Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Choose not to be defined by outside events

By Shirley-Joy Barrow
Wanganui Midweek·
14 Aug, 2018 10:55 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

"I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to become." — Carl Yung.

It has been a month since I last wrote a column. Truth is I have worked my way through some family things and the anniversary of my Mum's death last year. I simply could not find the words. Having written a column in one form or another, on and off since 2004, I took a break.

I listened to the world news and read some of the papers or had them read to me. Overall, I sensed that for so many people the things that happen to them seem to define them. Some to the point of not coping with the world around them. There seems so much drama and sadness around. I appreciate those with good senses of humour permeating our news shows, and our increasing ability to find laughter and light amongst the darker things.

My Angels remind me all that is needed is to understand we can all choose to become whatever we wish. I know that things happen, scary things, mean things, even things that take our lives, yet it is the will to rise above these things that impresses me most. Like you, I can accept some things, others I need to think more about. Some things happen to me or around me and I don't feel ready for them yet. Again, my Angels come to my aid and remind me that my body and spirit and soul are distinct from events in this world that happen to me and around me. Now there is a challenge for me. My task, and I guess yours too, is to open ourselves up to new experiences and new truths every day. To not be defined by what happens to us or the people around us. To bravely forge our way through these experiences and move from darkness into light.

It feels good to be back writing this column, thank you to those who inquired as to how I was. Catch you next week. Arohanui. Shirley-Joy

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Ngāti Rangi’s whānau housing push

17 Jun 03:02 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Major North Island farming business appoints new boss

16 Jun 09:12 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Family escapes devastating house fire as community rallies support

16 Jun 06:08 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Ngāti Rangi’s whānau housing push

Ngāti Rangi’s whānau housing push

17 Jun 03:02 AM

'This is an iwi-led solution – an investment in ourselves and our communities.'

Major North Island farming business appoints new boss

Major North Island farming business appoints new boss

16 Jun 09:12 PM
Family escapes devastating house fire as community rallies support

Family escapes devastating house fire as community rallies support

16 Jun 06:08 PM
Whanganui East gains new GP clinic

Whanganui East gains new GP clinic

16 Jun 06:00 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP