Triple Reflection from Down Under

Three critical points of reflection I learned when moving to Australia 🇦🇺

Gunnar Habitz
3 min readJul 23, 2024
Brisbane waking up at 6am

G’day!

Don’t you agree we often run and hustle through our days without a chance to recognise the timeless beauty around us?

Sure, we can look into green nature nearly everywhere — it’s very good for our eyes and our mind.

I used to have walks near the office after lunch to keep grounded and connected against the addiction from screen time. I would even run calls from there asking my second in charge to take notes while we brainstorm.

Since moving to Sydney I recognised and started to cherish three wonderful moments for reflection.

We are a sunrise country ☀️

As you saw in the title photo from Brisbane in Queensland. I have chosen a hotel near the river and then had the privilege of a clear sky after waking up too early.

The sunrise in many places on the Australian East Coast is indeed stunning, especially when you can experience the sun against water.

Important to see more in it than just an insta moment.

We are a sunset country 🌞

The second time to reflect when the sun goes down again — typically with good weather turning into orange colours.

For photographers the “Golden hour” is the special moment of the day to get to the right place for stunning photos.

In terms of reflecting on our day, our situation or our life it is more important to live in that moment instead of capturing it as a photo.

Occasionally this moment shows the moon as well 🌕 as yesterday’s full moon event which affects many people with its energy.

Full moon near Sydney Harbour (locaged behind the large building)

When I grew up in Germany, they made coffee in filters instead of the Italian way of an espresso or Aussie barista coffee. The specialty is that some Germans can read in the used coffee grounds.

Here in Sydney — and also in the other down under coffee metropoles Melbourne and Wellington — we love to read the latte art on the foam of a good flat white or cappuccino. Therefore no need to read down to the grounds (or to serve the grounds as in Turkey),

What I recommend though is a moment of reflection instead of drinking coffee like a large bottle of water in one go. Or even worse: walking with a single-use coffee cup in the hand and drinking on the go. That is not reflecting at all!

Here is one of my favourite cafés with a view in Sydney, just 12 min by ferry from here to the famous Sydney Opera House — my daily commute.

Café Thelma & Louise at Neutral Bay Wharf on Sydney Harbour

It’s so important to be mindful of the little elements around us which we seem to take for granted. Sunrise, coffee and sunset enable these moments.

Where and when do you reflect on life, work or anything else?

Originally published at https://writingincafes.substack.com.

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Gunnar Habitz
Gunnar Habitz

Written by Gunnar Habitz

Check my Substack publication "Writing in Cafés". Content Creator for Social Selling & LinkedIn, author of "Connect & Act", Leadership Mentor & Board Director.