My colleague, Andy Calder, hosted the brilliant Lorna Hallahan in Melbourne a while ago. (She has a wonderful essay 'On Being Odd' in the recently released Best Australian Essays 2010. I can't recommend it enough.) On the day she was with us she spoke a sentence I've been thinking about ever since:
"our obsession with perfection has inoculated us to the fragility of humanity."
I am grateful to have that sentence to sit with this Christmas.
I am also grateful that yesterday Cheryl reminded me of Tim Minchin's song "White Wine in the Sun". I listened to it three times in a row.
And most of all, I am grateful to be heading for Adelaide tomorrow to spend time with my beautiful family. I want to remember to be thankful for them more often.
