I was once bitten by a wild Hawaiian sea turtle. I watched it coming towards me, slowly eating the grass on the top of the water as it went. I didn’t get out of the way. It left a bite mark on my leg for about 6 months. My best explanation for this is that curiosity is one of my major drivers in life.
The Magical Sunglasses
In my first week of school, I attempted a revolution. We were learning about the seasons and my teacher insisted on starting from Spring to list them. I was a shy little girl, but I felt so strongly that she was wrong; the year starts with Summer, the best season! When she walked out of the room I stood up and got all my peers to chant 'Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring' in what I saw was the correct order. My values are another major driver for me.
If there was a Mr. Men book to summarise me, it would probably be called Little Miss Restless. This can be a good and bad thing. Sometimes I have changed things too quickly in life, other times it has driven me to take risks, which I feel has helped me to grow by getting to know a lot of different people from different situations.
I am arachnophobic. This is not helpful when you grow up in Australia. I could share a few irrational responses. One night I saw a huntsman spider on the wall, I burst out of the house leaving the front door wide open and started to run to my friend's house who was just over 3km away (2 miles). She was kind enough to pick up her friend who was distressed and wandering in the dark. I have been living in the UK for the past couple of years and have very much enjoyed the peace from big spiders.
I once was part of an experiment to discover what type of traveller I was based on my physiological responses to experiences. Brain-wave-reading headset and all! I got given the 'sensory seeker' label the first time I did it, and 'nature lover' the second time I did it (yes, I went back for more). This was very telling for me of how I experience new things/people/situations. At first, I am very stimulated, scattered and excited, then once the initial excitement is over, I can calm down and take in my surroundings.
I (in my opinion) have the best job in the world. Outside of being an author, I am a children's therapist. I play a part in helping kids with varying disabilities be the best they can be. This could be teaching them to dress themselves, cut shapes or draw a lovely picture, or make friends with other children. It is all done in a fun, playful way and it inspires me every day (hence, the inspiration for my book!).
I love all things adventure. Some of my hobbies include surfing, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkelling, cycling, hiking, white water rafting. Unfortunately, I am also accident prone… so this doesn’t come without its broken bones, cuts and bruises. I was not born with a full dose of self-preservation.
I have lived in 19 different houses. This means I have moved more than every 2nd year of my life. The perks of being a builder’s daughter. But now it feels odd to me to stay in a house for longer than 2-3 years. A great way to reduce clutter!
I once spent 10 hours hunting wombats with nothing but a shovel. I had the pleasure of visiting an indigenous community in South Australia (through my church), every year from when I was 15 to 25. They were very generous in sharing their way of life with me (and us), some of which I like to think I have taken on. One big thing I have learnt from them would be enjoying days without being time oriented. Embracing the feeling of not being dictated by a clock is good for my soul.
I love the creative art of symbolism. I am still learning about what that means exactly, but I seemed to be drawn to artworks that make you think deeper about how it fits into your own context. People are so talented. Writing a children's book has been just one way I have found I can also contribute.