If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?

If I could host a dinner party and people were sure to come I would invite Sam Neill for the interesting conversation and the good wine 🍷 he would bring.  I would invite Scott Aplin because he is lovely 😍 and he would play the piano 🎹 to keep us entertained.

I would also invite my friends Russell  Adrian,  Lani and Liz because they are wonderful company and would enjoy the company of Sam and Scott as much as I would.

What time do you go to bed and wake up currently?

I must say that my bedtime and the time I wake up is slightly out of kilter at the moment because I have a cold 🥶.

Normally bedtime 🌙 is about 9.00 pm.  I usually wake once in the early morning 🌄 around 1.00 am to 2.00 am. I then drift back off to sleep and wake up around 5.30 am. I get out of bed sometime between 6.00 am and 7.00 am and take Lily for a walk around 7:30 am in the warmer months. This winter I have been walking Lily around 9.00 am when it is slightly warmer. I put my phone on charge in the bathroom around 7.00 pm,  so I am not disturbed or distracted by it in the night. It is my nightly digital detox and helps me to sleep well.

What are you most excited about for the future?

My writing ✍️ is always the main thing in my life that brings me the most excitement and joy, both this blog and my other writings ✍️.

The other thing that most excites me is the hope that I will be moving home in the not-too-distant future.  I am hoping to move to The Haven which is under construction at present and when it is finished it will be stable long-term social housing for people with mental health issues.  This is my dream home 🏡 in many ways as I will have my own unit to live independently with Lily,  and also have support 24/7 from social workers etc as needed.  It means my family won’t need to worry about my future as I will have stability in my housing.  Fingers crossed that this all works out.

What are you most worried about for the future?

There are things I worry about for the future, and definitely top of my list is becoming more disabled as I age because of the side effects of the medications I am on.  Being on psych meds for the past 30 years has had a definite impact on my body,  including  less muscle strength and stiffness,  weight gain, deterioration of balance, movement, etc.  To this end, I am hopefully moving soon to a more accessible place without steps and better access, etc. I also do physiotherapy regularly to work on my balance and muscle strength, but there has been a noticeable decline in this that my friends seem to be more aware of than my family.  It’s a tricky situation as I need my psych meds for my mental well-being, but the long-term side effects do have an impact on your day to day quality of life.  It’s a juggling act. I juggle better at some times or others, and it is something I have learned to live with to the best of my abilities.  Certainly, having Lily is the absolute best thing in my life, keeping me both active and fulfilled.  I am hopeful that I will be moving in the not too distant future and am planning for the day I won’t be so imparted by stairs,  balance, etc.

How do you practice self-care?

I know that I have answered this question previously and focused on mindfulness . Yes, I still practice mindfulness on a daily basis.

I am also a good patient and know to keep taking my meds.  I also have a great relationship with both my psychiatrist and gp and let them know everything I need them to know.

I also  everyday do a digital detox every day.  I put my phone 📱 on charge for the night around  6.00pm and don’t look at my phone after this time.  It helps me get a good night’s sleep 😴.

I also have developed a playlist of music I listen to when I need music 🎶 as therapy.  The music therapist in the hospital encourages all her clients to come up with their own personal playlist, and mine is of the music 🎶 🎵 that resonates the most with me. Everything from Crowded House to The Beatles,  1927, Cold Chisel, Real Life, Hunters and Collectors, Moving Pictures, etc.  Using this playlist calms me and can help me feel at peace and get a good night’s sleep.

How do you waste the most time every day?

I spend the most time every day giving Lily lots of attention.  I also spend a lot of time slowly decluttering my home and working on this blog and my other writings ✍️ ❤️ 💖.

Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

The food that instantly takes me back to my childhood is having a roast dinner with Golden Syrup Dumplings for dessert 🍨.   The roast meats that take me back are roast lamb with mint sauce and gravy or  roast pork with crackling.   These would be served with roast vegetables, and Mym would always make Golden Syrup Dumplings for dessert 🍨.

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

Probably the thing that I like the most about myself is my empathy for my fellow humankind and my resilience to be strong and bounce back from the challenges of my life.

My friends all tell me I am a strong, positive, optimistic force to be reckoned with, and my psychiatrist expresses what a strong, positive, and resilient person I am. When life throws curve balls at me, I stop and think and pause before I throw the curve ball right back. I never let anything get me down for too long, and in the words of  The Beatles, I have learned to just “Let It Be.” I only work on the things I do have control over and actually change, and I don’t ruminate and worry about the things I can’t change. I try to be calm and not reactionary.

Describe one of your favorite moments.

I have a very particular favourite moment that happens everyday.  When I first get up in the morning to have breakfast I leave Lily in her bed to get up at her own leisure when she is ready.

I normally am in the lounge room and hear little soft taps on the kitchen tiles as  Lily approaches me. Once she gets to the carpet in the lounge room, she has a big stretch, then jumps onto my chest as I am lying down and showers my face with lots of loving 💋 kisses, really licking me wholeheartedly.  Lily wakes up happy every morning 🌄 and once she has finished kissing 💋 me, she is happy and contented just to lie in my arms and be cuddled and patted.   It is the moment in my morning I love the most apart from our morning 🌄 walk that occurs when I am showered and dressed.  It is such a blissful start to my day knowing that Lily feels loved, contented, and at peace in her world 🌎.