I had a lovely surprise when I was invited by Family Start Manukau to my first Powhiri – or official Maori welcome. I’ve had the blessing of volunteering my time to this amazing organization for the last few months, and the Powhiri was another insight into the depth of this community.
From the Karanga (the first calls of welcome from one of the women within the group), and Whaikorero (formal speech), to the Waiata (song from the whole group) and words of appreciation from us as the visitors (or Manuhiri) – I was deeply touched.
It prompts me to reflect on what’s truly important in my life.
To ponder on all the analogy of the different ‘balls’ we juggle in our lives – including our relationships with those we love, our responsibilities at work, at home and in our communities. I remember something I heard once; there are several different types of balls that we juggle – there the ‘glass balls’ (relationships with loved ones) and there are the ‘rubber balls’ (eg work). They react very differently when dropped – the rubber ones bounce, although the glass ones don’t.
On Friday last week I spotted a glass ball I was just about to drop, and I caught it just in time.
How about you – which are the glass balls in your life, and how do you keep them in the air?