Welcome to Week 2 of my Blogging Clarity Challenge (click the link to catch up on Week 1)!
It’s a great opportunity for you to get to know me better :-), and for me to pinpoint what makes me – and my blog – tick.
Each Friday I will address one of these 7 questions:
- What interests do I have?
- What experiences (good or bad) have I had?
- What expertise and skills do I have?
- What are my passions?
- What gives me energy?
- What do I talk about with my friends?
- If I could write about anything, what would I write?
My Blogging Clarity Challenge 2: What Experiences (good or bad) have I had?
The Good:
- Marriage to my wonderful hubster – 24 years and counting!
- Finding my love of writing, and all I’ve achieved with that – running Footprints magazine for 15 years, published 3 books, hundreds of magazine articles, blogging, and now it’s an integral part of my “day job”.
- Packing up all our worldly goods and caravanning around Australia in 2001, when our kids were 5 and 7.
- Raising our two children (now 20 & 17).
The Bad:
- My battles with Depression.
- My short-lived teaching career.
- Having a parent with a bipolar disorder, a personality disorder and other mental health issues.
- Not having my Dad around when I was growing up.
- Three stepfathers and numerous “uncles”.
- Experiencing homelessness.
- Breaking off an engagement.
- Being made redundant in 2012.
- Raising our two children.
The Ugly:
- Being physically abused as a child.
- Raising our two children.
I adore our children, but I have to say parenting has not been without several challenges along the way – hence why it falls under the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!
I’m sure I will think of other things after I’ve hit “publish” on this post … but these are the things that immediately spring to mind.
So now it’s your turn – what experiences do we share?
I hear you on the whole parenting ‘gig’. No matter what stage there is always the good, the bad and the ugly and I’m still waiting 16ish years down the track for my long overdue long service leave. With 3 under 3, now 16, 14 & 13, I’m wondering how much long service leave I’d be entitled too and who would take over all the worrying in my absence? lol
My good experiences are fairly similar to yours – great husband, 2 great kids, finding my love for writing and travelling around Australia. I have travelled fairly extensively and want to make that what I write about. My biggest barrier has been having very close friends not approve of me writing a blog and being super critical. This has confounded me and hurt me deeply. Otherwise not much else bad about my life and yes I do understand the challenges of parenting – they can be tough at times.
You’ve packed in a lot so far, I have no doubt goodness will come your way xxx
I love your honesty Janet. Especially with the parenting. Thankfully you have more years to have many more good experiences. The first part of your life was a shocker. What an inspiration you are to have come through so positively. 🙂
Aye karumba I wish sometimes I could share why the parenting journey has been so interesting. I never thought it would happen to us … but there you go. I still love my kids to bits though, of course, even if at times they have broken my heart and then jumped on the pieces!