15 January

Personal Prompt: You have the opportunity to start a new career, what will you do and why?
This is the stage I’m in now… I’ve left my musical career and I am currently unemployed.
If all my wishes come true, I will be a writer. Or write biographies. Or a professional blogger. Or a professional editor.
Professional editor would be my favourite. I’ve left my run too late to do it now though… I’m actually really, really outstandingly good at proofreading and have learned some other editing skills, but I’m unlikely to master the art of it all at this late stage of my life.
I’d like to write and be paid to write though. Any takers? I’m going back to do a second post graduate degree in writing this year. Maybe by the end of the year I will find work in this area 😀
Creative Prompt: You got a book deal! Pick which kind of book will you write (fiction, memoir, etc) and write a brief summary of the plot.
Oh – too easy. I’d write biographies/memoirs. Although I do have a novel in my head that I’d like to write out one day.
Pretty tricky to do a brief summary of the plot for a non existent biography… I have written someone else’s biography already but I’m not writing that here…
My novel… My novel is kind of slightly fantasy based, but also based in the real world. And very feminine based.
A post apocalyptic world where just a select few (as in perhaps 10 thousand humans across the globe) have been rescued and meet with some motherly “angels” who set them some tasks for a thousand years and one person has become immortal for that thousand years and she is destined to watch loved ones age and die in that time frame and all the humans that are rescued have to learn to start from scratch in a new world with nothing but nature to work with – no lipstick, no electricity, no running water, no endless supplies of groceries, no medicines etc.
That’s an absolutely dreadful summary of the plot. But in my head I have a gazillion more details that are far more interesting 😀

14 January

Personal Prompt: Write a thank you letter to yourself. Discuss a time when you treated yourself with care.

Dear Me,

Thank you for having the persistence and determination to keep going with stuff. Even when you don’t want to. Even when you think it’s not going to work out. Even though you can’t be bothered and you think it might be a waste of your time and effort. You do have the determination to follow through with a task – usually… And frequently this stands you in good stead.

While self care is a task that has historically been non existent, and something you find very difficult to do, you do intellectually understand the importance of it and as the years progress, you’re getting better at indulging – particularly with rest and particularly in the last year. While I know you sometimes worry that self care is laziness and self indulgence – and it is possible for one to morph into the other – avoiding self care for fear of becoming self indulgent and lazy is a terrible idea. So when your body needs rest, rest. When your soul needs soothing, soothe. You’ll soon know when you’ve crossed the line. Energy will return – it has in the past and it will again. Patience is a virtue – a virtue you struggle with – and it is worth resting and recouperating and recovering now, because all things have a time and a place, and now is the time for self care. It has been 50 years overdue. Do it now. The rest of the year will take off before you know and this opportunity won’t come again. During the worst of the illness last year, you gave in to rest. Don’t push back too hard too early. It will be okay.

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Me.

Creative Prompt: You’ve been casted to be on a reality tv show, which show would you want to be on and why?

Oh for goodness sake… What is it with reality shows?! I don’t like them!! I feel like all the creative prompts this week suck…

The reality show I would like to be cast on would be one in which I bemoan the rise of reality tv shows…

Okay – I thought of one. I’d like to Dancing with the Stars. Problem is – I’m not a star, and I’m never going to be (I don’t have a problem with that…) but I’d love the opportunity to dance with a professional ballroom dancer and get the chance to spend a few months getting awesome at it and then strut my stuff on public television so everybody far and wide can comment on every aspect of my appearance and shape and size and fashion and personality and talent – or lack thereof…

But still – I do like Todd McKenney and I’d like to Dancing with the Stars.

13 January

Personal Prompt: Freaky Friday! In some weird twist of events, you get the opportunity to trade places with someone for a day. Who would you trade places with and why?
I would trade places with my friend Kat – to give her 24 hour’s relief from all her psychological and physical pain. I know it’s just a day – but I hope that she’d use that day wisely in return! Plus I’d like to see her cows and her dog 🙂
But I’d also leave lots of messages and reminders all over her house and land, reminding her that she’s awesome and that she’s strong and powerful and resilient and that despite the long road she sees ahead of her, she’s travelled a great distance so far. And to just keep on going on.
I’d sneak her awesome camera while I was in her world, and fill it with photos that somehow remind her that she’s amazing. I’d find all the best bits about her and catalogue them in words and pictures and memories. Plus I’d play with her kids all day long because while they might be exhausting, mine are all grown up and I miss those fun play times.
Creative Prompt: You developed the new must-have item of the year. Describe what the item is and how you would advertise it.
I have invented the “doctor in a box” kinda thing that they had on star trek. That medical scanner thing that looks like a variation on a mobile phone that they scan over you and it tells you everything that’s medically wrong.
But mine covers psychological as well as physical maladies.
And it’s very user friendly. Just do it on yourself – do a big scan and then discover if you have a cold or a pimple or cancer or depression or diabetes or a broken arm or herpes or schizophrenia or any of the other gazillion things that can go wrong with the human condition.
And I really don’t think it would need much advertising… Providing it does what I claim, everyone will want one!

12 January

Personal Prompt: What is one thing you’ve always dreamed of doing but are too afraid to try? Make a pros and cons list to further evaluate your options.
I honestly have no idea… There are loads of things I’ve dreamed of doing but for one reason or another have not been able to. I really am coming up clueless… So instead, I will name a couple of things I’ve always dreamed of doing but haven’t yet done because of either money, motivation or time.
Dancing: I would LOVE to do dancing (particularly ballroom or swing), but as my husband hates and despises the idea, I have never done it. I don’t want to go alone, and I know dance studios are always full of too many women and not enough men. I don’t really have and concern about my ability – whether I suck or star at it doesn’t matter, I don’t feel particularly stressed either way. I just would like to do dancing as something with my husband, not a stranger, and so it has always been an impossibility. And will no doubt remain so.
Travel: We have done a little bit of travel, but sadly it is a very expensive past-time! So we haven’t done a lot. My big dream is that one day my husband and I will pack up a car and go travel around Australia for a whole year. I’m hoping we can do it inside the next ten years, but it will require having the money to do it, plus him being able to take 12 months off work and still have a job when we get back. Because by then he’ll be 60+ and getting another job at that age will be impossible. Fingers crossed this is a dream that one day comes true.
Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair Walk: I dream of doing this! But I can’t do it alone. I don’t have a walking buddy to do it with. And I have no desire to go on an organised tour kind of walk… I would only enjoy it with a friend, or a small group of friends. I also have back issues so I do question my ability to carry a backpack for three days straight… But that is a lesser issue. Can’t do the walk alone. Can’t find someone to do it with me…
Creative Prompt: You wake up one morning and discover you’ve developed a superpower! What is your superpower? Describe your superhero persona.
My superpower would be granting wishes 🙂 Just one wish per person – don’t want them to get too greedy! So I guess I’d be like a genie in a bottle – but without the bottle, and the bikini.
I might start with granting myself a wish, and doing the cradle mountain – lake st clair walk 🙂 Then I would work my way through people I know and ask them to think carefully about their wish because they only get one, and all consequences must be thought through.
And I wouldn’t allow “money” wishes – ie no “winning lotto tickets” or a million dollar kind of wishes… They need to be important things – things that improve a life. Because that’s far more important than money. And money alone cannot improve lives. Unless you’re poverty stricken… But then the issue is usually lack of employment or means to make money, so that would be the important wish, not a pile of cash.
So I guess I would be a slightly mean genie/superhero…

11 January

Personal Prompt: Name one thing you love that you don’t have time to do anymore. Come up with a plan to try and incorporate that activity back into your life.
Well I’m currently unemployed – so time is no impediment to anything I wish to do. However motivation, money and means have stopped me doing many things. I think the most practical – and one of the most sorely missed – is singing.
I love music. I love it with a passion. So much so that I became a musician and a music teacher and dedicated all my working years to it. I really love music. And I don’t want to do it any more. I am totally ready to leave behind my full teaching and performing career. I have done the best I could and touched some lives and had some fabulous experiences. But I just can’t do it any more. I am physically and mentally exhausted and worn out and ready to walk away without a second glance.
However the thought of a life with no music, with no performing, no green rooms and bump outs and after show parties. No endless sessions of rehearsal leading to the onstage excitement of “one chance to get it right”. No more cameraderie from an eclectic, mixed bunch of humans, brought together solely by their desire to make music together – the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the talented and the squeamishly awful. All with a single, united purpose.
I really miss singing. I really miss my singing voice. I really miss being lost in the sound of the chorus – feeling the emotional soaring that only music can offer. I really miss it.
By the end of this year, I hope to have singing back in my life. Bit by bit, I can get my voice back, do some workshops, accept some gigs and start singing again. Back to soaring, soul-satisfying, singing.
Creative Prompt: You can have dinner with any famous person (living or deceased), who do you dine with and why?
I would like to have dinner with Barack Obama.
He is a truly great man and I am privileged to have lived in his lifetime. He exudes confidence and charisma, intelligence and compassion, love and loyalty. He is passionate about anything he believes in – be it healthcare reform, gun control, equality, faith, his children, or his beloved wife.
He just shines “goodness”. There is something about everyone we meet, a look in their eye, or a stance, or a mannerism, that gives away true character. And Barack Obama is a good man. Not a perfect man – no such thing exists, nor should it. But he is a good man.
He is a brilliant orator. I cannot remember anyone in my lifetime delivering speeches in such a manner. Whether you agree with his political stance or not, it cannot be denied he is a wonderful orator and has delivered some historic speeches, the likes of which we may not see for a long time to come.
I would love to have dinner with Barack Obama to say I have been in the presence of greatness. I trust he would treat everyone at the table with respect, but would almost certainly have a commanding presence and a quick wit. I would love to hear his views on the future – post politics. What he dreams of. What he believes in. I would love to hear his views on my own little world – my life and my children. I would love to meet a great man, who has tried to do great things, under great pressure. A man who has always maintained dignity, respect, humour and compassion.
I would like to have dinner with Barack Obama.

10 January

Personal Prompt: How would you describe yourself? Ask a friend or family member how they would describe you and compare notes.
Gosh… I’ll endeavour to be positive. But this is waaaay outside my comfort zone…
I am 50 years old. I look neither young nor old for my age. I am 168cm tall with red curly hair and hazel eyes. By necessity, my hair is now dyed thanks to Clairol 110. But I am a true redhead with fair skin and tons of freckles. I have a curvy shape, round face and I’m prone to being plump. I exercise at the gym most days and have become reasonably fit and healthy over the past five years. I am quiet and determined and think a lot. I’m usually hyperactive and can be verbacious when it suits me. I’m incredibly loyal and dedicated to those I care about. I care very deeply about my circle of people. I exude an outer confidence that masks insecurities based in abject fear of failure and judgment. I always look for the best in others, and hope others can glimpse the best in me. I love cats, music and cheesecake. I love to bushwalk, sing and read. I am a mother and a musician. I am me.
My friend Kat describes me as: A very funky and attractive 50yo woman! With sparkling eyes and a sweet smile. This lady is amazing, she is sweet, kind, and exceptionally generous with all she has. She is also very discerning and empathetic, a true friend to have. She struggles deeply with her own depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and eating disorder which she openly and honestly talks about, but she never ever uses her own pain as an excuse to ignore that of others, instead choosing to build them up.
Creative Prompt: You bought a lottery ticket and won $10 million. How will you spend your money?
I often dream of winning the lotto. Should probably start buying tickets…
Invest half the money so we never need to work again. Will five million dollars provide enough interest to not have to work again?!
Spend a million frivolously… House, cars, holiday.
Give a million to our children – put away in term deposits until they’re at least 30.
Have a million dollars each in our bank accounts. So we don’t have to stress about buying groceries etc.
Give away a million to charities and friends.
That’s all ten million taken care of… I think I need more than ten million…