In the beginning...

I love beginnings. It's the promise of something new. A cocktail of excitement, anticipation and nervousness, garnished with a sprig of giddiness and a healthy dash of angst.

Embarking on something new takes courage. It's having faith to go ahead, even though you don't know if what you've imagined will come to fruition. This gives beginnings a sense of adventure.

Many people (myself included) are adventure junkies and prefer beginnings to middles and ends. We're guilty of ending things prematurely just so we can experience the thrill of starting something new - but that's another story.

Not only do I love starting something new, I also love hearing how things get started. I'm fascinated to learn about the beginnings of people, places, organisations and trivial things i.e. how Oprah was conceived, Hawaii was formed, the genesis of Google and the birth of sticky notes.

So in my quest to learn about how I came to be, I asked my parents.

According to my Mum (that's how we spell it here in Australia), it all started with a twinkle in my Dad's eye (which might sound like a pun, but my father was blinded in one eye at the age of 9 after his pupil was split by a slingshot projectile).

Their meeting was random. My mother was at a family function and my Dad was accompanying his friend who dropped past the 'do' before moving on elsewhere. Dad was eighteen. Mum was sixteen. They saw each other across a crowded room and both admit, it was love at first sight (Hollywood producers apply here).

Soon after locking gazes, a new song by Roy Orbison called 'Pretty Woman' started to play. Dad asked Mum to dance and whispered the words into her ear. After a five-year courtship they married, and on Melbourne Cup Day 1970 (nineteen days before their first wedding anniversary) I was born.

If Dad had not been with his friend that night, he would have had no reason to go to the function. I can't help wondering whether their paths would have crossed at some point at some time, or was it divine timing that their meeting ultimately led to my birth. I will never know for sure.

Learning the beginnings of something gives us context - much like an artist painting a background before getting into the detail. Whether it's a person, place, situation or thing - I've learned that going back to the source gives us greater appreciation and understanding - and is instrumental in understanding the big picture.

Until next we greet, take the time to learn the beginnings of something and you just might find it fascinating - even enlightening.

Grace xxoo