Welcome!
I’m a middle-aged, single city girl now but my life is a far cry from what it used to be.
I grew up, the youngest of four kids, on a farm where money was always tight and I was expected to pull my weight, no questions asked. Of course, as a girl I did the dishes, helped clean the house, etc. But as soon as I was old enough (i.e. eleven!) I also started working in the fields. The manual labour I did on the family farm ranged from loading hay bales to picking cucumbers to shining and packaging tomatoes for sale at farmers’ markets. On top of that, I worked for others to earn enough money to buy myself cool clothes in high school and to fund my active social life. For kicks, I took great pleasure in daring my city relatives to step on hardened cow patties (only to break through to the fresh shite below) and swimming in the cow trough on a hot day (after carefully skimming off the film of saliva, of course – I’m no animal!). I’m one of the most grounded people you’ll ever meet IMO – friends would say I’m accommodating, self-deprecating & adaptable – and I give full credit to my upbringing for that.
Just as I was about to start university, I met my future husband. Fast-forward a few years and I was married at 25, became an instant stepmom, had 2 kids of my own, lived in the country for many years and commuted to the city for what turned out to be a fairly successful career. And now here I am – middle-aged and single, finding my way.
Through all those years, I discovered that this farm girl has a thirst for variety and adventure in almost every aspect of life – travel, food, creative pursuits, friends, new experiences – you name it. It also became clear that I’m more than a little accident-prone. But I’ve never let anything get in the way of living life to its fullest.
And I’m thankful every day for where I’ve been, where I am now, and what the future has to offer. My favourite expression when faced with an issue or complaint is “it’s a first-world problem”. Who cares if my flight was delayed en route to my 43rd country, or if the 10th concert I was supposed to see this year was cancelled? People all over the world are living in poverty and war-ravaged countries, coping with terrible illnesses and struggling to survive. To quote Jann Arden (“Good Mother”), I’ve got money in my pocket, I like the colour of my hair, I’ve got a friend who loves me, got a house, I’ve got a car, I [had] a good mother [and father]. I wish more people in the western world had that perspective. With any luck the COVID-19 pandemic will have helped us all reset our priorities.
I hope you enjoy what I have to offer here. I’m no expert on any topic, but my thirst for variety and adventure has given me plenty to share with you.