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

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.