Once upon a time...

I wanted Elsie Tanner to be my mum. Ever since I was a little girl. This was a woman who I could look up to! She was proud, independent... a woman of the world! Oh, she had her foibles... many of them... but she grabbed life by the horns... and most of all, she stood her ground and spoke her mind!
That's who I wanted to be... a woman who grabbed life by the horns, held on tightly and wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in.
Well, that was then, and you can forgive a little girl for fantasizing that one day she would right all the injustices of the world... and be an icon for others to admire and worship!
Not that I ever stopped wanting to be admired or worshipped but I've had to adjust my long-term goals somewhat in the last fifty years of my life. I'm 58 now and the road I've taken hasn't exactly been what I imagined it would be... but I don't regret any of it. (Well, there are some detours I do regret taking... but we'll leave those for now, shall we?)
Be that as it may... in those fifty-odd years I've realized, much to my chagrin, that I do have an "Elsie" for a mother; perhaps not as glamorous as the actress Pat Phoenix portayed in Coronation Street, but nevertheless, my mum has shaped and molded my life and has made me the woman I am today, and I grudgingly admit I'm proud of what she has accomplished in her life and love her more than I care to admit.
I've had adventures, met some crazy and wonderful people, travelled near and far; I speak my mind but am careful not to step on toes (most of the time!), and up to this point have experienced life as best as I could with the means at hand.

I'm not going to stop now... this is the road I have chosen to travel and I will continue to stir... hence the spurtle I carry so proudly!

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