Introducing Me – an Illumination

(though there ain’t much to say)

I’ve absolutely loved reading through the bios on Illumination, as highlighted by Dr Mehmet Yidiz in his round-up yesterday — so here’s mine:

I grew up in London and then the countryside in the North of England, in the 1980s and 1990s. I was home schooled til I was 12, and there have definitely been long periods of my life in which I’ve felt closer to books and words than I have to people. Still do, regularly.

I was a teenage mother, so I’m not yet forty but my 3 children are all in their teens and twenties, which means I often feel out of step with a lot of people my age. Sometimes in a good way, though. (I get a LOT more sleep than they do, for example). On the other hand, I’m frightened of the fact my nest will be so empty so early. It’s a dichotomy that has led me to some really baaaaaad decisions. But also to a lot of worthwhile self examination.

I’m a practising solicitor (still in the North of England) and I specialise in Private Client work, which basically is Elder Law, as practised by Slippin’ Jimmy in the early years of Better Call Saul. (Huge Breaking Bad fan, btw). Married to a way better man than I deserve. Lover of running, cycling, a G&T on a Friday evening and a glass of red wine on a cold winter’s day. Hiking, preferably in mountains. And travelling. Travelling is my total favourite. (Lockdown ain’t really my friend).

I also love, love, LOVE writing. I read all the time and I write as much as I can —whilst being endlessly frustrated by the fact I cannot do so as well as the authors I adore…but I keep trying. I like novels that challenge me, and poetry that tells me more in its spaces than in its sentences. Kim Adonizzio’s poems, for example, take my breath away every time. I adore that the written word can have such power.

I discovered Medium only recently and I’m so happy I did. I am avidly gobbling the stories and articles. So much talent, everywhere. I was genuinely honoured and humbled when Dr Yidiz gave me the opportunity to add my words to Illumination! It’s a thrill up there with finishing my A-levels whilst pregnant, let me tell you. Genuinely. I’m slightly intimidated by the talent everywhere here, but I’m going to keep writing.

And that’s me.

(I blog at theunravelling.net — it started as a specific project I wanted to write, a day-by-day offloading to make sense of the worst thing I ever did, and now I just write about things in my head).

I am also on Instagram (theunravelling39) and on Twitter (theunravelling_ ).