So why books you ask? Iâd love to jump into why I wanted to do an episode today about how life is like a book and you are the author.
In early November, my amazing boyfriend surprised me with a weekend away to Stanwell Tops.
Stanwell Tops is a beautiful coastal town in New South Wales, Australia halfway between Sydney and Wollongong with cliff views surrounded by thick bush, in fact the royal national park. In fact Stanwell Tops is an internationally famous area for hang-gliding and paragliding. Itâs so incredible looking up into the blue sky and seeing so many people flying – how majestic, it truly takes your breath away.
As it was my birthday, my boyfriend booked a very fancy restaurant in town. You know they boast using native ingredients, fresh local produce.
We got there and we were waiting over 10 minutes just to get a drinks menu!
So we bailed (such a thrill for a non adrenaline junkie like me) and went to this cute lovely Thai place – Raya Thai huge shout out.
So we get there itâs beautiful fairy lights, warm vibrant atmosphere, groups of people catching up laughing, smiling, catching up, the smell of deep fried spring rolls then a song comes on.
âAnd now, the end is near
[Phi interrupts âNow Iâm not the best singer, so I am not going to sing it for you but I will read out a few of the lyrics of the song]
And so I face the final curtain
My friends, I’ll say it clear.â
If you don’t recognise the song, itâs âI Did it my wayâ by Frank Sinatra.
When I heard this, I immediately got chills up my spine and tears started to roll down my face because thatâs the song they played at my dads funeral.
I started to have a breakdown in the middle of the restaurant.
The timing seemed so eerie given that the day before I had just told my boyfriend that I was really missing my dad. This felt like a sign that he was trying to communicate with me. It is after all coming up to the 7th anniversary since my dad passed away in 2013.
How this ties back into books is that english, literature, language and reading is dear to my heart because my dad was an English teacher before he fled Vietnam.
My dad became a teacher because at the time there was a war in Vietnam and my grandpa did not want my dad to be enlisted and sent off to war. So my dad became an english teacher.
So when youâre a teacher, a doctor, a person in a position of an important role they consider they don’t send you off to be enlisted and in the army.
So my dad, he ended up working for the government here in Australia as when he fled the war his university qualifications werenât accepted here at the time. Iâm also glad he fled because thatâs how I came to be in existence.Â
My dad met my mum on the boat to Australia in a twist of fate I guess you could say. He wanted to go to America, the United States but there was no room on the boat so he ended up on the boat to Australia which my mum was on.Â
A fun story there but really it was quite an ordeal for my parents who were boat people in a rickety boat and Iâm sure one day Iâll share the story further one day.
Growing up I read a lot. I vividly remember my dad reading me books such as beauty and the beast and spot (does everyone remember the iconic yellow puppy?)
So there it is a combination of factors reminiscing about my dad and my love for books and reading. Further to that my clients know that when it comes to coaching I love analogies.
I love analogies because they give you the lightbulb moments the aha as you just get it straight away.