I had two massive milestones to celebrate this week… On Wednesday it was my 20 year Australia-versary and last night we had the graduation party for Future Shapers. It’s funny how these significant events seem to cluster around each other making each event more impactful. It’s like deciding to close HUCX the week we celebrate our 11th year wedding anniversary. The two things happening in the same time frame mean more.
I realised how well my graduation and my 20 years in Australia aligned when I walked up to receive my certificate while my final reflection video from our closing retreat played in the background. During my over enthusiastic, hand waving summary of my time with Future Shapers I point out that after 20 years living in Australia I’ve finally decided to become an Australian citizen. While this may sound like a slightly unusual outcome from a community leadership program it makes total sense when I think about what we experienced this year.
First it would give me the right to vote. After spending so much time investigating all levels of government I can now see how important it is for the community to engage and connect with our elected representatives. My whole adult life I’ve sat to the side and thought that my voice and vote didn’t matter because it is so insignificant. What can one person do? But one person is all it takes to start a movement. One person connects with another and agrees that something needs to change. In a place the size of Ballarat, these small numbers are magnified with lots of our progressive candidates missing out on seats in council by as little as 90 votes. Every vote counts and hopefully if Australia accepts me then my vote will count to.
Becoming a citizen also makes me eligible for potentially free education if that is something I wanted to pursue. At the start of this year I would’ve told you that I was a graphic designer with a Prefab building business on the side. I never would’ve considered myself a community leader but as we pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones and started to experience different ways of living in our community it has become apparent that I might have a bit more to offer than what I originally thought.
I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot lately. How we need to be pushed to know what we are really capable of. This year has been the hardest by far for our family but it also feels like we have gained the most as well. When huge events (like closing a family business…) happen it forces you to recalibrate. It makes you stop and look at what you have right in front of you today because, in our case, all the future success we were working towards vanished overnight. There would be no house. No payday. No business at all.
What we did have however was us. That's why it was so poignant that our wedding anniversary was the same week we handed over to the liquidator. We still had each other and two awesome kids that love us unconditionally. We don’t have 100% security around our home but we do have a house to live in. We’re all healthy and most importantly, we all still like each other!
I wake up every day in a body that lets me run 6km as the sun is coming up. I have a mind that seems to endlessly expand as I spend time filling it. I have a heart that has unlimited space for the people I care about and I know they have space for me. I know that it’s because of the adversity and struggle we've experienced that I get to sit in this privileged space that is my life.
I heard this great story about a balloon experiment this week. There was a room filled with balloons that each had a kid's name written on it. A group of kids was asked to go into the room and look for the balloon with their name. After 2 minutes only a few balloons had been found. The second time they were asked to find a balloon for another person and within 2 minutes all of the balloons had been found. Serving others is what makes us feel good. Knowing that others are doing the same for us is what makes a community strong. I’m not sure if this was the point of the experiment but it is what I’m taking from it.
The combination of 20 years in Australia and graduating from Future Shapers is perfectly timed. I’m ready for the next adventure. I’m ready to transform all the hard learned lessons and experiences into fuel that will propel me into whatever is next. Whatever’s to come, it's to be good news or a good story.
