equinessa

Hi, what a great thread. It's strange reading these posts and trying to match them up with the pain spoken about by the same people in other threads. What step are we collectively working? I'm new to all of this, expecially the steps, so I'll have to look it up. Must be one about gratitude for what we have or in that vein.

So many artists, so many gorgeous, articulate, educated women in the 40-55 age bracket. The researcher in me says..............what has happened to our men in the evolutionary process. A genuine question.

My external story goes like this. Born and raised on a dairy farm in the tropics of Australia in the late 50's. I'm talking the edge of a jungle with big swollen rivers, cyclone seasons, misty foggy days, no electricity, a battery radio, stories, dogs, cows, horses and trees 10feet in diameter with a canopy of vine growing over them. Not forgetting the odd carpet snake curled up on the bed when I got home from school. Or the aboriginal campsite down by the river. I would drift off to sleep at night, nose prassed into my father's tobacco smelling wooly jumper with the sound of the aborigianl sticks and singing drifting in and out of my mind. I have two little sisters. There is nothing we do not know about each other and we are fiercely loyal. We are more judgemental with each other than with anyone else on the planet. No man is ever a good enough partner for our sister............(well?)

Depite my fathers alcoholism he taught me a lot. Compassion, politics, solidarity, a disdain for blatant injustice, how to pick a good horse, and how to use a chain saw. He is still alive, mellowed since my mother's death 14 yrs ago.

The farm went broke and we moved to the city. This was great! Kids everywhere, up and down the street. Although I missed the animals we had lots of social interaction. i joined every club i could find and so did my sisters. Singing, drama, fife band, debating, gymnastics you name it. My mother worked at sometimes three jobs so we could have the extras, ballet, drama, music lessons and holidays at nice places. Although I now wonder if it also served to be away from Dad. Dad was either at work or at the Club. Nobody was ever home. (B

So that is pretty much how I have lived. Like a lot of you seem to have done. I have really packed it in. I learned that life was much better outside the family whether it was in a Leftie Political Party, a Theatre troup, a Movie set, a hectic job, community development, whatever. I love being with my species. I don't mind being alone but when i am I am reading. I read lots. My favorite book is still Das Kapital which can bring me to tears. I can go to bed with a research paper.

I have a Masters degree in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and am currently working in Population Health designing and implementing strategies to engage marginalised and socially disadvantaged kids in community connection programs. I love my job. But I have always loved my jobs. I kind of see them as daily social occasions where we all get together and "create" something. I'm good at writing funding submissions and my colleagues comment on how I much effort I will put in. But it doesn't feel like an effort to me....it feels exciting.

I was raised in an isolated situation, and loved it. I also loved living in the heart of big cities like London and Berlin during my 30's but by the time I hit 40 I wanted the tree change. I now live on a property with my RAH, my 30 dressage and showjuming horses and work full-time. I have lots of girlfriends. They are mostly leftie, arty types who have gone into the social welfare bureacracy of health, education or arts batting for the poor because the 70's revolution didn't happen. Some are in Aid organisations in Asia.

I adore food and although i was a chubby teenager lost weight at 17yrs and have been 8stone7lbs ever since. I'm 5'3" and olive complexioned being Scott/Irish/German decent. We have great food here being so close to Aisia. Just about everyone knows how to do a Thai or Indonesion dish. I went to America last year and couldn't find any Aisian or Indian restaurants or even take-aways. However i did like the Mexican food. In another life I would have studied languages (I love mimicking sounds) Or possibly go and learn about our indigenous culture.

Whenever we go to Europe, which is only once every five years if that, i realize how far away we from the rest of the world, which has it's distinct advantages. But I would love to be able to drive for two or three hours and be in a completely different culture like Europeans can.

Well time's up...............better give someone else a turn.

I love the Australian way of life. The space, the humour, the kind of no bull*#%t way of relating that has a healthy disdain for snobbery. New Age stuff gets on my ****. It is probably the only thing I have a closed mind to.....and biggots (haha).