For a long time, I felt I was waiting for my life to begin.  A bit like waiting for those pandas on rollerskates in the Kit Kat ad. The turning point for me was living with a great friend for three years. I bought half her house in an inner-city Melbourne suburb and moved in. I lived out the back with my critters, and she lived upstairs with her kidlets.

During our cohabitation we shared dishwashers, stories, wine, food, friends, chores, cleaning bills, washing machines and lines, sorrow, joy, novelty birthday cakes, work, gardening and more. We had separate fridges and our cats hated each other. I fed the possums and she tolerated them in our roof.

Eventually the house became too small for us all, so I found another place to live, which feels more like me, and is proving to be the basis of a new, more creative way of living.

There are some things though I took away with me when I moved out to Healesville in February, about the way she is, and how she lives. I’d like to be more like her in these ways.

• Think, Do, Get. Good or bad, what you think, you do and end up getting as a result.
• The Certaintly Principle. If you’re certain about something, you can generally sway an outcome to the way you see it. So, if you’re passionate about a topic or expert in it, and find your voice is not heard, try being more certain.
• Generosity. My friend always gave according to what she could and never did it reluctantly or with an eye on a return favour being due to her. 

So, hurrah to great friends and to changing yourself if you want to.

Who knows, yet, what the focal point will be? Fabrics, textures and colours? Perhaps old junk done up like Sunday?

Until then, I’ll continue to focus on being creative each day, will remember to Think, Do & Get in a positive way and, as always, will reduce, reuse & recycle.