Do you remember life before the internet?

I can remember life before the internet.  I was born in 1969 and was a child of the 70s and a teenager of the 80s.  I feel that this is a wonderful time to be young in Australia.  I can remember playing with the family dog 🐕 in the backyard and skipping rope.  There were only landline phones and no devices.

There were movies aimed at teenagers in the 80s, The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink,  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , St Elmos Fire, etc.  They don’t make coming of age movies now like they did then.

There was still bullying, but it was more upfront and not as cowardly and insidious as online bullying today.  Thank God Facebook didn’t exist in the 80s.

Children spent so much time outdoors in the fresh air, and we all knew our neighbours. I think today with all our devices, we have lost our sense of community and don’t know our neighbours like we did back then

I look back with fondness of growing up in such a great time when  computers 🖥 were around,  but technology didn’t control our lives to the extent that it does now. I am glad I grew up when I did.

What are you good at?

Today’s blog topic has made me think about what my 🧡 friends and loved ones say about me.

My closest friends say that I am  powerful force for positivity and goodwill.   They say that I am an eternal optimist and that I am also a wonderful counsellor when my friends 🧡 are going through challenging times.   I think the best thing I ever did in my life was to study welfare and use my experience of mental health issues to help others in similar circumstances.   This study was a revelation to me and totally changed the way I viewed and acted in this 🌎 world. Empathy and compassion are qualities that can grow over time,  given the right circumstances, and I feel I grew into a better person for studying welfare.  I am fortunate to have many supportive friends who are sharing the journey with me and thank me when I give them positive regard and feedback. I think I always was a good person,  but my experiences with mental health issues and the conscious choices I have made have led me down rich and windy track full of the beauty of life. 

My friends 🧡 tell me that I am a great writer and support me in this blog.  They tell me that people will genuinely want to hear what I have to say about life because of my optimism.  I must say that this whole experience of being a blogger is personally fulfilling.

What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable?

I vaguely remember answering a similar question months ago.  Having it all to me means having enough. I certainly have enough in my life. I may not be financially well off, but I am wealthy in terms of good relationships and friendships in my life.  I am very grateful 🙏🏽 for the quality of friendships in my life and have learned to live within my means financially and gradually save up for the luxuries that make like rewarding.   To me people who focus on having it all tend to be greedy and unfulfilled.   They are never happy, constantly seeking instant gratification,  and never learning the pleasure of saving for something, the pleasure of delayed gratification. There is vast pleasure in saving for some,  putting away a bit towards your goal on a regular basis. The pleasure one receives in attaing their goal is wonderful and far outweighs the short lived instant gratification.

Wealth isn’t only measured in terms of finances. People can be limited financially but still have wonderful fulfilling lives because they are gracious and grateful 🙏🏽 for what life has provided them with.

Is it possible to have it all. I think that is based in terms of what having it all means to the individual. I may not technically have it all, but I certainly have enough to sustain me and am achieving my goals for my future.

Who would you like to talk to soon?

There are two vastly different people I would like to talk 👄 to soon.

The first is Neil Finn, I would love to interview him about Crowded House’s latest album, Gravity Stairs, and his involvement in the African charity So They Can

The other people I would like to talk to relates to my application for supported housing Ihere in Melbourne. I would like to discuss this application  with someone about this application and my future needs to hopefully be moved into accommodation sooner rather than later

So there is two very different reasons for people I would like to talk 👄 to soon, both very personal and unique to me. Talking to Neik Finn is purely a pipe dream, but it would be good to state my case for supported housing with someone with the power to take on board and support my case for housing.

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

The personal belongings I hold the most dear are those that hold sentimental value 🙏🏽 to me. My regular readers will know how much I value the things that my beautiful passed over angel lady Susanna gave me. I treasure all the clothes,  jewellery etc that Susanna gave me.  I also treasure the things that I have bought on my opshop adventures with Kathryn  I also treasure the things that my family has given me over time.  I particularly love the things my mother has made for me in the past, the clothes she made for me when I was younger.

Do you have any collections?

I have a few collections in my life. To begin with, I have a collection of angel ornaments and angel cards.  I also collect fridge magnets where I go on holidays.  I also collect antique tea cups 🥤 and saucers.

What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

The legacy I want to leave behind is a better undemanding of mental health issues and more empathy and understanding for those affected by it.  If I have reduced stigma and increased empathy and compassion for my fellow sufferers of mental health issues, then my life has been a success.   My friends 🧡 tell me I have already achieved this.

How do you feel about cold weather?

I don’t like cold weather.   Here in Melbourne, winter can be cold 🥶 and wet.  I don’t like it. I much prefer late spring and early autumn here in Australia,  when the weather is warmer and the sunshines.   I think I dislike winter more than I dislike the extreme heat 🥵 🔥 of summer.  I like wearing fewer layers and enjoying the feel of spring air on my skin.

The good thing about winter, though, is rugging up and taking Lily for her walk to get warm.

Have you ever broken a bone?

In my life, I have not had any broken bones,but I have had my heart broken 💔 a few times, and the pain of that I imagine would be the equivalent of a broken bone.

How do you balance work and home life?

The way I now balance work and home 🏡 life is to work from home.   Now that I’m a writer, I can choose to do my writing ✍️ from home and structure my home life and responsibilities around that.   When I was working in mental health, I had to travel large distances across suburban Melbourne for work, and this meant having to leave Lily for hours on end whilst I worked.  Now that I write from home 🏡 I can be around Lily and focus on her,which means I have a happy, contented little dog.  I must admit I prefer working from 🏡 home and feel like I am happier not having to travel to work.