Describe one of your favorite moments.

There are plenty of favourite moments but I thought of something new to write about .

When I was in my early 30s , I had fallen in love with someone who ended up being a really good friend to me. His name was James, and we met studying welfare studies.

James was lovely and mostly treated me with respect 🙏🏽 and grace.   When I moved to Sunbury the first time twenty odd years ago, I had arranged to have  dinner with James at an Indian restaurant here in Sunbury. James had never been to an Indian restaurant before. It was a lovely night for me. James was the complete gentleman who pulled my seat out for me. He was always polite and charming, and it was lovely to see how much he enjoyed both the food and atmosphere of the restaurant.  As James was such a gentleman, he insisted on paying for my meal. Although James is no longer in my life,  I treasure my memories of him and appreciate what a true gentleman he was.  I particularly treasure his gentlemanly ways because the man I ended up marrying certainly was no gentleman.  Everyone comes into our life for a reason, and I think God brought 🙏🏽 James into my life to show me that true gentlemen do exist in this world 🌎.  I feel blessed that James and I briefly travelled our journeys together.

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What notable things happened today?

At first, when I read todays topic, I didn’t feel that I could write anything because I had just received the news that the son of a close friend had passed away suddenly yesterday.

The response of my support network to suvh news has been particularly notable.  My closest friends as always have been a great support. My friends really know how to rally and support one another.   It should surprise no one that Susannas daughter Rebekah has stepped up to the plate in much the same way that her mother would’ve. In my family my brother Peter composed a  brief text message to me that was compassionate and thoughtful.   He showed yet again a good understanding of my feelings.  I really feel bonded to him,

So I guess what is notable about today is being shown that I definitely have a lot to be grateful 🙏🏽 for.   Having loving people in our lives throughout challenging times is definitely something to be grateful for.

I hope Kathryn feels the warm embrace 🙏🏽 of Gods love at this most challenging of times.

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What are you passionate about?

There are a number of things of which I am passionate about.

My main driving passion is to better the lives of those people with mental health issues it is what my career was all about,  and I believe it is my life purpose to do such work. Now that I am a writer still believe that  I am to use this skill to bring about more empathy and compassion for those with mental health issues.

Given my own experience of mental health issues  I believe that it is my job to talk about the things that work for me when I am unwell and to this end I talk about mindfulness,  and both music 🎶 therapy and pets as therapy.   I use mindfulness in my everyday life and definitely use music 🎶 as therapy to keep me well and heal 🙏🏽 me when I am unwell.   To say that Lily is my main therapy would be an understatement.   Lily brings me so much joy, and I would definitely recommend that those with similar issues could benefit from the experience of having a pet.  The benefits I gain from having Lily are endless.  She is the best thing in my life..

I definitely believe in God and that as part of my life and healing, I believe in angels. Too much has happened in my life that could not be a coincidence,  and if you believe in such, you will feel the presence of such in your life. Having faith is important, and I am definitely passionate about the presence of angels.

The main thing I am passionate about is my writing ✍️.   It is my main form of creativity, and I believe I am meant to write about the things I am passionate and love. If I find an audience for my writing ✍️ and interests, all the better. I have been given writing ✍️ skills to use them to bring my life purpose to the 🌎 world.  The fulfilment I get from writing is all-encompassing and brings me immense joy.

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What is your favorite season of year? Why?

Spring is my favourite season. I like the rebirth and renewal and warmth after the cold winter. I love all the flowers and the feel of warm air on my skin.  I like being able to wear fewer layers and the smells of nature that come with spring.

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What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?

The one luxury in my life that I can’t live without is my private health insurance.   It means that when I become mentally unwell that I can stay at the hospital where my psychiatrist is based.  The private hospital system here is a million times better than any public hospital system.   Staying in a a private hospital gives me peace of mind 😌 and a feeling of safety that I have never experienced in the public system.   I guess I pay for that quality of care, and yes, it is the one luxury I can’t live without and is money well spent.

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If humans had taglines, what would yours be?

My tagline would be the title of an old Crowded House song ” Now We’re Getting Somewhere.”   It is a positive uplifting song, and the words to it could describe my life. I think that it would be the title of my memoirs. Neil Finn is such a gifted man and early Crowded House is one of my all time favourite music 🎶.

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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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