Celebrating 48: My Journey, My Quirks, My Truths

Today, as I’m celebrating 48 years on this earth, I find myself reflecting on all the incredible lines that have shaped my journey – from the lines on a pregnancy test to the laughter lines around my eyes, and the unique path I’ve walked. In the spirit of embracing every facet of who I am, I decided to do something a little different this year: compile a list of 48 things about me. It’s a mix of the silly and the serious, the profound and the simply personal, and it was a truly joyful exercise in self-discovery. I wrote this over the week leading up to my 48th birthday today.

I invite you to step into my world and celebrate the beautiful, complex tapestry that makes me, me.

48 Things as I’m celebrating 48 years: 

1. I was born to an audience at a teaching hospital and have always loved to be around people. 
2. I got my first Christmas tree when I was 6 months old from a neighbour with a daughter a similar age to me. I still have that tree. I absolutely love Christmas.
3. I started life bilingual – speaking Afrikaans to my mom and English to my dad. When I started preschool it was Afrikaans and so I spoke Afrikaans to women and English to men until we moved to KZN. This has helped me pick up languages and understand accents incredibly well. 
4. My first best friend’s name was also Bianca. 
5. By the time I was eight I had moved city 4 times. I adapt very quickly to change but have always struggled to form lasting bonds. 
6. I have always loved performing and have no problem being put on the spot. Getting on stage has never been an issue for me. 
7. Brownies and Girl Guides was a formative place for me. I love working towards an award. I work best with clear instructions. I am motivated by being in a team. 
8.  I am not sporty but I do love to dance. I started ballet at age 3 and danced until the end of primary school. I have taken other dance classes her and there my whole life. 
9. Reading was and is my escape. I love to read – both fiction and non-fiction. I love historical dramas and travel memoires. I really enjoy biographies and learning about the world through other’s eyes and words. That’s probably why I’m writing my own story. 
10. I chose my high school on two main criteria: it had to be a boarding school and sports could not be a factor in being elected to leadership roles. I settled on Johannesburg School for Art, Ballet, Drama and Music. 
11.  I specialised in drama and learned early on that I needed to find my niche. Turns out I really loved working backstage. So much so that I was the first pupil main school production stage manager. 
12. I discovered psychology in high school through reading and decided to pursue that as a career. I was interested in child psychology at the time. 
13. I went to University of Natal – PMB and majored in Psychology and Applied Language Studies. My electives and minors were all just things I was interested in. My thirst for knowledge in all its forms. 
14. I earned pocket money by working at the campus theatre, working as Chico the Clown at Spur and tutoring lecturers on technology. I’ve had a knack for creativity, kids and tech my whole life. 
15.  I was part of the fencing team and even competed at a national competition. 
16. Half price Tuesday movies were introduced while I was at varsity and I went almost every week. There were days I went to the movies 3 times in one day. I could squeeze one in between lectures. I love  movies. 
17. At the end of my 3 year degree I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I went to America to au pair. I thought I would get clarity and come back to finish my degree. 
18. I travelled to 6 countries in 3 years and have never gone back to university. 
19. I have now lived and worked on 5 continents. I haven’t been to South America or Antarctica. 
20. After my year au pairing I traveled to the UK and worked there in a bunch of industries and roles. The best was working in the Scottish Highlands in a tiny hotel for the summer. The worst was selling gas and electricity door to door, in Wimbledon where the houses are so big they get business power, in the rain. I leaned a lot and the power of No. 
21. I suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and had to return to South Africa for sunshine and daylight. I really don’t enjoy gloomy weather. 
22. On returning to Durban, I decided I wanted to work in a hotel, so I printed my CV, had my dad drop me at the Blue Waters Hotel on the northern end of Durban’s Golden Mile and I walked into every hotel and asked for a job. I got one at the Balmoral (almost the most southern hotel). Persistence with my goal paid off.
23. The travel bug had bitten though and I got itchy feet. I then traveled to Taiwan to teach English and to Sydney for a boyfriend. I can still remember my address and how to ask for the big McDonald’s meals in Mandarin. 
24. In Taipei I discovered pork fried dumplings and I have been hooked for life. Brian and I have made our own from scratch, but mostly we buy frozen ones. 
25. Speaking of food and cooking, I was a late bloomer with this. I credit Jamie Oliver with giving me permission to be creative in the kitchen. Suddenly recipes became guides not laws. This was cooking I could get behind and I have loved cooking ever since. 
26. Brian and my relationship milestones are all food related. And we incorporated those foods in our wedding dinner. 
27. But I’m jumping ahead chronologically. After Taiwan and Australia I came home to get married to the Australian boyfriend and he left me 6 weeks before the wedding. I was devastated at the time. It took a long time to recover. 
28. I threw myself into my new job as a travel agent. That industry was so much fun for me. Lots and lots of knowledge to absorb and share. Lots of ability to niche. Lots of details and organisation. I loved it. The people. The opportunity to travel and get training. And then to share the knowledge I had gathered. 
29. I loved traveling and was always motivated by earning educational trips. I earned trips to the Seychelles, Ireland and Dubai.  I was invited on trips to Mauritius, the Eastern Cape and Kruger. I funded trips to London, Italy and Egypt. I got to go on multiple staycations to experience hotels in the area. I must admit I became a bit of a snob around travel and where we stayed.
30. I love traveling but I hate taking off and landing in airplanes. I have no problem being in the air, but I am really nervous about the ascent and descent. I even love hanging out in airports. 
31. Camping trips are my true relaxation. Especially in nature reserves. Three weeks in Kruger National Park was a highlight holiday. Trips to Golden Gate are wonderful memories. . 
32. I met my husband through online dating. In the days before Tinder and swiping. He clearly has a type because although we met online while both living in Durban, I was the third girl from my Johannesburg high school that he had dated. 
33.  My father developed in me a love for language, a desire to understand the why behind things, a critical thinking brain and an artist’s eye. I am so grateful for all of these traits and how they show up in my life every day. 
34. My mother showed me how to juggle many roles. She instilled attention to detail and the necessity for good penmanship. I am grateful for her presence in shaping who I am today. 
35.  In matric I did an aptitude test and scored high for translation. I had no idea what that meant and how it would manifest until a few years ago. I have an ear for accents and can understand even the most broken English or strong accent.  I am also amazing at translating technical concepts in ways that people who struggle with it find easy to understand. 
36. I love networking. I have been a member of KZN Women in Business on and off for at least 12 years. I was part of BNI for a few years. I even started a networking meeting in Notties. The value of building connections and relationships can’t be underestimated. 
37.  My dream job involves creating video content and doing 1:1 coaching. I get to tour the world and promote my book. I get to speak on stages and meet people in all walks of life. 
38. My BEHAG is to one day speak on a TEDMed stage and share my story of how the medical industry exacerbates the trauma in pregnancy loss. 
39. I work best in a team. Whether that is work, volunteering, parenting, my self care or just about anything else. When you put me in a team I thrive. I was my most healthy when I had regular appointments with a Chiro, reflexologist, personal trainer and hairdresser. 
40. I am not a morning person. I have always been a night owl. I am happy to stay up late into the evening and prefer to sleep in. However once I’m awake I struggle to fall back asleep.
41. I am a cat person. Although I like dogs and most animals, I am most fond of cats. I find them very soothing and grounding to have around without being needy. 
42. I am scared of the dark and confined spaces. I will never be a spelunker. I am scared of heights and hate walking up or down open-tread stairs in particular. 
43. I don’t watch scary movies because I have too vivid an imagination and too long a memory bank. I saw “IT” when I was about 13 and I still don’t walk over storm drains (iykyk). 
44. I love Lego. Not just for my kids but for myself. I am particularly fond of the botanicals Lego and love the rhythmic, methodical nature of building Lego. I don’t want complicated builds – I love the ones that are lots of repetition like the flowers. 
45. Although we had our kids late, I am so grateful for my two Earthside children. They bring me so much joy. They are far from perfect but they’re exactly what I needed in the world. 
46. My favourite flower is the Gerbera daisy and I’m so glad to  it have it in pink and yellow in Lego form. 
47. Discovering myself over the last few years has been one of the most important things that I have done in my life. Writing, therapy, coaching, journaling and reading have all played a role in me feeling more and more my authentic self. 
48. Perimenopause has been a tough thing to follow a complicated fertility journey, but I’m grateful I’m still here for it and that I get to move into my crone phase of life. 

Watch out world I’m celebrating 48.

I’m embracing who I am and who I want to be.

Writing this list has been an unexpected gift – a powerful reminder of all the twists, turns, and quiet moments that have shaped me. It’s a testament to the messy, beautiful process of becoming, and a joyful act of embracing every single one of those lines that make up my story. My hope in sharing this isn’t just to enjoy celebrating 48 years around the sun, but to invite you to pause, too. To reflect on your own unique tapestry of experiences, quirks, and truths. Because your journey, your becoming, and your inner world are just as remarkable.

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