Oh, love is snakes and ladders (Joni Mitchell)

Photo by Andrew Hua on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

2025 is The Year of the Snake.

In some western traditions the snake may have negative connotations (possibly influenced by the cunning, deceptive snake in the Garden of Eden), but not in Chinese traditions. 

The Year of the Snake in Chinese culture symbolizes wisdom, transformation, and introspection. People born in the Year of the Snake are believed to be intuitive, strategic, and intelligent. In the Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with charm, elegance, and acumen.

Jesus advised his followers to be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Matthew 10:16 'Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves'.

A co-incidence? I think not.

Love and peace - Wozza

Choose love

Mark Andrews dramatically drops the ball against the Bills in icy conditions

Wie geht's?

The NFL playoffs have contained some hugely entertaining games so far. 

It was good to see the Commanders beat the Lions and sadly the Rams couldn't quite beat the Eagles. The Kansas City Chiefs march on, and so do The Buffalo Bills (I'm no fan of the Baltimore Ravens - always The Steelers' chief nemesis).

During The Bills/ Ravens game, Ravens' tight end Mark Andrews had a chance to tie the game but he wasn't able to hold on to the pass. I felt for him (after I celebrated the fact the Bills had won) because I don't know anything about him and he's just a football player playing a game to the best of his ability. There are never any guarantees in sport.

As the photo above shows, it was really cold at the Bills' home field. It was also extremely late in the game - fatigue was surely a factor. So, he failed to catch the ball. The Ravens were playing catch up. Plenty had happened already before the last seconds of the game. During the game, he'd made some big plays to keep them in it. A tied game wasn't their fate.

Arsenal's Kai Havertz also copped a lot of social media hate after a bad week. Anyone targeting him and/or his family are not true gooners, in my opinion. It was shocking to read about his wife pleading for a fair go. What do these people think - he's deliberately missing goals? What a world we live in.

Of late, I've noticed a nice message on the back of some NFL team helmets as part of an NFL social justice programme. 'Choose Love' seems a good message to share and take onboard.

Havertz and Andrews (as well as screeds more) play the game they love. They need to know they can stuff up from time to time and yet, they'll still be loved.   

Love and peace - Wozza

Round and round the ring I go, I want to know, I want to know (Paul McCartney)

Wie geht's?

Stillness is the key, is the message by Ryan Holiday in his book Stillness Is the Key.

Before footballers take a penalty, a free kick, or even a corner, they pause, centre themselves, and breathe in, breathe out. A deep breath in. A deep breath out. Then they complete their play.

As Ryan says:

Stillness is what aims the archer's arrow. It inspires new ideas. It sharpens perspective and illuminates connections. It slows the ball down so that we might hit it. It generates a vision, helps us resist the passions of the mob, makes space for gratitude and wonder. Stillness allows us to persevere. To succeed. It is the key that unlocks the insights of genius and allows us regular folks to understand them.

And that's just from his introduction. More from Ryan in the next few posts, I'm sure.

Love and peace - Wozza 

Waiata o Aotearoa

Wie geht's?

The world famous in NZ Wander To Wozza's Music Club (a.k.a. me and two amigos), has embarked on a new playlist that should be of interest. It's a quickfire 30 favourite songs by Kiwis from each of us. We're only just a week into it, so you can watch our progress in real time as I add three songs to it daily.

It's called WTWMC - Kiwi Pik n Mix.

The thing I've noticed already is the vast range that Kiwi music covers through the years and through the genres. So far, my favourites and G-Whizz's have tended towards the seventies bands we grew up with, but Kevy's are much deeper cuts of recent Kiwi musicians. It makes for a thrillingly eclectic mixtape.

Frinstance, in these early exchanges G-Whizz has chosen his first ever single purchase (My Son John), and I went for a song by Chapta from 1971's Loxene Golden Disc, one of my first albums [Kevy's first album was Mental Notes btw]. These seminal exposures to music and Kiwi music specifically are indelibly imprinted into our senses and brains.

And if you're NOT interested, well, you should be. This is our music, as in our shared NZ history. It's different to the rest of the world, and, most importantly, it still holds up!

Check out that playlist, will ya!

Love and peace - Wozza

Well if you don't know how to do it, I'll show you how to walk the dog (Rufus Thomas)

Top dogs.

Wie geht's?

Thanks to Jacky and the girls' influence, we have always had pets. The list is long but off the top of my head I can think of a hamster, love birds, mice, canaries, lorikeets, cats, horses and of course, dogs.

Most days we find ourselves surrounded by our current crop of pets: Laney, Gracie, Rey and Jerry. They love us, and we love them. Our empty nest isn't so empty after all.

Grace

Jerry

Rey

Laney

It's always hard when we have to say goodbye to one.

Sadly, we had to say farewell to Tango this week. That was hard because he's been part of Jade's life (and also our life) for 12 years. Rest in peace, Tangie.

He joins an illustrious list of canine friends that we have had to say goodbye to over the years.

So, raise a glass and remember/celebrate all of the pooches - from Wynton, Bazil, Dukie, Finn, Dory and Tango to our current buddies Rey and Jerry. 

Love and peace - Wozza

There's a world where I can go and tell my secrets to (The Beach Boys)

Wie geht's?

I'm enjoying this weighty tome, and I mean weighty - feels like it's about 7kg. 

I love The Beach Boys' music and I love California (the actual place and the mythic place of eternal youth and endless summer). The two go hand in glove.

Jacky and I have loved our Californian adventures with Samantha; traveling the Pacific Coast Highway between Monterey and LA.

Heading up the coast last time was during a freak storm - lots of rain and rocks hitting Fanfa's car in dramatic fashion. That was very unlike the sunshine of our first trip down the 101 from San Francisco.

Have you ever been south of Monterey?
Barrancas carve the coastline
And the chaparral flows to the sea
'Neath waves of golden sunshine
And have you ever been north of Morro Bay?
The south coast plows the sea... 

(From California Saga by The Beach Boys)

The Beach Boys book is made up of pictures and interviews with the key players and they are clear about the mythic California created by Brian Wilson and his lyrical collaborators in their songs. But it's not like mythic California didn't exist before the Beach Boys sang about surfing and cruising in cars. Like the Okies trying to escape the dust bowl, that mythic ideal has lured the people for a long time.

Travelling that coastline (and those falling rocks reminded me) is important for the soul. From time to time, it's great to reconnect with important stuff and realise how insignificant we are.

As The Beach Boys' California Saga reminds us - the eagles continue through their generations and the land endures (and puts up with us) but 'The world has changed in [the she-eagle's] time; humanity has multiplied, but not here'.

Getting a glimpse of that from time to time is good for me. That's partly why I'm drawn towards the Pacific Coastal Highway and those California myths. 

As Rumi says: When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

And after all, the best coffee and donuts on the planet are at Big Sur.

Fun, fun, fun. Love and peace - Wozza

Stop wandering about!

Photo by Imran Abdul Jabar on Unsplash

Wie geht's?

Happy new year to my family and friends and to the interweb's blogosphere!

This is a great message from Marcus Aurelius to start off the new year:

Stop wandering about! You aren't likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you've collected to read in your old age. Get busy with life's purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue - if you care for yourself at all - and do it while you can.

Love and peace - Wozza