This is the 17th essay in the #26essays2017 challenge that I’ve set for myself this year. I’m doing this because I’m the first to admit I’ve become a lazy writer: allowing guest posts and series and cross-posting to make up the bulk of content on The Diane Lee Project across 2016. The brave, fearless writing that readers admired and respected me for has all but disappeared. This year—2017—will be different. I’m reclaiming my voice—my write like a motherfucker voice! Saturday, July 22, 2017 will henceforth be known as the day I could have died, but didn’t. I could have died from a head injury
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Sunday Best is a curated list of awesome articles I’ve read over the past week or so that I find enlightening, educational or just plain interesting. This week’s focus is not on stuff I’ve read, but on stuff I’ve written: my best posts for 2015—the ones that were the most read, and the ones that are my favourites. Enjoy! Most read posts Don’t make these 6 self publishing mistakes Published on August 7, this post about self publishing had close to 1000 views. Disillusioned, I wrote it after I didn’t become the overnight gazillionaire I thought I would once I embarked
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My sister shared some sad news with me a couple of weeks ago. Her ex-partner and also the father of her daughter—my niece—has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It’s spread and he’s been told has six months to live. She is deeply saddened by this news, and I felt for her, not least because I admire my sister and her relationship with her ex. Despite splitting more than 15 years ago in less than ideal circumstances, she has fought to maintain the connection with him because of her daughter. They live in different parts of Australia: he’s in far
Continue reading...This post was first published on 1 August, 2010. Given that I’ve started my half marathon training, it’s timely to look back and see how far I’ve come. Dave would be looking down, smiling to himself and saying: I can’t believe she’s still running! Dave Fitzsimons died on 7 September 2008, from non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Today I walked 5 kilometres to honour his memory. Dave was one of the nicest, warmest, most empathetic human beings I have ever known. I knew him as my manager, a client and my friend. When you talked to him, he made you feel like you
Continue reading...In 8 months and 20 odd days, I will be 49. I am nearly 50. Half a century old. While I can vaguely see my youth in the rear view mirror, and I remember fondly how well I misspent it, I don’t miss it. Who wants to deal with all that angst and uncertainty and insecurity? Along with greying hair and certain bits and bobs going south, I find that 49 also brings with it wisdom and knowing and peace. You let a lot of things go, because – in the scheme of things – they just don’t matter all
Continue reading...I read Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth last year, mainly because Oprah said it was required reading. Being an admirer of Oprah for some time (did you know we have the same Myers Briggs personality type: ENFJ?) I of course had to read it. As luck would have it, one fell into my lap and I skirted around the edges, finding it quite a challenge. It was only with the death of a my friend Dave Fitzsimons from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, that I really got into it. After his funeral, I cried a lot, and read A New Earth in one
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