Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: gratitude

  • Gratitude

    IP - Gratitude 1

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    It's been a long time since I've made anything with my hands. So long in fact, that I can't remember the last thing I made. Terrible for someone who professes to be a maker! I've been caught up in getting ready for the launch of my second collection of poetry, Pas De Deux which happened last week and haven't had any time for craft. Shocking!

    Today is a public holiday and there's nowhere I have to be so I am using this little window of time to get a few things made. The first is some thank you cards to send out the lovely people who helped make my book launch such a success.

    I went through my card making stash this morning and found these strips of eco dyed paper which I am turning into some concertina style cards. I"d chucked them in the drawer straight after dyeing so they needed a lot of ironing to get out all the creases. I know – ironing paper seems like a bizarre thing to do. The first time I ironed paper I was freaking out, afraid that I would scorch the paper or set it on fire. But no, neither of those things happened. Before you all go out and iron paper you need to know that I'm talking about heavy duty watercolour paper here, not your standard printer paper. I'm not sure how that would cope with being ironed.

    I'm really chuffed with the vintage toast rack I picked up at a local market bazaar shop. It's prefect for holding pieces of eco dyed paper that are drying out or books that are waiting be bound.

    What are you doing this long weekend with your extra time? Making something I hope!

  • Making Do

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    The cold weather has me yearning for walks in the lush forests of the mountains and returning to a roaring open fire with some crochet or knitting in my lap while the girls play board games. This urge is so strong that I've even been looking for houses to buy in the nearby hills. I imagine the warmth of the fire warming my bones as I gaze out of the window at the view, knitting forgotten on my lap. There's also steaming cups of hot herbal tea in my dream. It's a deep yearning for hygge – for cosiness, warmth and companionship.

    Yesterday I had a breakthrough. After a visit to the local botanic gardens to meet some friends I grabbed my crochet and sat in my red vintage chair in front of the heater with my cup of peppermint tea. The girls played lego at my feet while I gazed out the lounge room window at the sun shining on the palm tree in my neighbour's garden. 

    While my heater is not as romantic or as compelling as a roaring open fire it is warm and a whole lot less smokey! It filled my need for warmth and cosiness and I didn't have to pack up my whole house and move. 

    This moment stolen from a busy life filled my heart with filled with satisfaction and content. I'm profoundly grateful for living in this time and place. I'm so lucky to be here, doing what I love with the people that I love. Sure there's still struggle but moments like these make the struggle bearable and fill my soul with the rest it needs to continue the journey.

    Sometimes you don't need to go anywhere. Sometimes by staying still you can find just what you need.

     

  • Grateful

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    We eat like kings. Slow cooked pulled beef that falls off the fork and melts in my mouth. Mouth wateringly good fermented homemade wholegrain mustard to slather on the pulled beef. Activated and dehydrated organic pecans from Byron Bay to nibble on for an afternoon snack. Home cured olives that we foraged our selves.

    The best thing about all this wonderful food is it's homemade. There's no additives or preservatives, just honest ingredients. And definitely no added sugar. Have you noticed that everything these days has sugar in it? I mean everything, not just the sweet stuff where you'd expect to find sugar. Anyone know why on earth there's sugar in savoury dips and vegetable stocks? I have an idea – it's to make you addicted to them and crave more. Sorry, rant over!

    When I'm starting to feel a little blue because it feels like all our wonderful Melbourne friends are going interstate or overseas on incredible adventures this winter, I remember how lucky we are to be living right here, right now. We have a lovely home, gorgeous landscape, vibrant city, wonderful friends, peaceful country and enough deiliocus homemade food to fill our bellies. I feel so grateful and so very, very lucky.

    We may not be gong on a grand adventure any time soon but we'll be eating like kings and enjoying our wonderful home.

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  • Why You Should Write Fan Mail

    Q's Legacy

    Write to the people who inspire and move you.  Tell them what you loved about their work.  Let them know they have been seen and heard.  Most likely they work away in obscurity and never get to hear the compliments.  It's amazing how a little kindness from a stranger can totally make your day.

    When I pass someone one the street who looks amazing, I'll stop and tell them.  I say thank you to waiters and ushers.  And in recent years, I've started writing fan mail to the authors and artists I love. It's another way of expressing gratitude and adding a little bit of love to the world.  I know that my letter may just be one of thousands sitting in a pile.  I also know that the author may not be getting any fan mail at all.  No positive feedback.  Sure book sales are nice but I think it would be even better to hear someone's personal story about what your book meant to them.  So now I've added writing fan mail to the ways I express gratitude.

    According to psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCollugh, the benefits of expressing gratitude range from better physical health to improved mental alertness.  They call gratitude the forgotten factor in happiness research.  They're doing their best to remedy that by doing thorough research into the benefits of gratitude.

    If you want to know the effect that fan mail can have on an author, read Q's Legacy by American author Helene Hanff. It is a gorgeous book about the places fan mail can take you and the amazing people you meet along the way.  Ms Hanff personally responded to her fans, even when the cost of autographing and posting back the books cost her more than the initial sale of the book.  No wonder she had so many devoted fans!

    Write to your heroes – it's good for them and good for you!