What does it mean to be a kid at heart?
To be a kid at heart ❤️ means to approach life with a sense of awe, wonder and a touch of innocence that as we grow and age becomes wisdom. Finding joy and happiness in the little acts and gestures the world 🌎 brings into our lives and to have a loving heart and soul. To have faith and believe in God with the same faith 🙏🏽 that as children we believed in Santa 🎅 Claus.
You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?
My first genie wishes would be for world peace an end to all war and conflict in the world..
My second genie wish is for my loved ones, family, and friends 🧡 to live happy, prosperous lives.
My third wish is for my mother to have her wish granted that she lives to be 100 years old. She is 84 at the moment.
Describe a family member.
My nephew James is my brother Peter’s oldest child. He is handsome, quietly spoken and very much the gentleman. He is extremely intelligent and wise for his age. I recently celebrated his birthday with Peter’s family and it was a small, warm and genuinely nice event. I felt honoured to be invited
James is extremely intelligent and has made a career in mental health. To say I am proud of him would be an understatement. I am hugely proud. I am quite sure that he has helped many people in his career. He has grown up with me, experiencing my own mental health issues, and he has never judged me, just loving me, his Aunty Kaye.
I shed a tear when I think about the time I was at his sister Grace’s wedding. I was sitting next to James and I said to him that the only time I miss having a partner is at 🍾 celebrations like weddings and parties. James politely said that he would gladly be my partner for that celebration. It was so lovely and thoughtful. I have a bit of a sense of humour about it. I am his middle-aged, overweight, mentally ill aunt, but he still loves me enough that he would gladly chaperone me to a wedding. I feel like the most blessed happy Aunty on earth 🌎.. How beautiful. What a lovely man James has become, that his parents raised him to be.
A couple of nights ago I had a sleepless night 🌙. The first totally sleepless night I’ve had in a very long time. It was extremely windy and loud and even with a tiny dose of valium I tossed and turned all night and early morning. By morning time I was physically and emotionally exhausted and I felt I could barely function. I was conscious of how affected my mind was and knew I had to take care of myself mentally so I didn’t risk becoming unwell. So Thursday I spent the day in my pyjamas on the couch with Lily. My family and some good friends helped me get through the day. I spent the day being mentally kind to myself. The next night the wind had stopped and I went to bed early with an extra dose of valium and I had a wonderful night’s 😴 sleep. Crisis averted. I woke up feeling strong and refreshed and ready to face the 🌎 world. I am writing ✍️ this to let people know they are not alone if bad windy weather makes you agitated and plays on your mind. It can happen to the best of us and you are not the only one who needs to give themselves a little TLC to function mentally well. No wonder we all talk about the weather, as different types of weather can affect how we mentally cope with day-to-day life.
How much would you pay to go to the moon?
How much would I pay to go to the moon? The answer is that I would never go to the moon. There is no amount of money large enough that it would convince me to.. The moon is a cold and desolate place. Earth 🌎 is such a beautiful 😍 planet and there are many places I would visit on Earth before I would go to the moon. God created Earth to be a beautiful planet for all the living beings he created. Earth 🌎 is beautiful and varied. I have no desire to leave Earth and go to the moon. Doesn’t interest me in the slightest.
What food would you say is your specialty?
The meal I would call my specialty would be my beef, red wine and vegetable casserole which is a recipe in Gabriel Gates’ Good Food Fast and is a meal I haven’t cooked in a while. It is my go-to recipe for dinner parties.i haven’t had a dinner party in a long while.
I have just been watching an interview with the Kiwi and Australian actress Rebecca Gibney and i feel moved and need to debrief a bit. Rebecca’s father was an alcoholic, like mine, but he was a loving father, again like mine. Rebecca’s father was very proud of her academically, when he wasn’t drinking, again like mine. I think my dad was so proud of me particularly when I went to Strathmore Secondary College and then onto Melbourne University. My dad was a wonderful dad, but there was part of him that was troubled, obviously the cause of his addiction.
Rebecca had a wonderful relationship with her brother and I would have to say that both Peter and David looked out for me, their baby sister. They are remarkable men, who also loved their dad and saw how damaged he was.
I also felt moved when Rebecca spoke about her history as a young woman experiencing panic attacks and again that was really moving for me because my mental health issues began in my early 20s as panic attacks that left untreated or acknowledged led to schizophrenia.
It was difficult to watch this particular interview with Rebecca, but it has made me realise I am not alone many people have similar backstories and through sharing our stories we help spread humanity and goodwill. I hope by writing ✍️ about my backstory that I spread a little empathy and compassion for my fellow humans. We are the sum total of our experiences and hopefully, we use these experiences 🙏🏽 to do some good in the 🌎 world.
What have you been working on?
Slowly but surely I am working on decluttering and getting rid of a lot of stuff to get ready for when I move hopefully 🙏🏽 sometime early next year. This is a slow process that i gradually chip away at over time. I am making a list of what I need to get rid of and also what new things I will need when I move.
I am slowly working on my novel The Angel Lady about Susanna and her life in heaven as an angel. I also work on this blog too, as i feel inspired to write.
I am working on ” being there ” for my friends and family, my loved ones as they experience life’s challenges. I try to be a positive, supportive role model for my loved 😍 ones.
I’ve just heard the most amazing quote from Amanda Keller.
It is as follows,
“Never be afraid 😨 😱 to walk through the door. There will always be someone who gets you on the other side”.
What an amazing quote. It helps build my self esteem and confidence. My advice to my readers would be to chase your dreams, never let lack of self-esteem stop you from pursuing your dreams. Writing this blog is a dream come true. I get to use my skills in an empowering way..
Thank you, Amanda. You are a lovely example of female empowerment in the media.
Kaye's Life and other gems 