Who we are and where we come from always influences our choices for the future.

As I wait impatiently for Cyclone Oma to bring some much needed rain, I am struck by how embedded this need is in me. From a very young age, I would watch my father stand on the verandah and survey the horizon, looking for distant signs of a thunderstorm. The ABC weather was never missed, and before I knew what geography or meteorology was, I knew the difference between a ‘high’ and a ‘low’ and also their immense importance in our lives. On a rainy day, as children, we would wake with excitement with the hope that Dad would stay home for a while and maybe cook rainy day pancakes – his specialty. The relevance of all this is that we cannot deny that our upbringing has a significant impact on how we perceive events in the here and now. Right now, I feel both excited and anxious. Part of me is saying “Hurry up. Please make it rain.” The other part imploring “Hurry up and rain but please don’t cause any damage.” (Our family lived in Dalby during the ’74 floods.) How we deal with current issues and challenges requires an awareness and understanding of our past. We cannot deny the events of our past, if we want to successfully engage in the future. Taking a moment to reflect can now can save much anxiety later. Who you are, what you've experienced and endured, is very much tied to where you came from.