I must start this 📫 post by admitting that I am totally biased on this subject. My dog Lily is the thing I love ❤️ most in the entire universe 💖.

I think that just about everyone would benefit from having a pet as part of their life.  Pets teach us so much about total unconditional love ❤️ and to look after,care for and be responsible for something other than ourselves.  For this reason ,I think families with young children should consider getting a pet, like a dog or a cat  Yes,  as the parents you would probably have to do alot of the work of looking after that pet, but at least you would be modelling to your kids how to care for something other than themselves.

Lily is amazing and brings me unconditional love ❤️ and joy by the truckloads.  She gives me a reason to get up every morning 🌄 to care for and walk 🚶‍♂️ her.  Looking after her is so easy, it has become second nature to me. She isn’t my first dog . I did have a little maltese terrier called Chloe. Growing up, my family always had dogs, notably Sadie, Tiffy, and Kasey. To me, dogs make our lives complete, and they teach us how to be better humans.  I love ❤️ 😍 Lily so much, she is definitely the best thing that has happened in my life in a long time and together we are a little family.  That’s it in a nutshell, I guess. Pets make us better humans and make families all the better.

The most expensive Christmas 🎄 gift I ever bought myself would have to have been when I bought Lily as a puppy, who had already been desexed and microchipped.   I view her as an investment and look upon all the expenses that come with having a dog as an investment in the happiness of both of us. She truly is my little gift from God.

The other expensive item I bought myself was the white gold cross and necklace that I bought with some inheritance I received from my grandmother.   I wear this cross ✝️ as a sign of my faith and for protection from God in all that happens in my life.  I already have replaced the necklace once, when it was damaged,  and it is the thing that gives me peace and faith 🙏🏽 in God. Nothing truly terrible has happened since I started to wear this cross ✝️ or at least nothing I haven’t been able to deal with.  It is an outward sign of my faith and helps me throughout my life.

I had a few favourite subjects at school.  My absolute favourite subjuect was English Literature,  particularly enjoyed both the reading 📚 and writing ✍️ aspects of this subject.  My favourite elective was Journalism.  It was this subject thst improved my writing ✍️ skills and made me want to be a writer.

My favourite subject at university was definitely Children’s Literature, where my love and ambition to be an author of childrens literature was born. I knew that I would definitely become a writer, having loved 😍 this subject .

I manage screen time in a number of ways.  I keep my phone on silent and vibrate most of the time.  I try not to look at devices when I am out with friends and family.  I try not to look at my phone when I am watching television.

I also put my phone in another room on charge in another room overnight, so I am not looking up stuff or contacting people overnight.   I don’t like being contacted after 8.00pm of a night, so that is when I put the phone in another room,  I  try consciously not to be glued to my phone. I try to practice mindfulness and live in the present moment, so as part of that practice, I try not to be distracted by my phone or other devices.

What will my life be like in 3 years.

By then I would have moved home into The Haven here in Sunbury.

I will be happy and contented.  I will still be writing ✍️ my blog, and I would have flushed writing The Angel Lady and would’ve had it published.  People would be buying my other 2 books, God Bless Our Dogs and The Dance Of The Emerald Dress.

Lily will still be in my life, and she would he enjoying her surroundings.

I will be at peace happy and contented. My life is progressing at a good pace, and the journey will be rich and meaningful.

The first answer that comes to mind is that I would like to be in my twenties again, but with the wisdom I have now,  how different my life could’ve been.

Then I think about my life, my relationships and experiences, and I realise I would change nothing in my life.  My life has been such a meandering journey, and there are people I have met and experiences I have had that I wouldn’t change for the world. I think of my family, my friends like Susanna and countless others and experiences I have had that make life so wonderful. So upon reflection, there is not an age I would re-live.  I am contented and happy with my lot and know that life is all about the journey and not the destination.

I am a proud Australian and Melbournian at heart ❤️ and the historical event that interests me the most is our history.

When I studied Australian History at high school the only mention of our indigenous people was that before white settlement the indigenous people were hunter gatherers.  This was the beginning and end of our learning of the indigenous culture.   Nowadays, children learn about the dreamtime at school, so at least now we acknowledge that Australian history didn’t just start with white settlement.   I would love to learn more about our indigenous history.

I would love to learn even more about  Melbourne’s history and specific events that shaped our history.  I know the Gold Rush from the 1850s onwards made Melbourne one of the wealthiest cities in the world 🌎,  but I would like to know the history of the buildings in Melbourne eg Collins Street and the Block Arcade.  The older buildings in Melbourne are beautiful, and I think we need to be teaching young people about their historical significance.  That is the historical event that interests me the most.

Today’s blog topic makes me think of a conversation  I had with a friend yesterday. This lady I have been friends with for over 20 years.  We met studying welfare studies, and she is one of my greatest supporters and fellow writers.

We were discussing some recent experiences where kindness to strangers was discussed.  I truly believe in being kind to every person I come into contact with. Everyone is my equal from rich people to the Prime Minister and the homeless.   It costs nothing to be kind in our interactions with these people. It can be a small grature like passing on a smile or an honest compliment and can make life better for both the recipient and the giver.  God made us all equal in his eyes, and when we are kind to others, the universe reacts by giving 🙏🏽  kindness back to us.  Beibg nasty and sarcastic only g1enerates more of that.  We literally reap what we sow, so knowing that why would you not spread kindness and goodwill.   Take care, and God bless you. Hopefully, that wish will make you feel good, so you will spread kindness in return.  The universe will thank you.

What does it mean to be a kid at heart ❤️?  This question fires my imagination and sense of wonderment of the world.

To be a kid at heart means that you view the world 🌎 through a sense of awe and amazement.  It means retaining a sense of what is innocent and beautiful in our everyday lives. It also means having a sense of mischief and playfulness as we age. It means being open to being curious about life and learning and retaining what we learn like a sponge,  like we did when we were young children.  It means having a sense of awe and wonder in the 🌎 world.  It means keeping up with the times as we age and knowing about things that are modern eg pop culture.  It means approaching the world with a thirst for what is new and creative.  It means being honest and forthright in much the same way we were when we were young.  It means being open to new experiences and  living in the moment.   There is a lot to be gained from being a kid at heart ❤️.