My teenage sons don’t want hang out with me anymore. For 17 years, I’ve been a single mum and the three of us have been Team Z. I raised my kids with limited financial or parenting support from their father. So, I was always the main character in their story, but it seems that overnight, I’ve been demoted to a support character and will continue falling down the credit … [Read more...]
Lifestyle
The time has come for us to reinvent our lives and explore new interests. The kids are growing up and leaving home, the insecurities of youth have faded, and we mostly feel more confident and comfortable in our skin than ever before. So it’s the perfect time to identify sources of joy you need to feel happy and make the changes to feel fulfilled and happy.
Life after 50 is a time of new challenges and different adventures. Perhaps you are starting a second career. Maybe you are starting to look forward to retirement. You may start to look older but your mind is more liberated and keen than ever before. Don’t let apathetic indecision or age-based fear hold you back from conquering new dreams and investing in your happiness.
Every day is a gift to be grateful for. So plan it well so the time doesn’t drift aimlessly past. Have something to look forward: a walk in the park, a picnic, trips to museums and galleries and movies, take a class or eating out. Take emotional risks, step out of your comfort zone occasionally, celebrate life with loved ones, and laugh.
Don’t strive to be a sensible old lady if your energy encourages you to disregard age-appropriate activities. Find your own unique path and dance down it, singing loudly and shaking your booty.
To quote George Bernard Shaw: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing”
Late Blooming Lesbian Love
What is it with these famous middle-aged women authors who write about their wonderful lives and marriages, giving us advice on how to improve our relationships and this elusive happiness we are all seeking….like Glennon Doyle (Untamed etc) and Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic, East Pray Love etc) to name just two – and then they become lesbians. It’s like they get to their … [Read more...]
Covid Guilt
The Corona Virus could be my fault. I prayed for something to happen to enable me to have a long holiday at home with my teenage sons - where we did not have to get up at 4am every day for Swim training, where I didn’t have to go to work every day, and rush around in the same hectic single mum routine I've been juggling for years. Then the Virus came along. Swimming Pools … [Read more...]
Swim Mums’ Rules
RULES for the SWIM MUM Nobody expects to be a swim mum. We hear that swimming opens up a child’s lungs and all this water-safety-for-children lures us in. Next thing, it’s squad training three times a week, and before you know it, we are up way before 4am every morning for the swim run, waiting two hours, then rushing home – only to repeat in the late afternoon. We … [Read more...]
Road-tripping and camping with Team Z in 2016
Every school holiday, the boys and I grab our wire baskets of camping gear, chuck them on the back of the car with our clothes, hitch up the trailer and head off somewhere. Often, we have no idea where we are going as we seldom research properly – but it’s always an adventure. Easter saw us in Valla Beach, outside Coffs Harbour between the Gold Coast and Sydney. Valla Beach … [Read more...]