quite retro

When I landed in Dallas I was excited to hear different voices, accents, phrases. Communication never fails to amaze me. Sometimes a smile says so much when words cannot be shared, and sometimes we have to really explain what we mean by something even when speaking the same language. A small difference in word intonation or placement can lead to initial short term confusion, but often leads to greater listening, further conversation and questions, and ultimately greater connection.

I sent a text this week to someone very special and it said ‘thanks for listening’. I felt so happy to be heard, to be understood, but even happier to send to the message and recognise a simple yet important action in another person, whether conscious or not. I hope to send more, and I also hope to receive some. I’m here. I hear.

Stripes and trees xxx

When I started this post I thought I needed to spend more time on it than usual and be more articulate and profound, but on reflection, I don’t, I just need to be me. Authentic, kind and with purpose. Here we go…

This has been a big week for me, and my two close colleagues. My mind is still ruminating over what it has been presented with. I’ve been brought up to not show off about things, and saying that I saw President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Sir Richard Branson and Ashton Kutcher seems a little like showing off, but honestly, as much as I feel privileged to have sat in their presence, and without downplaying their amazing achievements, they are just humans and they made me feel so normal. Nothing to show off about. I just want to share. I still feel hugely privileged though, I doubt that will ever change.

Deciding to spend time away from my family in Australia was tough, deciding not to spend the time (and the airfare) with my family in the uk was a hard/guilty decision too, and therefore spending time with colleagues who usually get my attention 4/7 of each week was an odd choice. Except it was the only choice. We had to do this. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. We made it happen.

The three of us went to a corporate summit in Salt Lake City, for Qualtrics, a platform we use heavily in our daily jobs. The chance to learn more, learn deeply, and be focused without the usual office dramas, was hugely appealing in itself.

Additionally, Salt Lake City was a place of mystery and intrigue. Mormons were almost always the first word thrown back at me when I mentioned SLC or Utah. I don’t even know if I saw one. I really don’t care. I saw people. Lots of people. 11,000 people at least at the conference.

But amongst the preconceptions and the immense crowds, SLC became the place where I felt like me again, and where I got an energy-injection (despite jet lag and over-stimulation and long long days and nights), and clarity on so many aspects of my life, both work and personal.

Spring in Salt Lake is still more wintery than the winter where I normally live in Sydney. But despite this, the outdoors was calling, all the time. I love nature and I sought it out whenever I could. A glimpse of the mountains, a breath of fresh air to counteract the overused air in the palace conference centre, the snow was always within sight, just not within touch (I missed the flakes fall by just a few hours). And of course there were trees. I can always find trees.

I knew long before this trip of some simple truths about being human:

⁃ we should be kind

⁃ we should be authentic

⁃ we should have purpose

And during this trip, these three things (always three things, as my hubby says), were not only confirmed, but were reignited for me.

The stories, wisdom, passion and certainty that I heard, right out of the mouths of these incredible humans (yes, right outta Oprah’s mouth, Barack’s mouth!), were so similar in nature that the message became louder, despite their individual achievements being so different.

Instead of feeling worlds apart and disconnected from these people, instead of feeling that I could never do anything remotely important as they have, instead of feeling small and shy, I actually felt more normal, more human, more capable, and more like me than I’ve felt for a long time…if ever. I felt truly humble. I’ve not had that before. And I thank them for that, their authenticity, vulnerability, honesty, and kindness to share.

I can’t deny that there were two standouts, the big ‘O’s’. Obama had the aura, the sense of instant calm, the command of silent attention (was he even real?), and Oprah had the voice, the command of life experience and inner belief. But collectively, all speakers reflected the desire to make other humans lives better. All have an incredible work ethic, they have all fought through tough times (it’s all relative), and they recognise their support. They are not alone, they are connected humans and they are working with what they have.

I was expecting to walk away knowing how to do my job better, but what I have walked away with is so much more. I can do my life better. This is not SLC religion-infused, but I now believe in myself and I’m determined to define my true purpose and act upon it. I will be ‘woke’ according to Ashton! I will simply be happy, according to Oprah.

And back to the trees…trees know what they are doing. They are working with what they have. All over the world trees are trees. Sometimes the same type look different, sometimes the same, they face different challenges (climate, resources, disease…certain inhabitants 🐿) but they are simply making the most of what they have. Standing proud. Being true to themselves and just doing their thing.

Oprah even referred to trees when she spoke. Admiring with amazement 6 trees in someone’s backyard as a kid, to now having 3,600 in her own backyard (claiming to have hired a ‘tree counter’ to confirm this). She recalled a moment recently when she saw those trees and remembered her beginnings and what these trees represented to her.

Trees are magic. Life is magic. Make it happen.

Stripes and Trees xxx