Tell us one thing you hope people say about you.
I hope when I leave this earth people will say I was a good, kind person. That I enlightened people and made their day better and I was genuine.
It doesn’t take much to be kind to someone. A smile goes a very long way. A kind word or just being there to listen.
What are your feelings about eating meat?
Meat to me is a source of good protein and health, but as I approached my 40’s I started to not like it as much. The taste changed and I felt sort of gross about it. I still like having meat every now and then, pork being my go to, but would rather have pizza and pasta for dinner or a good hearty salad.
Moo Moo.
What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?
I’ve made quite a few heavy decisions in my 55 years of life. Some really good and easy to decide and some took years to go forward with the decision.
One of the hardest and best decisions was to leave my first marriage. Abusive, alcohol and cheating done by the man I thought was good. All the wrongs people do in a marriage. I felt stuck because I was a stay at home mom which meant, no job, no income. I had jobs here and there but my main focus was my children. I couldn’t leave, I felt hopeless so I started to drink to be able to face this person who was ruining our lives. I couldn’t stand to be there in that marriage and felt alone and shattered. Drinking did not help.
5 years I struggled to get out with my 2 children and run as far away as I could from that life. Ive never been so full of anger, rage, quilt and hopelessness, with nowhere to go.
In 2004 I finally, after a huge fight on Fathers Day, I screamed for a divorce and stuck to it. It was time. No matter what happened, we had to leave this person before I was dead or in jail. I could no longer drink to stay or put on a strong front anymore. I was done and made my decision.
It was hard on the children but I knew as long as I had my children, I could make it. I mean this is nothing new when it came to the chaos I grew up in. Leaving was the best decision I could make for everyone involved. For myself and my children. No way were they going to grow up in a dysfunctional abusive home. This cycle had to change.
Im here today, above the dirt, and my children, adults now are getting through. My son has had lingering trauma from his father as well as my daughter but together we’ve gotten better. We made it out and are happy and free.
I will never regret making the decision I did. Staying in a marriage for kids or because you might feel like a failure is no reason to stay where you fear for your lives. We all have choices and decisions to make. Make a decision based on happiness health or anything that’s going to be good for you and support the life you want.
Two words. My husband.
It was 1989, I was 19, and working as a night audit and front desk in a hotel, located in Mississauga, Ontario.
I was at the front desk one evening when Meat Loaf, the band came into the hotel. I was amazed that they were there! Meat Loaf, an iconic band who sang the incredibly famous song, Bat outta Hell. I couldn’t wait to tell my friends who I met!
All of a sudden the drummer, John Miceli, asked me if I wanted to go on a date. Oh my, seriously I thought. I jokingly said yes and gave him my address and phone number, thinking, ya right, he’s never gonna call someone like me. Wouldn’t you know he actually called and asked me out for dinner! I said, NO! I told him my boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate me going to dinner with another man. Was I nuts or just a totally dedicated girlfriend. Little of both I guess. Scared and nervous as well. I guess not that scared or I wouldn’t have given him my address and phone number.
Christmas came along and I actually got a Christmas card from him. I wish I had it today. 1989 was a long time ago and I’ve moved so many times since then and probably got lost in one of those moves. I will always remember that day though and feel very honored to have been asked out by such a famous person.
The card may have been lost but the memory and moment will never be. I hold it in my heart dearly. I also love telling the story of someone so famous and iconic asking little ol me out on a date!
Cheers, Bat outta Hell. Forever love Meat Loaf.
What is good about having a pet?
There are so many good, great, things about owning and raising a pet. I’m a dog person, not that I don’t love all animals, but I just prefer dogs. So, let’s go on shall we?
It’s taken a long time for humans to see and understand animals and their emotional attachment and support they provide for us.
I’ve written about my emotional support/sobriety dog, Molly, who was with me for the first 10 years of my recovery journey. What an impact she made on me and our family. Molly read my emotions before I could. She filled that void, listened, and supported me when I was at my lowest and highest.
I’ve also written about my childhood dog, Bonnie, and have written a book about it (not published…yet) here in my Chapter book on this site 😀! Bonnie, also made an impact on my life at an early age. She was my protector and guardian.
No matter what type of animal you have, the pure connection you feel when you have a pet, is not only great for your emotional well-being but also has many health benefits.
Pets are a great addition to any family as long as they are well cared for. Any pet requires a lot of time and attention. They have feelings just like us 😊 so, remember to be kind.
Their life may not be as long as ours but when they are here with us, it is worth every tear when their time has come. They leave behind such love and memories.
Dedicated to all the pets out there ❤️
What was your favorite subject in school?
English and law. Can’t forget about spares or recess!
We all need more time. Time for healing, time for family, time for yourself, time, time, time.
One thing you can’t do with time is go back. Unless it’s one hour every fall for some in the world. We can’t go back in time to change things that have happened. If only. If I could go back in time I could change so many things, but that isn’t what we are here for. We are here to change, teach and learn. We all wish we had more time for things that mean a lot to us. Life happens and we carry on until we look back and say, I wish I had more time.
The most important time is time spent on yourself. To improve, to love and to flourish. Time put into your health, physically and mentally. Time spent with the people you love.
Time doesn’t wait, so whatever you need time for, take it. Take the time you need.
The death of Princess Diana was a devastating event for so many. Her poor boys. The car crash that took her from the world. Took her and everything she did for so many around the world. She was compassionate and full of hope and love. Her dedication to the family, even though she was so lost. She had found happiness and in a second was taken out. After her death to see Prince Charles with the love of his life. Rumors were true that Charles and Camilla were lovers. Tragedy for so many around the world.
Forever missed and loved Princess Diana.
That is a hard question. I googled the phrase and this is what I found, life skills, and self care, blah blah blah. What should we know? We should know right from wrong. We should know politeness and respect. Respect is very lacking in this world today as well as authority. We should know race means just a different colour or religion. Not hatred. We should know alcohol and drugs is a mental illness not something people want to continue to do. Some of us just can’t get out, but we really want to. We should know kindness. We should know that sometimes peoples reactions to you on a certain day may have nothing to do with you but something happening in their life at the moment. So ask if they are okay, or is something wrong, or just smile and walk away and say a prayer for them.
People are people and some things we know they don’t. Some things are harder for people than others.
No matter what, everyone should know to respect, be kind and live with integrity, compassion and dignity. Help one another and live a life of love.
Being Me Sober 