Bravery in shaking boots
March 7, 2010 by Megan · Leave a Comment
I am brave. I do what I say I am going to do. I do not let inferior hurdles hold me back, and because I am short and have a short complex, I do not recognise big hurdles as being real. I like that in me. I am a go-geter.
I work 50 zillion hours too much and have had a very rough week….my personal emails haven’t been touched and my web site has been left to it’s own devises. Crawling into bed in the evening I am pretty much too tired to kiss the man lying beside me (damn, but I hope it’s been the same man each night!).
The old adage, “ask a busy person,” I asked of myself.
“What do you want to do, Megan Bayliss? What do you really want to be when you grow up.”
Damn, but I wish I wouldn’t answer back so quick!!!!!!! I have just enrolled in a Master of Arts (Writing). 
Your mind can only entertain one thought at a time.
Make it a positive one and stay a positive person.
Sisters, my women friends
A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.
“Don’t forget your Sisters,” she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. ‘They’ll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.’
‘Remember that ‘Sisters’ means ALL the women…your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. ‘You’ll need other women. Women always do.’
What a funny piece of advice!’ the young woman thought. Haven’t I just gotten married? Haven’t I just joined the couple-world? I’m now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!’
But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about.
As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.
After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I’ve learned:
THIS SAYS IT ALL:
- Time passes.
- Life happens.
- Distance separates.
- Children grow up.
- Jobs come and go.
- Love waxes and wanes.
- Men don’t do what they’re supposed to do.
- Hearts break.
- Parents die.
- Colleagues forget favors.
- Careers end.
BUT………
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley’s end.
Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you…Or come in and carry you out.
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!
The world wouldn’t be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.
Vale all the women in my life. Particuarly to Brenda who sent this to me on email and to the wonderful Al who will be very pleased with a recent decision of mine
My wedding in the rainforest
October 11, 2009 by Megan · 2 Comments
As a self care strategy in a rather stressful child protection career, often I need to reflect on the great stuff in my life. This afternoon I made this movie of my week end long, child focused, wedding in the rainforest.
Honey and Cinnamon, Stress, Cholesterol and Weight Loss
July 11, 2009 by Megan · 7 Comments
My friends hate me (because I am always too busy), my hiatus hernia is letting me know it hates acid reflux and my family all want to kill me. I am stressed and carrying an unhealthy load of sick husband, LONGGGGGGGGG work hours and trying to sell our house. My blood pressure is up and I am putting on weight.
Putting on weight!!!!! No way! Time to get serious. It’s funny how the little things often spur us into action. Wouldn’t you think it would be the high blood pressure that encouraged change?
A mixture of honey and cinnamon is said to be good for weight loss, reducing blood pressure, reducing cholesterol, curing acid reflux and even keeping the flu at bay! I am right into natural remedies so as of this morning I have embarked on a sweet journey of honey and cinnamon for keeping me alive.
The following list of the medicinal benefits of honey and cinnamon came to me on email…..but, there are a number of natural health sites that all maintain the same benefits.
- HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.
- CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic Cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.
- WEIGHT LOSS: Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one Cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.
- FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton maintains that a half Tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P..M. When the vitality of the body starts to decrease increases the vitality of the body within a week.
- ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured.20In a recent research Conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half a teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.
- BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a Glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.
- COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon Lukewarm honey with 1/4 of a spoon of cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.
- UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears Stomach ulcers from the root.
- GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.
- IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral Diseases.
- INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food Relieves acidity an d digests the heaviest of meals.
- INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient’ which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.
- LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.
- PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with Warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.
- SKIN INFECTIONS: Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.
- CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.
- BAD BREATH: People of South America , first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.
- HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restore hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!
Matthew Johns and his sexual violence in ball sports
There is no statute of limitation on sexual assault or rape in Australia. At any time, unwanted sexual encounters can come back to bite you. The recent case of seven year old accusations involving Cronulla (Sydney Australia) MULTIPLE players against one young New Zealand woman (19) is an example of how you can hide for a while but that the goal will always find the net. Despite that the alleged offence occurred in New Zealand, the alleged offenders were Australian…and many of them high profile Australian.
Matthew Johns is an Australian sporting and media icon: a representative of all things good in Australia – until now. Today he wears the sad reflection on how bad ball games can take up unwanted air space. As a result of his involvement in the alleged gang rape of the 19 year old woman, seven years ago, Matthew Johns has been ball dropped by his employer, Channel Nine, and several major sponsors are considering the revocation of NRL sponsorship. Good for them.
While Matthew Johns is nothing more than a figure head, just one of many so called sports people involved in the alleged gang rape of a 19 year old women, he mascots for his past team and his game. He has become the public face of NRL and therefore bears the brunt of actions allegedly performed by his team mates – some of them perhaps even more high profile than Johns was at the time.
Matthew Johns admitted bedroom behaviour has been voyeuristic, disgusting toward the worth of women, unethical and immoral to the maximum. Matthew John’s unwillingness to publicly name the other team mates involved is perhaps testament to the strength of the NRL code of silence between team brothers rather than an expected code for all of us to be ethical at all times. Hello Neanderthals – major public health campaigns around Australia encourage telling someone about sexual violence – are you Australian or what!?
I am glad this public and metaphorical crucifixion has happened, albeit that I feel humiliated and desperate for the family of Matthew John’s (credit to Matthew Johns for his public apology and confession though). The incident is a hit fair to the balls of a male Australian sporting culture that considers many women as objects. I am appalled at the level of violence in organised sport in Australia and I am even more appalled at the assimilation of that violence into sexual encounters renamed as consensual and acceptable. It is time to grow up boys, get your knuckles out of the dirt, lift your sloping foreheads up and catch up with a world that does not support violence against women.
Whether the young woman consented to initial sex with one, two or three players is irrelevant. Two hours of continuous sex with multiple and unknown players is hardly the act of consent. I can only ask each of you big he men, when was the last time you performed sex continually for 2 hours? For other players to stand and watch the act of continuous sexual assault is just as bad. It is immoral and I will never again watch you on the screen. You have done your dash with me and I am left with NO respect toward NRL at all.
Australian male sporting heroes: hang your heads in shame at your fellow field ball sportsmen. I am disgusted and even more determined not to follow your unethical, pathetic attempts at being big men. Keep your balls to the field because that’s the only place they work. You do not have the balls to be real men so step aside and play with yourselves.
I call for a huge movement against the use of sexual assault as an organised sport. It is time to speak out citizens of the world. Are you for sport or are you for sexual assault. Draw the line in the sand and kick your goal. Kick where it hurts, right in the balls of the NRL field.
I will NEVER AGAIN watch NRL. No amount of PR, marketing or propaganda rhetoric will change it. In my mind, the sport is dead. And Channel Nine’s The Footy Show…move over, how pathetic was that pat on the back to Matthew Johns from Fatty Vautin? You also score zero airing on the televisions in this house. The line is drawn.
End violence against women. END NRL...you’ve got no balls anyway.
Wipe out sexual violence – wipe out NRL to start with.
Congratulations and thank you to Sarah Furgeson and Four Corners on Code of Silence.
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