Entry #64

This entry covers our current answer to the question that came in from a reader a while back,

“Family traditions. What are they? How have they come about? Tips on how to make them?”

I suppose our current tradition is exposing our kids to the real world, warts and all. Last week, Shawn and I took Beren to an organised strike and public protest. Today, we’re giving Willis a turn.

Today is the second organised work stoppage for firefighters in New Zealand history. At 11am, operational firefighters up and down the country will calmly leave their stations, cross the road and stop work for an hour. Calls to 111 will not be answered by the usual emergency call centre dispatchers, because they are also on strike. Between 11am and 12 noon, responses to emergencies that require firefighters will be juggled ad hoc by each region, probably pulling volunteers away from their jobs. Many of the volunteers stand with the strike - and won’t help.

If you want to read more, head here. It’s a complex situation and I’m also happy to answer your questions.

Here are some pictures of last week’s efforts with Beren, down on the crossroads of Anglesea, Thackeray and Hood Streets.

Today we face pouring rain and an unknown number of extra people who will come down to support this strike (again). We hope it’s large and loud. We hope the car horns are noisy and the media do their jobs.

It has meant a lot to Shawn to hear messages of support from friends and acquaintances. If you want to comment or email me your thoughts, I will make sure he reads it. This is a pretty rough part of his career change to become a firefighter. There are things I’ve learnt through this process that were not discussed openly during recruitment. The shine has firmly rubbed off the job, but he remains an incredibly committed firefighter and an extraordinarily brave and capable member of the team.

I believe it is possible to be simultaneously grateful for your job and want to see things improve. I wish the big bosses in Wellington understood that.

On that note, if you’re curious about how I have been perceiving and processing the leadership behaviours during the strike, you might want to review my LinkedIn profile. I’ve been active over there.

As always, I look forward to hearing what you heard, saw and felt when reading this.

With love,
Michelle xx

Friday Flow | Michelle Howie

When do we tell kids about the real world? 🌏