What are the most important things needed to live a good life?

Probably the most important thing for a good life is to have love and companionship in your life.  This can be th love of a partner,family and friends.   We all need someone to love in our life and to receive ❤️ Love in return.  Not all of us have a partner in out life,and we all need love and support,  so I believe that friendships are as important as families.   Friends are the family we choose.   I believe that our pets also play a big part in our happiness.   I know Lily is my absolute best friend, and her love fulfils me like no other.

Having enough money 💰 to live on plays a big part in out happiness and as adults we have to learn to live within our means.  I may not be financially well off,  but I am wealthy in terms of relationships and live a simple life within my means. I put money aside for a rainy day, so I can afford things like vet bills, in case Lily gets sick etc.

Our health plays a huge part in our happiness, and because of my mental health issues  and diabetes I am very conscious of staying well and working on every day how to stay well. I juggle a lot of balls in the air and juggle better at sometimes than others.  I think that makes me human.

Having a sense of humour is also needed for a good life, and it is important to not take yourself too seriously.

Having a creative outlet is a must for lots of people, and my writing ✍️ is the thing that brings me the most joy and fulfilment ( other than Lily). Being creative is such a wonderful means of self-expression and is just so rewarding. You don’t need to make money out of your creativity. You just need to love what you do.  In the happiness marketplace, creativity and expressing love reign supreme.

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Who do you spend the most time with?

Quite obviously I spend the most time with my dog Lily.   She is the thing I love most in the world

I spend some time ⏲️ with my family. I speak to Mum every day and see her every couple of weeks.

I spend some time with friends,  particularly those NDIS support workers who take me shopping and to my appointments.  A lot of my friends work full-time and have busy lives,  so it is only occasionally that I see them,however, we often catch up by phone.

Describe your dream chocolate bar.

My dream chocolate would have o be Lindt balls, but because I am diabetic I would love it if Lindt could release a sugar-free Lindt ball.

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Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

There are two books that stand out in my childhood.  The first I hsve written about before it is ‘These Happy Golden Years ” by Laura Ingalls Wilder.   It was my favourite childhood novel.

However my favourite picture 📸 book 📖 ❤️ is something individual to me.  When I was a child I think it was Disney   released  individual personalised picture books for children based on their fairy tales. My parents bought one of these for me and it was literally called “Me, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs ” it was a  story about the Disney characters,  Snow White being my favourite fairy tale, but other characters like my brothers and friends and the family pet were all part of the story.  Whoever created these books made them in such a way that they were individual and personalised to the individual child.  It was a treasure of my childhood.  I hsve seen similar books advertised in magazines over the years and I think the producers of these books avoid cooywrite because they aren’t actually using the actual fairy tale, but wholly different stories featuring the characters of the fairy tales.  What a great marketing idea.  Who knows, perhaps that is where my future in children’s literature lies.

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List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?

There are a number of books 📚 that have had an impact on me, reducing into 3 is going to be a challenge.

1. These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder Wilder would have to be the most memorable of pre-teen novels I read as a child.  It remains my favourite of the Little House series.   Laura had the most amazing life and was ahead of her time in the way she wrote about things like Native American Indians.  To this day, a firm favourite of mine

2 .Past Secrets by  Cathy Kelly.  I love every book by Cathy Kelly limiting it to one is hard. It is actually a toss up between Past Secrets and The Year That Changed Everything,  She is such  good storyteller, and I wish I could write like her.

3 An Angel At My Table by Janet Frame.  To those who know me well,  it would be no surprise that one of my favourite authors would be Janet Frame.  She was one of New Zealand’s moat acclaimed authors, and she battled schizophrenia,  much like me.   She had one many literary awards, and because  she grew up around the 1940s, she very nearly had a lobotomy because of her illness before lobotomys became illegal.  The head of the hospital she was in decided within 24 hours of her lobotomy that perhaps they shouldn’t mess with such a gifted mind.   Thank God for that because her story and legacy would be very different if they had. I recommend everyone read her life story. An Angel At My Table is the second in the trilogy of her life and is also a movie about her life.

To be honest, out of all these witers, I probably most am like Janet Frame,  but I am influenced by all three.

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Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.

I can actually think of two simple things that I do that bring me  great joy, and because I can choose between them, I will talk about both.

The first really simple thing I do is to walk 🚶‍♂️ Lily of a morning 🌄.   It is something I do after breakfast and showering.  It’s Lily’s favourite time of the day.   It is a real bonding time for us both.  It is fresh and crisp  and most of all, it is free.  I love that this short of pleasure 🙏🏽 costs nothing and pays dividends big time. Any time spent this way with Lily is an investment in the happiness for both of us.

The other thing that I do also is part of my morning 🌄 routine.  I make time every day to send all my loved 😍 ones a good morning, gif.  This is something I do in honour of Susanna, as she was the most lovely caring lady I had ever met who spread her love to everyone in her life.  I want my loved 😍 ones to feel my love 💓 and warmth, and know they are always in my thoughts and prayers 🙏🏽,  so that is why I make time for this daily ritual and just like walking Lily brings me so much joy and peace.

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How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?

In this age of ultra connectedness it is important for us to monitor how being so connected impacts our health and day to day lives

For my own part I practice mindfulness in my everyday life.  I consciously take things slowly and live in the moment  particularly when I am just beginning my day and start using devices. Mindfulness literally means peace of mind, and is a powerful tool for our mental health.

I also set boundaries around devices and try not to use my phone after around 9.00pm.  I also consciously try not to ring or text anyone after 8.30pm.  I have asked my friends not to call me after 8.30pm.  This is my digital detox time and helps me to sleep better. I am conscious of the fact that when I am mentally unwell I sometimes forget these boundaries but when I am well I am so focused on maintaining these boundaries.

I literally give myself little breaks from devices during the day and won’t look at my phone when eating breakfast,  lunch and dinner.   I desire living in the moment and know how annoying it is when people are so obsessed by their devices that they ignore the people they are with.

I believe we all can use a little digital detox at times and that the practice of mindfulness  can help us with that.

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What quality do you value most in a friend?

The quality I value most in a friend 🧡 would have to be loyalty.   I’m lucky that I have several loyal friends. However, the most loyal friend would have to be Lily.   Lily is always by my side and follows me around everywhere .  Lily is incapable of being dishonest and shows me constantly how much she loves me.  She truly is my best friend 🧡.

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What jobs have you had?

Throughput my working life I have had several jobs.  Of course I have worked in quite a few not for profits in my career in mental health in peer support.  Organisations like Norwood Mind and Cohealth.

Before that I worked in an academic library and in the public service. 

My very first job was being a check out chick at a local supermarket after school,  and I also was a waitress at Pizza Hut when they still had dine in restaurants.

I must say that now I am a writer, and I feel more fulfilled than in any of my past roles. I like the freedom that being able to work from 🏡 home, when and where I want.   My ambition was always to be a writer,  so I have fulfilled that.

Do you practice religion?

Yes, I do practice religion as a part of my spiritual self. Up to a couple of years ago, I went to church on a regular basis.   At the moment, I am not regularly attending church, but I still consider myself a Christian and believe that we practice our faith in our everyday life 🙏🏽 by how we treat 🙏🏽 and interact with our fellow humans. I believe in doing onto others as you would have them do onto you.  I have faith in God and believe in the presence of angels in our everyday lives.   Too much has happened in my life, that could not be coincidence.   If you look for meaning, you will find it. If you believe in goodwill, that is what you will attract into your life.  God is all around 🙏🏽 if you believe that you will see him at work in your life