Dear 25 year old me,

Oh gosh where do I start!

You and your immediate family have moved a couple of years ago to Tamworth NSW from a small coastal town. You felt the weight of growing up in a small town and being a young single unwed mother. The feeling of not being good enough stayed with you for a long time, however my dear you are determined to prove them wrong. Your determination is one of your greatest strengths however also causes some of your biggest challenges

After having a few odd jobs supplementing a sole parents part pension you secure a maternity leave position with the Boral group, this leads to a contact who encourages you to apply for the job you currently have with an emergency service. A job that provides financial freedom to buy your home, travel and lead a good life, not a rich life but a good life all the same. You will still struggle at times financially but you will generally make good decisions.

You mourn the loss of a second pregnancy for a long time until you realise your life will have been very different, this revelation leads to a strong belief that "things happen for a reason" even if the reason is not apparent initially and your heart is breaking at the time. This will give you the strength to persist and overcome many challenges.

You are worried that your Dad will die in the paddock or at work doing something reckless, because he is too independent to ask for help. However as time goes and your Dad slips into dementia and he becomes a shell of who he once was, you lament that that may have been preferable. Of course you wouldn't know that at the time. And secretly it scares you that this may be your future too, you never thought your Dad would be like this and it worries you that no matter how active and healthy you try to be maybe this is be your path too.

Your Mum continues to defy all odds and is in her 70's, and you have your six kids; daughter, son in law and 4 grandies. You love your extended family and you take it upon yourself to be the organiser, you can't just let things be, and the weight of caring for so many is overwhelming at times.

You are worried about the impact on your daughter of being a single mum and the limited contact with her father, however your dad fills that gap. She will inherit your work ethic, and as you become older and wiser, you try to impress upon her the importance of a work life balance.

You have a passion for keeping fit and healthy (a result of growing up with a parent with chronic health issues) but gradually your focus shifts from the gym atmosphere to a balance of outdoor activities and incorporating yoga to cope with the stresses of your job. This leads to you becoming a yoga teacher and therapist, despite suffering "imposter syndrome" that you aren't flexible enough to be one. As a result of working in an emergency service for over 27 years and seeing the impact on your fellow workers, you find a passion for helping those suffering PTSD and depression using the tools of yoga.

You prove the naysayers wrong taking your daughter to USA, this sets off a love of travel and ultimately hiking. You will regret not starting hiking earlier as you tick one off your list more are added, but that is the nature of hiking, hikers love to chat about hikes done and planned.

You won't retire at 45 (as per your teenage plans) and in your 40's you start to realise what matters in life and it isn't about money, although you concede money is required to achieve things. As you move into your 50's and start to see people that you never expected dying or becoming ill you will start to debate when is the time to leave work. You often say "you can die tomorrow but you also don't want to be living on cat food in your 80's".

Tomorrow is promised to no one.

And here you are 55 years old.

Sometimes feeling every year but most often wondering where the years have gone.

Here's to the next 30 years.

Always remember, "Be free to live your best life"