Interview with Amy Marley
Helping people to remember they can choose to smile whenever they like. Remind them that by being themselves, they give the most precious gift they can give to the world.
Amy Marley is my most darling friend in this whole universe. I first interacted with her while reading her article on Kung Fu Panda and she told me she was still editing it. I was way too fast in reading it. We clicked immediately, and she was added to my favorite writer’s list since that day.
She is very positive about everything in her life, and I enjoy reading her poetry and articles reflecting her strong attitude and positive vibes. She calls me a “Chica” and I kind of like this name now. I am fond of her because I have seen her sending blessings to all in the comments section and she never hesitates to get me back to life.
If you would want to know her, I would say start reading her articles and experience the same joy which I have so far. I hope you rejoice reading her answers too.
- Where do you belong to? Is there anything you would like to change about the place you belong to?
I belong to the Earth. I feel like I am a gypsy at heart.
Anywhere I am can be my home. I have taken many extended stints of travel, but to be close to family though, Perth is my home base.
I was born in Melbourne. My father was in the army so we moved around every year or so.
Lucky for me and my younger brother, he retired in his and my mother's home state of WA when I was 8. It gave us a stable group of mates right through high school. I still catch up with them now. My older sister and brother had 5 different high schools, which would have been tough.
I have watched the place change a lot over the years. More houses are now built on places where there used to be only one. I understand why, but it means the landscape is different. There are still plenty of trees around, but not as many as there once were.
2. What sets your soul on fire?
Nature. Seeing people’s faces light up when they are in the moment. Live Music. Words. Laughter. Food. Tequila. Beer… Sex. Probably in that order these days. Was a little different pre-kids!
3. Which one is your favourite family memory and why?
As a kid it was sitting around a table eating, yelling and laughing. They were the best times. No worries. Just love, delicious food and jokes. It would always end up in some kind of fight, but we were always very quick to get over it and be laughing again within minutes.
As a parent, it is anytime I hear my kids laugh. Or see them in their element. The moments I spy on them without them knowing. Not in the creepy sense haha…but they are different when your presence is not in the mix. True joy. Being a witness to them working out who they are and how they fit in the world.
4. Is there anyone in your life you could give your life for? If yes, why?
In the heat of the moment, I don’t know what I would do, but I like to believe that I would give my life for anyone.
I was once told this scenario by a teacher — Srikumar Rao. This guy is in a bad way. His wife and he have been capture by pirates. Terrible things are unfolding. He is in the most amount of pain he has ever been in. He watches his wife being killed and is helpless to do anything as he is severely injured himself…. then before the final blow, he wakes up.
It has stayed with me for some time. While I get what he was saying on one level, on another, it is challenging to accept.
If we are all but actors playing a role in some universal film then it makes total sense I would give my life.
5. Do you pour love into self from time to time?
I do now. I was a complete and utter martyr for years.
Now I know how critical it is for me, and the people in my life, it is a priority. I make time for me every single day — even if it just a minute watching the sunset.
6. How often you observe the people near you?
All the time. Please see question 3 again for the creepy stalker mum reference.
7. Why do you hope for? Does it change something within you or around you?
I hope for Peace — the peace where all sentient beings are in balance with nature and each other.
My belief is this will happen when human consciousness has lifted to a place of love or above.
Why do I hope for it? I hope for it because if it doesn’t happen soon I am sure Mother Nature will decide for us and our fate will be similar to that of the dinosaurs.
Apologies if I misinterpreted the question.
8. How does it feel like being a woman to you?
Sometimes it feels like a battle. A battle to prove women are capable of great things. A battle to prove we are worthy of equal pay. A battle to balance life as a mum, partner, daughter, sister, friend, an employee, a volunteer, a community giver while looking like you have it all together while running some side gig that will change the world.
A battle to be everything for everyone.
Well, it’s what I let it feel like a couple of years back.
Thank God I signed off from that feeling.
Now being a woman is just about being me. Working out who I am. Not based on my gender and expectations.
9. What you would like us to remember you for?
Helping people to remember they can choose to smile whenever they like. Remind them that by being themselves, they give the most precious gift they can give to the world.
10. How would you describe your life?
Amusing. Even the dark bits. With hindsight, even they become amusing.
11. What keeps you on your toes and how do you like to spend your time?
My children keep me on my toes.
Anytime I sink too far into words, drawing or even talking to my partner, they make sure their presence is known.
All a learning curve.
I will embrace it now because it all goes so quickly. My eldest is already 6 and it seriously feels like she was just born.
If I had the freedom to choose more freely, time with family and friends, travelling, a live music gig, walk and swim at the beach, reading words, eating food grown from our garden, smelling fresh bread baking, looking into the sky, camping, laughing, talking to strangers… I could go on…and on…and on!
12. When life gives you a lemon what do you make out of it?
Cerviche. It is damn delicious.
Seriously though, I used to make a drama out of it internally. Head towards victim mode in my head, but “pretend” everything was ok and I was in control on the outside.
Now… give me lemons. They are all opportunities for me to learn and grow. I prefer them not to be too sour, but know whatever the level, there is a greater lesson to be learnt by me, or the others involved.
Even though I say this…in the moment doesn’t mean I am all sunshine and lollipops. I do have a tendency to get dark. Energy depletes and my clarity disappears. I am not the human I want to be showing up as.
The time I am dark is getting less and less each time.
13. What mystery of life you would like to have an answer for?
Why mother nature keeps us alive. After all the destruction we have inflicted on each other and her, how are we still welcome?
14. How were you different five years ago from what you are today?
The person I was 5 years ago is a complete stranger to me now.
I had just become a mother for the first time. I was most likely suffering from postnatal depression. Unknown anxiety started after my daughter's first anaphylactic fit. I had had a miscarriage and was absolutely clueless as to who I was. My energy was at an all-time low, anemic and not sleeping.
I was in expectation hell and didn’t even realise.
Yuck.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom. I had some magic moments in between, but when I look back to that person I see her as just being on the edge.
Thank fuck I am not there anymore. Even on a dark day, it is a hundred times better than then.
15. What would you like to leave as your legacy? Is there any message you would like to communicate to us?
My legacy? I guess my story — when I get to writing it. A little dent in the world for my family and future family to read and potentially learn from.
I am going to sound like a broken down record…but the message is and always be — Thank you for being you.
Thank you, dear Gurpreet, for being a light on my path. Your comforting presence is a present to us all.
Amy Marley is an Energy Seeker | Life Learner | Parent in Training | amymarley.com |
