I’m often told I’m a ‘nice’ person. In fact, lots of people call me Lovely Lisa. I think I’m called that because I go out of my way to make people feel comfortable around me and I also like to avoid unnecessary conflict. I’m not sure why I’ve turned out to be ‘nice’. Maybe it’s a product of my upbringing; I was always taught to treat people gently and with respect. Empathy is a strong emotion for … [Read more...]
Do closed doors stop violence?
There’s a piece missing in NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell’s attempts to mop up the alcohol-fuelled violence from our streets. A vital piece we seem to overlook when it comes to trying to solve this complex problem. Sure tougher sentencing is a step in the right direction, but I’m not convinced violence will be stopped in its tracks when confronted with a closed pub or nightclub door.Yes, booze can … [Read more...]
Confessions of a nosey parker
Chances are that during the course of this 30-day blogging challenge, in a desperate bid to find content, I’m probably going to reveal some things about myself that perhaps you didn’t know.Like, the fact that I was once a professional Cancan dancer. Yep. Kid you not. That job actually got me through university (well, and also a lot of help from mum and dad).Or, that I can do a pretty mean ‘running … [Read more...]
Sick of the bullying
Credit: Craig Dingle via iStock My friend has a problem. A heart-breaking problem. After rebuilding her life following a tough marriage breakup, her daughter is now being bullied at school. Her beautiful, smart, gentle, wise and talented daughter. Bullied so badly my friend feels she has no choice but to move her to another school. Now this friend of mine is a tough cookie. She has … [Read more...]
‘Hard-to-shift’ holiday memories
Credit: Dirk Tacke via iStockphotoWe humans are funny creatures. By this I don’t mean funny as in: ‘ha ha’. But funny as in: ‘odd’. I had this revelation about a week ago, as I lay in my hotel bed unable to sleep on the first night of our holiday in Western Australia.The reason for my insomnia was a combination of things really.First there was the dust that wafted up from the carpet and into our … [Read more...]