Recent Entries

• “Take that, Johnny!”

  July 15, 2024

  "I have imposter syndrome"—one of Mum's go-tos when she's seeking validation for her art. Mum has always heavily romanticised what it means to be an artist, to the point where the art itself is secondary. She has always wanted to be an artist—in her own words, "a real artist." And there's a lot t...

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• “Made with love”

  July 14, 2024

  When I was meditating I had the most beautiful image come to me—a woman decorating a cake for a young boy. You couldn't see the boy, but I knew she was thinking of him, and filled with a deep love and affection for him. Her big strong arms slowly and delicately shaped the icing as…

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• “I’m proud of you”

  June 14, 2024

  I was in my late thirties when Mum first told me she was proud of me. It was a strange moment. Strange, because throughout my life she had been mostly indifferent to me and my successes. I never got a “great job” or a “well done”. It’s seems even stranger now, writing this all down.…

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• “Did you feel loved?”

  June 14, 2024

  Mum will say sometimes "I always knew I wanted to be a mother." She'd talk proudly about how well organised and conscientious she was looking after three young children. And by that measure alone she was a great mother. In my late twenties we were driving somewhere and she said, "You know, your b...

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• Mum

  June 14, 2024

  My mother and I have always had a complicated relationship. She is an extremely difficult person to be around, and the anxiety and stress of being in her company is quite unbearable. For most of my adult life we have lived in different cities, and knowing she'd be visiting would send me into a pa...

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