What I See with Peter Fiorenza: People and their stories are one of the best things in life

I reckon the best thing about life is people. Well, I mean, you can travel and look at beautiful and spectacular places around the globe, and that’s pretty special, but combine this with people and, I think, you have a terrific quinella. I know there are a lot of you who would go as far to suggest that without people, the world would be a much better place, citing that the problems we face in life are all caused by human beings. I’m not going to argue against what is a valid case, however, despite the stress and, sometimes, distress that is caused, there is certainly an upside to having others around. I’ve always been fascinated about the lives that have been led by different individuals. Give me a good biography over a best-selling novel any day, I say. Now, I’m not sure if you would call me an anthropologist or a sociologist, or just an old-fashioned journalist. I could sit for hours talking to people about what they do, where they have been, and often their opinions about certain subjects. I suppose that is why role models are so important to me too. Because we all get caught up in our daily routine, the adventures of others can help create an unexpected dynamic. Recently, I was talking with an old work mate, Digby, who I had not seen for years and had moved back to Geraldton. In that time, he relocated to the metropolitan area and taught at a top private school for a number of years, before moving with his young family to, of all places, Christmas Island. The small, remote tropical paradise in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia, was home for him, his wife and their children for nearly five years. My mate taught at the only high school. “The school was great, and the community so friendly, but nobody uses phones — there’s just no mobile coverage, the lifestyle is so different,” he said. When not at work, he would skipper a boat that ferried visitors ashore. “We lived next door to the fella who ran the place, I suppose he would be equivalent to the premier, he just happened to be our neighbour — sometimes they baby sat our kids.” He fondly recalls how relaxed it was. “Even when the Governor General or Prime Minister made a visit, they just stayed next door and often had barbecue dinners and invited people over,” he said. It must be hard for the family to fit back into our relatively fast-paced world, but what an experience they had. Someone once said to me: “Life is simply one big tapestry.” And how we weave it is only up to us. Peter Fiorenza hosts Fiorenza on Sunday between 10am and noon on Radio MAMA