If you could erase one movie from your memory and watch it again for the first time, which one would it be?
The one greatest movie I would like to watch again for the very first time is a very powerful emotional movie. Pay It Forward is probably one of the most significant and important movies of its time. At times it is bitter-sweet and sad, but also incredibly moving and it delivers a message about how we should all live our lives, being kind and paying it forward 🙏🏽 wherever we can
The past few days I have spent very quietly gathering all the strength I can muster and getting all my ducks in line. I am backed up by a wonderful support network. I have been totally surprised by just who and how many people have my back. When the going gets tough is when God shows us just how loved 😍 and cared for we are. No man is an island and I am certainly not going through my latest battle on my own.
This week I am open to fighting for my rights abd and gathering all the right resources i need to do so. I hope my fight is a wake up call to those at the NDIA, because I am exactly the type of resident Mind would like. How the NDIA can say that I am not moving into any sort of social housing when Mind made it clear that I tick all their boxes.
Watch out i am not going down without a fight for my basic human rights. I have strong faith 🙏🏽 and alot of support.
What’s a book that completely surprised you?
Probably the book that most surprised me as a teenager was To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is such an amazingly written book 📖. You grow to love Atticus Finch, Scott, and Boo Radley. It is a classic that I think everyone should read about racism, equality and social justice all told by the narrator Scout Finch a young girl whose father lawyer Atticus Finch is defending a black man wrongfully accused of sexual assault. Atticus Finch is a damn fine lawyer and justice is served.
As a lot of my readers would be aware I have been battling mental health issues since I was first diagnosed at the age of 25. As The Eagles sung Welcome To The Hotel California. Once you receive a diagnosis of mental health issues, particularly schizophrenia you become locked in a system that will mean because of the stigma you are caught up in a system of stigma that you will need to fight for as long as you live. As The Eagles sung in Hotel California You Can Check Out Anytime You Like, But You Can Never Leave. Learning to live with stigma takes time, empathy, compassion, knowledge and resilience. You learn that medication helps the symptoms but nothing prepares you for the stigma, even from those whose job it is to support you. I became a support worker to help people who had similar experiences to me. It was both rewarding and draining at the same time. I know I helped and cared for many on my journey, but even to this very day I battle with the stigma of my diagnosis.
I am in the process of hopefully moving into social housing built for people in my situation and up to yesterday it was a process I thought would have a bright, positive outcome for me. I have been going through a lot of red tape and jumping through all sorts of hoops, with the end goal of a peaceful existence at The Haven. Unfortunately the decision isn’t mine, and even isn’t Mind’s. It is all decided by some bureaucrats interpreting legislation and deciding if we meet the legislation in the most minute detail, and because of a lack of knowledge, empathy and compassion my dream of a peaceful, supportive and therapeutic environment has been judged and now I find myself having to gather my resources be strong and resilient not only for myself but for those who are going through the same process in the future. I am vulnerable but I am strong and resilient and will fight this with all my might.
Please count your blessings and i will keep you posted on this journey circumstances have brought my way.
What’s a thing you were completely obsessed with as a kid?
As a young child I was completely obsessed with ABBA. I even had ABBA socks and my oldest brother Peter gave me all his ABBA records which Peter gave me because it wasn’t cool to like ABBA at his age. I still have all those records in my vinyl collection. My dad even called one of his tattslotto lottery tickets after ABBA and he was going to take me to Sweden to meet them if he won.. Oh what a beautiful dream for my dad and me his only daughter.
The next thing I was obsessed with was Split Enz. I fell absolutely head over heals for them as a 10 year old when they released I Got You from the Album True Colours. To say I was obsessed with the Finn brothers is an understatement. I have loved Neil Finn from that young age and even joined their fan club Frenz Of The Enz all those years ago and I’m now in Private Universe a special online club for fans of Crowded House and all things Finn related. I joke that Neil Finn is my longest term friend because he has be in contact with me, initially hy letters since I was 10 years old. I cried for weeks when Split Enz announced they were breaking up, I wish someone had a crystal 🔮 ball to show me that Neil Finn would go on to establish Crowded House, my main obsession in my teenage and adult years. Crowded House remains my all time favourite.
Today is Mother’s Day here in Australia and although I have never experienced pregnancy or childbirth have experienced deep material feelings towards my furbabies, my nephews and nieces etc. Being a cancerian I have deep seeded material feelings that I think my loved 😍 ones realise it is part of my very soul. This morning 🌄 I sent Mothers Day greetings 🙏🏽 to my female loved 😍 ones be they actual mothers of children or furbabies alike. I remember the painting 🖼 that Michael Fleming did of Madonna and Child, where the Madonna resembled me greatly. Perhaps he sensed something about my true nature and found the way to express it was by painting 🖼 it.
I think of my own Mum today and how she has raised me to be an empathic, compassionate and independent woman. I think for years she struggled with my mental health diagnosis, but now she has moved beyond the stigma and just loves ❤️ and appreciates the woman that that experience created, largely due to this blog and my other writings ✍️. Maternal love is a very powerful thing and I am forever grateful 🙏🏽 to God for the life i know have. I get in some ways to adopt the children my nieces and nephews have. I get to be an Aunty my most loved role in my life.
If you had to describe your ideal life, what would it look like?
My ideal life isn’t far removed from what is happening in my life at the moment. I would like to wake up tomorrow with my unit decluttered, downsized, with new furniture and all unpacked for my new life at The Haven. If this could happen by tomorrow I would be ecstatically happy. Lily would still be a big part of my life and I know I will love to walk her in the park behind The Haven. Writing would still be my first love both of this blog and of other stories as well. I would see my loved one’s on a more regular basis. I will be happy, peaceful, serene and contented. Hopefully this is a dream come true.
Which is the best thing to do in your city?
The thing i love the most about Melbourne is the historic Queen Victoria Market. The market is a very special historic and unique part of Melbourne and the foodie dream tours focus on the history of the different Market vendors and on tasting different delicacies that the different shops produce and sell.
I don’t want to reveal too much in this post but hope that I spark an interest and hopefully put a tour of the Market next time they visit Melbourne. The Foodie Dream Tour is both informative and deliciously mouth watering.
What super power do you wish you had and why?
If there was one superpower I had i would like it to be that my writing ✍️ could heal people with mental health issues and the stigma associated with it. My writing ✍️ is very empowering for me and has definitely helped me heal. If my writing educates people and teaches empathy and compassion and helps one person become better educated and understanding then my writing ✍️ has been a success. I try to be as open and candid as possible. One of my current favourite people is a lady called Lauren Kennedy West and she is a on-line content creator who lives with schizophrenia. She documents her journey of life living with this illness. She has been largely well for quite awhile and although she has been well, she occasionally experiences bouts of psychosis. She is making it her life’s purpose to share her journey and educate people. I hope I do too in a smaller way. My life’s purpose is the same as Lauren’s only I achieve this by using my writing ✍️ skills and writing ✍️ this blog . I hope I am gaining an audience 🙏🏽 for this goal.
Yes it is true. At the moment my life is pretty much an episode of Yes Minister. As most readers know I am presently going through the process of hopefully moving into social housing. Everyday I sign consent forms to give my consent to consent forms that I have already signed. I am drowning in red tape. I feel I could start a new career as a bureaucrat in Canberra in charge of making sure all the consent forms are signed. I think it helps that I have a sense of humour about it, otherwise it would really do my head in..Australia the lucky country drowning in red tape and with a form for everything in life. Beautiful country but terrible paperwork.
Kaye's Life and other gems 