Two of my journalism colleagues just doing their jobs, but doing them really well - Radio New Zealand's Kathryn Ryan doing a cracker interview on global poverty and the United Nations actions with Helen Clark. The other, NZ Herald business editor Liam Dann writing on the Chinese stock-market crash and its implications for New Zealand.
I still remember starting journalism school at Canterbury University with these two in a class of 20, filled with optimism and principles - and undoubtedly some naivety - about the important role of journalism and where we might end up.
These two are there, doing an outstanding job, informing, challenging and entertaining us.
Another dear friend of a similar vintage, also a former journalist, has won a rising star award with the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards this week for her work with the Community Comms Collective, a non-profit helping other non-profits find their way through the world of news and social media.
I searched a great website - www.goodreads.com - for quotes on ageing to help inspire me and inspire it did. I discovered many insightful reflections on the complexity and obvious aspects of ageing.
One jumped out at me from the book Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (a touching read on the conversations between Mitch and his terminally-ill former professor Morrie) - "Embrace ageing." Simple, but effective.
It was nicely followed up by a quote from another author, Jarod Kintz - "Everyone in the world ages at exactly the same rate and time. We're all getting older in unison."
Some of my friends have children who are turning 21, having started much younger than I did - I made my poor parents wait 37 years before the first grandchild arrived.
My first-born is now 6 and the youngest hit 4 this week. It reminded me of the AA Milne poem, Now We Are Six.
"When I was one, I had just begun.
When I was two, I was nearly new.
When I was three, I was hardly me.
When I was four, I was not much more.
When I was five, I was just alive.
But now I am six, I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever."
I'm not really obsessed about ageing - I can't do anything about it, except enjoy the ride. I don't think Maya Angelou wasn't talking about ageing with this quote, but it works for me: "What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain."
No complaining here.
-Nicola Young has worked in the government and private sectors in Australia and NZ and now works from home in Taranaki for a national charitable foundation. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she is the mother of two boys.
