I’m happy to report that my sister Aileen and I finished our English Channel swim yesterday! We co-ordinated our times and reached the French shore together.  Then we celebrated on FaceTime with a wink and a nod to our Grandpa Jack. (See “More kick to my flutter kick”)

Aileen and I have been sending messages and photos back and forth to egg each other on and last week I sent this one. It’s my view from the shower at the Manly Andrew Boyd Charlton pool, Sydney. I’ve always loved this view. Granted, I get a tad nervous and duck down when a low-flying plane goes by, but there’s not many of those these days. My wide open blue sky view contrasts with her cozy, indoor pool up in the Yukon, Canada.

Finding connection during 2020 has been vitally important. Swimming the English Channel virtually with my eldest sister has connected us over the 12,431 kms like we have never connected before. During the year, encouraging my clients to connect with family and friends both here and overseas for input into their life stories has been wonderful.

My shower stall photo makes me think of another positive aspect of life story writing though. I broke the law when I took it. There is a great big sign at the entrance to the change rooms saying: USE OF MOBILE PHONES IN CHANGE ROOMS PROHIBITED.

I am a rule abider. I like my parameters. I stay within my parameters and have the freedom to roam, with no gnawing feeling of doubt.

If, down the track, someone found this photo that Grandma Whitefield took in the MABC showers, they would get a completely different impression of me. A rule breaker.

Capturing your stories into a book to pass down to future generations captures your nature. What makes you, you. What makes you tick and what drives you. I often think back to 2018, to two lines my client Winton Knowles wrote in his book Water Under the Bridge about his grandfather: “He was a very quiet, gentle man… apparently he was a man of very high principles and integrity was one of his strong points. At one stage he ended up in the Victorian High Court acting for himself on a matter of principle.” The character description of having “high principles and integrity” is brought home by the brief mention of the High Court story. If Winton had never heard that story, he may not have known of his grandfather’s admirable and inspiring character. Now it is forever in print.