Life of Lu

Ooft! Isn't this a question and a half?!

My dream job would be a travel writer. I would love to live the life of Michael Palin or Bill Bryson.
I have a huge curiosity about cultures, languages and traditions that are different to my own.
There are so many things that I want to do and see, things I should have done in my early twenties but did not.
I will still get them done.
But what a perfect way to do these things - as a travel writer!

This is a tough one because there are a number of quotes and phrases that I try to live my life by, or reflect upon. I am not sure if I have a favourite.
My life  mantra I picked up many years ago, but I don't know where it came from.
That is 'Fuck it or Fix it'.
I use it all the time. If I have a problem then fix it. If I can't fix it then fuck it. Move on.
That is sometimes easier said that done but it does help me out a lot sometimes.

I also really like a quote by Thomas Edison.
'I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that it won't work'.
It is a very comforting sentiment sometimes.

I read a book years ago called 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu. I highly recommend it.
In that book he says 'The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting'.
I have always like that outlook.

I always struggle with challenges such as these, where I have to give some facts about myself. Can I think of 20 things and if so will they be any good? Pressure! Well... here goes....

1. I love letters. Not bills and what not, I mean real, news filled letters. I have a handful of people whom I write to, and they write back in return. Alas, I am not very good at replying in a timely manner! I have had penpals since I was about 11 years old. Two of which were from Belarus. Their names were Tatiana and Irena. One of the highlights of their letters were the wee boxed stationery that they used to write on. I loved it so much.
2. I dislike sheep. Immensely.
3. I have 2 tattoos. One of a fairy, and one of a fox.
4. I love ducks and foxes. And Hairy Coos.
5. I think puns are severely underrated.
6. My favourite book is Jane Eyre.
7. My favourite author is more difficult... maybe Jasper Fforde... though the compilations of Irish tales by Sinead DeValera have a special place in my heart as do …

My Blog's Name
Well, you have probably figured out that the blog is called 'The Life of Lu'. I started writing my blog over a decade ago for a number of reasons, mostly as an easy way to distract myself from grief, and after a while to help me move on from my grief. I actually originally called the blog 'labhaoisenidhuibhir' after my Irish (Gaelic) name, but as the blog became more central to my world and more reflective of my world I changed it to 'Life of Lu'. 

Where did 2017 go? Is it just me or did 2017 just fly by like a whirling dervish? Tomorrow we celebrate Hogmaney in all its glory and I can't wait. I am leaving 2017 on such a high, and I can't wait to see where 2018 takes me.
I got an email today from myself. It was an email I sent to myself 5 year ago via a website called www.futureme.org . You should go and have a look, it is a very peculiar thing to send your future self an email. Anyway, I digress. The email told me where I hoped to be five years ago. Some of it I have done, some of it I have not but what I found very interesting was how my perception of happiness and contentment have changed in the last five years. That got me thinking. It is amazing how much my perception of happiness and contentment have changed in the past year!

2017 was for me a year of growth and a year of self discovery.
I feel I found myself a lot this year. I found comfort in myself and a confidence in my capabilites.
It was a rollercoaster year …

Dear Marguerite,
In an alternative reality we are preparing ourselves for the weekend of a lifetime this weekend, you turn 30 on Friday! Whoop! Happy birthday little sister! Where have the years gone? I have no doubt that we would be hitting a European city for a few cocktails and a spa weekend or I would be back in Ireland for a party to end all parties. If there was one thing you could do by the tender age of 17 it was throw a party. 
I wish more than anything that we could have that weekend together. A weekend of gossip, of laughter and probably over indulgence. No doubt you would still disapprove of my style, my ability to put on make up and my hair. No doubt your insistence on getting ready for a few hours would still drive me insane. 
I often wonder what your life is like in that alternative reality. Are you a wife? Are you a mum? Are you a career driven woman with plans of world domination? Are you a wanderer with an insatiable lust to see all the world and explore it's wo…

I had a moment yesterday.
I cried.
The tears were unfortunate and a manifestation of forgotten memories and regurgitated feelings from years gone by.
The foundation of those tears were this blog, and the content of this blog.
I sometimes forget that there is a little part of the internet that holds my feelings, my deepest darkest moments and my anxieties, as well as my triumphs, delights and fond memories.
The blog was read, and it's contents had the potential to spoil a very important relationship in my life.
I got upset.
As I said, I cried.
For the first time in many years, I remembered the many people who turned their backs on me not because of anything I had done but because of situations in which I was merely an affected bystander. 
The mind is a wonderful thing in that it can hide these moments from memory. It is also a cruel master who can cut you with these moments when you are at your most vulnerable. At this time of the year I am at my most vulnerable. In reality I will…