Hi there!
Now, the other day I thought, why don't you just cut to the chase, Danusia?
Most people want to hear the nitty gritty of how you raised 10 kids and are still standing. Now, when I say raised, I really mean raising.
How am I not weeping at the side of the road asking strangers for directions to the cheapest motel so I can lie down on suspect sheets to breathe in peace? Alone.
Imagine no kids to dish up dinner to then scrape in the bin, or clients to serve, then serve even more.
It's the decisions too. Gazillion micro ones to wear us down and giant ones that land out of the blue, heavy...that threaten to crush our spirit, energy and hope.
So I thought, should I just get down to ‘brass tacks’ and send my lovely people snack-able reads? One, or maybe two, bite-sized thoughts wherever I can and whenever I can on how I did it and how I do it.
Now that's not because I'm an arrogant arsehat, but because after being Head Honcho of a whacking big family and whacking big business, I've a few things to share.
For the people in the back, the 10 offspring are my biological kids and I've built a prosperous corporate business as well as award-winning creative works.
Living an ambitious AND life where the result is not burnout or despair is what I'm about. Not an either-or version of being me and doing life.
I want slow living and dynamic. Ooodles of time with my kids and creative thrills. A tidy, nourishing home and, okay, you get the picture.
And I'm not alone.
This isn't about having it all. That's back in the day. But what I'm talking about is the difference between 1) puttering along, trying to just about keep going and 2) firing on most, if not all cylinders, moving in directions that bring wide smiles.
A confession: I have a life-threatening allergic reaction to hustle and I'm always on the lookout for ease and heart-centred ways of living.
I'm an expert in my family and in my business, but I have big clues on making things work.
If I'm right that these clues could be valuable to you, here's what to do:
Send me your questions, except this one.
What do you want to ask me? What are your nosey, I wonder how-the fuck-she-does-that questions?
What I'll do is straight up easy for me. I'll tell you my honest answers. They won't be advice as such, but more “this is what works for me or has worked”. Take what's useful to you, ditch the rest.
I love AMA’s. I really do. Ask me anything posts.
I take the kernel of what someone says and see if it fits at all for me, and how I want to live. If not, I salute the person and send them love.
HIT REPLY OR LEAVE COMMENTS IN THE SUBSTACK APP and I'll get back to you here in this Noise series.
Going forward, I want this to be more of a mix of AMA’s with occasional personal essays.
In the meantime, here’s an inside look at some of the things that kept me steady this week!
Lots of love, everyone.
REMINDER: You can either be difficult or mediocre but you can’t be both; if you want to be as difficult as you are, you need to get better ~ Vicki Madden
Cooked looks interesting: you add ‘cooked.wiki/’ in front of a recipe URL and it’ll show just the recipe, generate a shopping list, save it for later, etc.
Caroline Cala Donofrio wants to adopt a second dog. Her hubby said if she got 1000 likes on a post about a man eating a barrel of cheeseballs, he’d be all in. Unless you’ve no pulse this’ll help you crack a smile. Please note the likes on the post. 🐾
Soz to great aunt Mary who would have enjoyed Caroline’s post except she recently passed. My daughter Seraphina has an irascible recently dead imaginary relative she revels in telling people about. I kid you not.
I’m an upcycling fiend so when I bought this I HAD to share it with who writes Sparkle on Substack. I’m in love.
and finally, it was a privilege to close out the Parents Who Think Podcast I host in our most recent debate with 3 parent guests. It’s on, “Should Schools Teach about Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation?'“ - this is the bumper 3 episodes in one edition. Bank holiday weekend drive listen if ever! My inbox has been packed with comments like this one, humbled is an understatement:
How do you ask hard-hitting questions in a soft tone, then stay calm when you get answers that make me gasp? Hands down Parents Who Think is my new number one listen! 🎧 - Mick S, USA
PS - If you enjoy the debate please leave me a 5star review on Apple Podcasts so others can find my podcast there too. 💖
Remember to ask me those scrappy, uncomfortable questions, the ones that you just want to know or will help you make sense of things you find hard. OMG while I’m on that, my childcare situation imploded on itself this week. I had to reinvent my whole childcare set up lickety-split. This is the stuff of nightmares, let’s get into it in the comments...I’m so excited for our conversation!!
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