This year has been pretty shit. We don’t have the horrific death toll from Covid-19 that other countries have, but we still spent what felt like years in lockdown (decades, if you’re Victorian) Businesses closed and some haven’t and won’t open their doors again. Unemployment is huge, the economy has taken a massive hit and we’re still living under a cloud of anxiety. It’s not exactly a recipe for fun times, is it?
It’s a weird time, right? I feel like a lot of people, myself included, have adjusted to living with a constant baseline of high anxiety. It’s frightening and stressful. So, to amuse/distract myself, I started this list in the notes app on my phone. Then I thought I’d publish it, listicle style, for your amusement/distraction.
I remember a while ago, when personal blogging was at it’s peak. It wasn’t about promoting products or getting followers; it was about sharing stuff. Your thoughts, ideas, recipes, pictures and all that good content that let you get to know a person. A bunch of bloggers I followed would post regular “taking stock” updates. I’m not sure whose idea it was, but I think it was Pip Lincolne’s blog, Meet Me At Mike’s, where I saw it first. I always felt kinda shy about these posts; why would anyone care what I was reading or thinking about?
But really, every post on this blog has been the result of something I’ve read, watched, thought about or experienced. And I always liked reading other people’s lists, so I figured, why not? I haven’t written much for a while, so it’s kind of a nice, soft way to get back to it.
As I’m sure you know, we’ve got quite a a fire problem right now. It’s raging from Queensland right down the NSW coast and into Victoria and it’s horrendous. Homes and lives have been lost. An estimated half a billion animals have perished. During the most dangerous times, people have been forced to wade into the ocean and wait it out. Communities have been devastated and left without power or communications lines. As expected, just about everyone not directly effected is looking for a way to help.
You can give to WIRES or adopt a koala, give to the Red Cross, donate to the Rural Fire Service or the Country Fire Authority or even support fundraising initiatives like this one, to help fire-impacted First Nations communities. You can craft items to help injured wildlife. Some people are organising care packages for fire fighters. There’s always the helpers, right? And apparently, you can donate to the Hillsong Bushfire Appeal.