Letter to Students 24 October 2008

Dear Reader

This coming Monday is Labour Day in New Zealand, the day set aside to celebrate the introduction of the forty hour working week in the twentieth century.  My lack of ability to remember dates means I can not tell you when this important piece of legislation was introduced to protect workers.  Unfortunately, successive governments have not honored workers in the same way as the Labour government which believed in this law, and workers today are now often work more than the forty hours, and do not receive the penal rates that were in the original piece of legislation.  Does your country have good labour laws for its workers?  Do you think money is important for workers to perform well in the workplace?  I certainly don’t see money as my first priority, but I know that money is a form of recognition for a job well done.

What will you do over this long weekend?  I am so looking forward to heading off to Glenorchy, the village at the tip of LakeWakatipu through which you access the wonderful valleys so well known because scenes in the Lord of the Rings were shot in this fabulous location.  Have you ever been to Queenstown?  You go through Queenstown, and then take a winding road for forty minutes to arrive at the small settlement of Glenorchy.  Han and I have taken the children there for the past seven years because one of our best friends is the principal of the Glenorchy area school, and we love to go there to just relax. We go for walks around the village, walk along the board walk which allows us to view spectacular views of the mountains, play golf, and drink lots of gin and tonic!  We totally indulge ourselves with good food and wine, and it is really the only time I totally relax and don’t think of work.  Han gets annoyed with me for not being able to switch off from work, and I made him a promise last week that I will try and do that at home, not only in Glenorchy.  It is so important that we have our life in balance, and take time to “smell the roses.”  I am very good at giving other people advice, but sometimes I don’t listen to myself!

However, I do think it is important that we do not take a moment of any day for granted.  We, in New Zealand, live in such peace and harmony that we often take this special place for granted.  When I read the paper, and hear of so much tragedy in the world, I further realise how truly blessed we are to be living here.  That is not to say that we do not have tragedy on our door step as well.  My daughter has had to go to the funeral of her best friend, who dropped dead of a heart attack while playing soccer, and just two weeks ago Shahan again had to support another friend who lost her mother in a tramping accident where the mother was drowned while crossing a river.  Yesterday, I heard that another friend’s mother is in the hospice, and it struck me, yet again, how fragile the hold we have on life is!  Live each day as if it were your last!

I hope these thoughts have inspired you to be more positive, and not plummeted you into a state of depression!  The upcoming elections can be depressing, although I think we are extremely fortunate to have open and transparent elections which are held in a true democracy. This is another thing which is taken for granted by a great majority of our population.  So many people are apathetic and refuse to vote, an act which reflects their lack of appreciation for the democratic country in which we live.  How the people of Zimbabwe would love to be able to exercise their right to vote in an honest election process!!  I was actually in Zimbabwe in 1980, and at that time Mugabe had just come to power.  The country was still called the bread basket of Africa, and it was a wonderful country in which to travel.  I even hitched around, meeting a wide cross section of people, and this is something you would not consider doing now if you valued your life!

Why do my thoughts turn to dying?  I am actually feeling positive as we approach this long weekend, and last night, we returned home to sit on our verandah and look out over our garden as the sun slowly set.  I love watching the shadow of the trees stretch across the grass, and admire the blossom on the trees.  Blossom lasts such a short time, which makes it all the more special.  This year, with all the rain we had in winter, it has resulted in the trees displaying an even richer foliage than we can ever remember. The cabbage trees are laden with flowers, a sign of an excellent summer the Maori say.  Do you have any signs which tell you that the summer will be good? We usually have a dry winter, and disappointingly cool summer, but because this winter was so wet, we may also have a hot summer.  Fingers crossed that this is true!!

I am looking forward to meeting you and sharing your thoughts.  I also hope that you will find the time to write back to me.  My children are not going to be coming away with us this weekend, as they have work and sporting commitments this weekend.  Han and I have so little time together, so we are looking forward to spending a little time as just a couple.  Han gets angry with my tendency to load up my day, and then gather many people at our home as well.  However, I love having people to share our home, and I love cooking for others as well.  Do you enjoy entertaining at your home?  I can think of nothing better than inviting friends and family to my home and sitting around the table cooking.  What do you enjoy doing the most?

Have a great weekend with your family or friends, and make the most of each precious moment!

Love

Sharron