Find a Secret Zone In Your Home

I am a do-er, and I’m trying everything right now. You?

We’re all different, of course, but for me, being productive and getting my mind interested in new things just works better. I feel happier, more like myself, and more able to help others.

Hello, yoga.

I tried it when I was nineteen, and spent the whole class literally tapping my fingers on the ground impatiently waiting to get out of the little room filled with flexible people.

Now I’m 53.

I’ve been meaning to try yoga for a zillion years because I’m not flexible enough. So in this time of world pandemic, where everything is going crazy and we’re all worried, I decided to carve out a little space to get started.

Have you done this yet? Re-evaluated your home looking for small zones where you can try something new?

Please try! No matter how tiny your living space, it’s exciting to look at it with fresh eyes and wonder what you can make of it.

It reminds me of two things — when you have a dream that your house has an extra room, and you get to explore it. Remember how amazing this is?

It also reminds me of a favourite picture book I found when I was a girl. It was first published in 1967 and reprinted in 1993. Evan’s Corner is about a little boy in New York City, youngest of six like me, who lived in an apartment. (I lived in a big old farmhouse on a sprawling Canadian wheat farm.) Evan didn’t have his own space, so his Mum let him have a corner of the apartment. And in his corner, he made a beautiful creative ‘room’. He taped pictures to the wall, found a milk crate, a tiny rug, a stack of books, and a pet turtle. As a kid, I admired his spirit and ingenuity.

As an adult in “shelter at home” mode, I’ve found these zones:

• Pulled a chair and footstool into a sunny corner, opened the blinds, and created a ‘reading nook’

• Parked the car outside the garage to have ‘a gym’

• Enjoyed a facial in my ‘spa’ — a freshly cleaned bathroom, with a newly laundered set of towels

And yesterday, I shifted over my son’s cello and found a mat-sized space on the floor that I now call My Yoga Studio. My family finds it hilarious every time I say My Yoga Studio and walk to the side of a room, but I feel WAY more motivated when I create a space for myself and talk about it.

A mat, a candle, a laptop. Free classes online at YouTube.

Really, we are so lucky.

While we worry about the world, we can also learn and grow.

What are you doing during this time? Let me know — inspire me!

Love Catherine x

PS. If you, like me, are trying to find ways to help, this mask effort is amazing. It was spearheaded by four people who are getting masks from a Mexican factory FedExed to New York City, minus any red tape or delays. Learn more here.

How Are You Today?

Wondering about you…

And sending love from Sydney.

Today I have simple plans and simple pleasures: a family dinner, a zoom call with girlfriends, coffee in the sun on the patio. I’ll probably make a special dessert.

A little writing. A little worry.

I’m thinking of everyone who is reading this today — about job interruption and finances, about close quarters and strained relationships, about kids and stress and fear. But I’m also trying to remember the other side of this hard time: we are all here now, everyone in the world, together.

We will find out together how this turns out.

If you have any extra time, tell me how you’re doing today. Cheer me up :) I’m thinking of you.

Love Catherine x

PS.

If you don’t already know her, consider following Morgan Harper Nichols on Instagram. Her work is lovely. You can find her here.

Slowly Does It...

Welcome to Friday. For everyone new this week, I had my husband snap this photo of me over morning coffee so I could say hi. Here’s the ‘up and dressed during a pandemic’ Catherine behind Love Our Age. It’s easy to sign up for lots of stuff and forget who is creating the content. So here’s a big Canadian-Australian hello from me to you!

So many thoughts this morning…all random. Let’s go!

First up, are you doing okay? (Really?) There’s so much advice floating around, but I want to tell you I’m thinking of so many of you — friends and family and complete strangers — who are reading my Love Our Age blog posts. If you need to chat, I’m here.

Second…this is just about the way we look, and I don’t mean to diminish all the worries during this difficult time, but in case you’re wondering (or scared about it), going grey is totally fine. I’m on the other side, and it’s okay. You can always go back to your version of ‘normal’. Now might be a time to pull your hair back and see if you love your silver roots. You may find — like I did — that you like the way you look. Or not. But it’s an option.

And last of all, however we’re feeling — productive or scared, accomplishing stuff or watching Netflix in trackies — it’s all okay. I’m seeing two camps emerge on the internet: the do-ers and the pause-rs. We can be either or both.

Busy or pausing.

I’m heading inward to pause and think. For me right now, slowly does it. And that’s okay.

Thinking of you all today. Stay safe out there.

Love Catherine x

Delicious (Healthy-ish) Raw Brownies

Craving sweets?

I hear you! This has been a crazy time for trying to keep healthy, so I thought I’d share my favourite no bake brownies.

Welcome to my kitchen! If you’re new, you need to know that I’m an author and a baker. My comfort zone is standing at this bench top creating delicious treats for family and friends. I’ve had to stop myself from baking every day during this pandemic.

Yesterday, I caved and made these to share with you. They’re delicious, easy and a little bit healthy (no sugar, but one cup of dates).

Raw Brownie Bites

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts

• 1 cup pitted dates

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• pinch of salt

Chop the nuts finely in a food processor. Remove. Chop the dates roughly with a knife — you may want to warm them a little in the microwave to make this easier — and then whiz in a food processor. (I’m not gonna lie…this can be a pain in the backside! Persevere. It’s worth it.)

Combine cocoa, dates, nuts, salt and vanilla together. Mix by hand or in a food processor. You’ll get a sticky ball of delicious mixture.

Wrap in baking paper and refrigerate. Slice. Serve.

These brownies will be PERFECT when things are back to normal and you invite that gluten-free, dairy-free vegan friend over for lunch.

Also PERFECT during a global pandemic when you want to be a little bit healthy while having a tiny sweet treat.

Easy. You might have everything in your pantry now…

Enjoy your Sunday. Together, we’ll get through this to the other side.

Catherine x

PS. Hello, new friends. Thanks for joining us! Read more fun posts here!

An Antidote to Worry

Hello — dropping in to see how everyone is today.

Doing okay? Worried? A mix of both? (I don’t know about you, but I don’t normally scrub my beans in hot water and soap. Except now I do. Welcome to the new normal…)

During this time of physical distancing, when we’re all taking extra care to keep each other healthy, it’s easy to worry.

A dear American friend and coach, Victoria, mentioned something on Instagram that I loved. When we have a worry thought, Vic said, we should test it.

The word that got me is “actionable”.

So much of the time, my worry is me rocking faster in a rocking chair — going nowhere. Got the visual?? My mind just zooms off into the worry without asking, what is actionable? What can I do?

If the worry thought is none of these things — actionable, useful, accurate — we need to drop it.

When the worry is real, we need to make a decision, figure out one tiny step forward and act. I’m going to take Vic’s advice and give it a try. I need to remember the Worry Test.

Love Catherine x

PS.

• Want some coaching from Victoria? You can find her here! Thank you for being a bright light in the world, Vic!

• Want some of my surplus mum-love, now that my teens are tired of it and just want to do school work and watch YouTube videos in peace? Ha! Send me an email if you need encouragement during this tough time. I’m here, girlfriend.

Outside or In?

It’s Sunday, and in Australia we’re still able to be outside and move around (responsibly). How are you?

None of us could have imagined where we are now, worldwide, and I’m encouraged to see all the love and help floating around the internet.

People are offering their talents and keeping us entertained.

People are giving and sharing.

Yesterday, I gave away clean new moving boxes stored in our garage, and also a copy of my novel.

Today, I’ll quickly share two things I’ve done online and loved. Free classes:

1. Tap Dancing for beginners — with @sourtaps (Sarah Reich)

2. Brioche and bread making — with @zoebakes (Zoe Francois)

Whether you’re outside or in, take care and share.

We’re in this together.

Love, Catherine x

Something Pretty

Welcome to my neighbourhood in the evening.

Gum trees.

Sunset.

Fruit bats.

My husband and I love to do our garage workout and take a six kilometre walk in the evening. It’s not as productive as running, but it’s slow and pretty and a great way to catch up on each other’s day.

It’s the little things.

During these wild times — when there is so much advice and fear floating around — I wanted to drop into your inbox with something pretty.

So for you, today, an Australian sunset, and the wise words of Julian of Norwich (1342-1416). This poster is available on Etsy for $3, and now’s a perfect time to support small business! You can download and print immediately. The sellers are South Pacific Prints and they seem like a lovely young couple.

I hope you and yours are okay.

Love Catherine x

Call Yourself A Beginner

It’s Sunday morning coffee time, and the world is filled with COVID-19 news. So while we’re all thinking about staying in more and keeping everyone safe, it’s the perfect time to try something new.

We live in the best time in history for being in our homes during a global pandemic — for so many reasons!

Everything single thing you might want to learn is on YouTube or Khan Academy.

I want to learn to make burrata, which is made from fresh mozzarella. So on my list is cheese making! I also want to learn to sew a cape. And I’ve looked at our untouched piano for years, so it would be nice to play a simple song.

The hard part about learning something new as an adult is that we don’t like to be terrible! And we know what looks terrible (bad art), tastes terrible (a failed cake), sounds terrible (my piano playing).

Here’s the trick: call yourself a beginner. Literally say those words to yourself. As in…

• “I’m a beginner at sewing.”

• “I’m a beginner at writing books.”

• “I’m a beginner at piano.”

Give yourself the beautiful luxury of being a beginner.

Just start. You might fall in love. And you’ll definitely get better.

Enjoy your Sunday and love your age!

Catherine x

PS. Always wanted to write a picture book? I’ve published Jacaranda Snow with a traditional publisher. Then I had a million friends asking to go for coffee to tell them how I did it, and I ran out of time! So I created an e-book with EVERYTHING you need to write a picture book that you could send to a publisher. (If you want to get out of the slush pile and get a deal, these basics are critical.) Available here, on my author’s website. You can download & start now. Happy writing!

10 Ways To Get Unstuck

If you’re curious to read more, I’m guessing you’ve been stuck yourself. You know the feeling, right? It’s an ugly cocktail of confusion / doubt / worry with a big dash of lack of motivation.

For the past couple of months, this was my reality — and I needed to get through to the other side. And I have, just recently.

So if you’re also stuck, these tips might help.

1. Get dressed up. Putting on something that makes you look and feel good always helps. Always. My first boss told me this: the worse I feel, the better I need to dress. It’s actually good advice. So if you’ve recently gained a little weight (hello, this always happens when I’m stuck!), find something to put on that still feels good and looks good. You may not even realise you haven’t dressed your best for a while.

2. Figure out what you need to feel more like yourself. For me, this includes drinking LOTS more water, going for walks and getting to bed earlier. It also includes smelling lovely when I get into bed, so that means a nice shower or bath and favourite pjs.

3. Get an objective opinion from someone you trust. If you’re currently beating yourself up about being stuck, and hating all the confusion about where to go next, tell a person you trust. Admit that you need some wisdom. People are so smart! And generally everyone loves to provide advice.

4. Remind yourself you’re doing the best you can. Wow, we can be so hard on ourselves.

5. Start something new. Anything! Drop the heavy thing you’re worried about for today, and do something fun. But make sure it’s actually fun for you. You’d be surprised how many times we think we’re doing something fun, but it’s not really our type of fun. Example: I don’t love to travel. But travel is fun, right?? Except honestly, it’s not fun for me. Buying new books is my kind of fun.

6. Zig where you used to zag. If you get up early, try sleeping in a little. If you run, try doing a massive walk instead. Get a coffee from a different cafe. Listen to country instead of pop, or jazz instead of classical. Drive a different route.

7. Be productive in another way. If you’re stuck about a relationship decision or with your career, clean your kitchen drawers. Weed out your closet. Get your hair trimmed. Clean the barbecue.

8. Ask five whys. Ask yourself why you’re stuck. Then continue with “And why is that?” Do it five times to drill down and get to the heart of what’s happening.

9. Admit you’re afraid. Being stuck is always about fear. So announce that you’re afraid and tell yourself that you’ll try your best to be brave.

10. Practice being hopeful. Oh, this is big. Sometimes when I’m stuck, though I know I should be grateful, I really want to whack the person who reminds me to count my blessings. So I try to practice being hopeful instead. Ask yourself this important question:

And there you have it. My top ten ways to get unstuck.

Sending heaps of good vibes from sunny Australia!

Love Catherine x

PS. New people — you’re so welcome here! Thanks for signing up. I blog twice a week as I’m learning to love my age. If you have any ideas you’d like to share, email me!

Be Fun To Live With

Well, here’s a big question for us all.

Ready?

It’s confronting.

We lose sight of this so easily. Every single day, we have the choice to approach our worlds with joy, and often we’re lost in our worries.

This week, heading out to wine and cheese on a friend’s deck overlooking the Aussie bush at dusk, it would have been just as easy NOT to be fun. Instead, another friend suggested we wear our pink wigs to the door.

Such a tiny thing, and it brought so much laughter.

It makes me wonder this: why do we default into little lives? Why — when it takes hardly any planning, and very little money and almost no extra effort — do we forget to be FUN?

It’s almost as if we’ve forgotten that fun is an option. But there it is, waiting for us to get creative.

Fun transforms us into better versions of ourselves. Oh, yes, there will be teens rolling their eyes and maybe grumbling, but it’s a risk worth taking.

Being fun is not just ‘having fun.’ There’s a difference.

It’s Friday in Australia. The weekend is calling to us all. Can we be more fun to live with today?

Let’s live in joy…and love our age.

Catherine x

PS. Celebrities, pole dancing, comparison, being fifty, authenticity, building businesses and more — I had a fun conversation with Merilyn on her podcast, Lead Your Day. You can listen here!

Add In (Don't Take Away)

Every morning this summer, I’ve picked a few fresh raspberries from my garden.

In Australia, this is a big deal because raspberries are so expensive and people don’t really plant raspberries in suburban gardens.

This tiny ritual reminds me of my Canadian childhood on the farm, and the endless row of raspberries that my mum, my three sisters and I would pick in the summer.

Talking, two sisters per side picking slowly up the row, wearing long sleeved men’s shirts to save our arms from scratches, and the pails tied into the shirttails around our waists…that was being a sister. I learned a lot about life in the raspberry patch.

When my sister visited Sydney last year, as a surprise for me she bought and planted two raspberry canes in my garden. It was a perfect spot for them, and I was shocked: I’d overlooked even the possibility that raspberries could grow here, or that I could have them.

She added in raspberries to my life.

She added in a little unexpected gardening, too — and I was a person who always said she did not want to garden. But honestly, I’ve enjoyed it.

Adding in can be so good for us.

We’re often consumed with the idea of taking away: getting rid of bad habits, stopping the chocolate, denying ourselves.

Today, is there something you can add in to your world?

Something that gives you unexpected pleasure?

Something that isn’t too much work, but is filled with beautiful memories?

Take a moment to think. You deserve these little bursts of happiness.

I hope you find something special that you can add in.

Love Catherine x

PS. Welcome this week to everyone whose joined us lately! Want to have a look around my new website, Love Our Age?

Ever Made a Worry Cake?

Last week, I hit a bump of worry with one of my teens, so I did what mothers do: I stayed up half the night trying to sleep, woke up tired and tear-y, and hoped that everything would blow over with the new day.

It did.

But while my kid was out slaying dragons, I was at home working.

(For all you beautiful strangers who don’t know me very well yet: I’m an author and a copywriter, which means I write books for love and write copy for large corporates for my daily bread. Often I work from home and go to meetings in the city.)

That day, I wrote and walked from outside back inside. I worried about my son and I didn’t text. I tried to wait.

Then I noticed we had rosemary growing and a lemon in the fruit bowl, so I caved and made my favourite cake. Because what is better than a kitchen smelling of lemon and rosemary cake?

In my world, nothing says love like baking.

This cake takes away your worry. Imagine yourself combining the fresh rosemary, lemon zest and a little sugar in the bottom of a bowl. Imagine rolling it through your fingers until the sugar mixture is damp and fragrant.

That is love. Love smells like rosemary and lemon.

You’ll need a few things:

• sugar (1 cup)

• self-raising flour (2 cups)

• fresh rosemary (2 tablespoons, chopped)

• lemons (zest and juice of 2 is best)

• Greek yogurt (1 cup)

• olive oil (1 cup)

• eggs (2)

If you have this on hand, let’s start. Line a pan with baking paper. Preheat your oven to 325F or 170C. In a bowl, mix the rosemary, lemon zest and sugar. Do this with your hands.

Inhale. Everything’s going to be okay.

Add eggs and beat until pale and thick. Use a whisk. It won’t take long.

Mix in the yogurt, lemon juice and olive oil.

Finally, sift in the flour. Gently fold it all together. Know in your heart that you are a good person. Pour the batter into the pan. It looks professional, like a cake in a cafe.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan.

Share with the people you love.

Enjoy your day, and love your age (and yourself). We’re all out here in the wilderness, doing the best we can.

Catherine x

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale and Me

Imagine a 24 year old Catherine in an emerald green dress.

It was the 90s and I was young, and I was in a competition to win a job teaching English at a beautiful private high school on Vancouver Island in Canada. Six other teachers applied, and we were asked to teach a sample lesson to a year 12 class with members from the English Department judging our performance from the back of the room.

I taught an excerpt from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

Out of seven of us, I got the job.

Then glance back, ten years earlier, in Saskatchewan: Catherine at 14. Long brown hair, sitting by myself in a tiny country school library, figuring out love. I’d found a book of poetry, with one line that read:

“You fit into me
like a hook into an eye
a fish hook
an open eye”

— Margaret Atwood

And for some reason, my heart connected with Margaret Atwood’s words. Over the years I’ve read every book Atwood has written. I’ve taught her poems.

We share a publisher — Penguin Books. I wrote my own novel inspired by my favourite Atwood poem, “Siren Song.”

Last week, I listened to her speak in Sydney, my home for the past 23 years. The week before that, on a rainy Tuesday, I found a letter from her in my mailbox, soaking wet, encouraging me in my writing career.

I dried it carefully and framed it on my study wall.

I’m writing all of this to say we have no idea what will become of us.

If I could tell that 14 year old girl in the country school that I would be Australian, she wouldn’t have believed me. Or an author? She would have wanted that, but probably not had any idea how she would do such a thing.

But let’s get to the interesting part: you.

What wonderful thing don’t you know about your own future?

Though my worried mind often turns otherwise, I like to ask myself this:

To you, to me.

What is the best thing?

The best is possible. Life brings us unbelievable gifts, and pain, and lessons…and joy. If we’re lucky, we even fulfil a dream or two.

I like to believe the best is yet to come. I hope you do, too.

Let’s love our age,

Catherine x

Mauve, violet, grey...celebrate!

Today I’m showing you something pretty…just because we can.

I believe with my whole heart that it’s always a good idea to have a ‘celebration dress’ in my closet.

A stylist friend of mine showed me this mauve-violet-grey dress and urged me to get it. Today, it’s on sale in Australia for a ridiculously low price. If I loved Math, I would say it’s something like 75% off full price.

And it is just so pretty: fully lined, crafted from heavy, lovely fabric.

Want to take a look?

Here it is on a model. (Currently I’m drinking coffee in my pjs and writing, so not as easy to photograph it on myself - ha!) But trust me, it looks equally pretty even in a larger size than she’s wearing.

The colour is beautiful, the neckline isn’t too plunge-y, the fabric is thick enough that it smooths and holds everything together. In short, if you need a fancy, beautifully made dress (no regrets!) this one is it.

You’re welcome!

If you’re ready to celebrate at a moment’s notice, that event will often come along.

Enjoy today…let’s love our age.

Catherine x

The Little List of Control

This week, I read something so very true…and I wanted to share. Because sometimes I forget what I control and what I don’t.

Maybe this list will resonate with you.

That second last one gets me every time: “whether or not you try again after the setback.”

I needed the reminder. Maybe you do, too.

Trying again is 100% do-able.

It’s always an option: for me, for you.

Enjoy your weekend,

Love Catherine x

ps. If you want to follow along with the Instagram account above, you will find @thechalkboardmag here.

Get Into Your Comfort Zone

This past week, we stayed in Fairlight — a gorgeous suburb of Sydney — and we enjoyed this view from the loft master bedroom.

Lucky, right?

And yet, everything felt a bit off. It was tricky to get our son to high school, the kitchen wasn’t great so we ordered pizza, then Thai and made way too many sandwiches. The internet was spotty and it was tough getting to work in the city.

I tried to relax and enjoy the time away while our timber floors were being sanded but truly, I just longed for home.

And I had to laugh at myself — because I am always jumping up and down and encouraging everyone to step OUT of their comfort zones! I tell this to myself all the time.

All the magic happens outside our comfort zones! That’s where we grow and learn. And we feel happier when we’re growing, even if it’s challenging.

But…I was unproductive.

So here’s the funny thing:

As much as my brain loves new things — and as happy as I am when I’m learning — sometimes our comfort zones are fantastic.

We can be productive, feel safe, and get things done.

So today — take a little time to think about where you’re at. Do you need more comfort? Or are you ready to grow?

For me right now it’s comfort. I’ll be at home in my trackies, drinking coffee, writing tons, watching the rain.

I am so grateful.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Love Catherine x

Why not enjoy it now?

A few years ago, I fell in love with rings.

Seriously! Just one day, out of nowhere, I realised an important truth — I didn’t have to wait and wait for pretty things or the ‘real deal’. There’s so much fun to be had for $9 or $14 and the right attitude.

What is the point in waiting?

So I stopped, and refocused on enjoying today.

Why rings?

Because rings are what you get to see when you wear them. Bracelets, too. When I wrote my novel, aquamarine was a major symbol in the book. To treat myself at publication, I found the replica 1950s aquamarine cocktail ring above — love it!

And take a peek at these below. I wear them all the time.

So much fun.

I tried to find the aquamarine for you, but it’s sold out everywhere. But there’s a very pretty 1950s inspired emerald princess cut here!

Ready to treat yourself?

You’ll have so much fun admiring your own hands.

Enjoy,

Catherine

Will Grey Hair Make Me Look Older?

Today, let’s get curious.

Let me give a big shout out to being intrigued about all our options.

What I love most about living now is that we have more freedom than ever before to pursue what feels good to us. Wondering about our lives, our choices and the changes we can make is exciting. So today I wanted to have a chat about being Grey Curious.

Ready?

Grey hair is trending, but when I chat about it with women I know, the same question comes up every time: will grey hair make me look older?

Will I look older than my friends?

My answer is yes and also no.

Let me explain: first of all, I don’t think we have to ever make ourselves “look younger” unless we want to. LOVE OUR AGE is all about embracing who we are, and not feeling constrained or restricted by what we should be. I want to be a part of the Age Positive movement. I want to be able to work and stay relevant — regardless of my age. I want to be happy and attractive and fun — regardless of my age. I want to be fit and active as I am, now, and not try to chase 30 forever. In short, I want to allow myself to get older and enjoy it. That’s my goal.

So does grey hair make me look older?

From a distance, I’m sure I look older than my friends who colour their hair. Put us together up close, and my face looks young, but my hair looks older. So I guess all things considered, I do look older.

Has that mattered to me? No. Because I think I look beautiful and fifty-three.

Could you be different or have a different opinion about your life? Yes.

But at the same time as looking older, I also think I look GOOD.

Put me beside my colouring-friends. Silver hair is universally pretty when you take care of it, regardless of the colour of grey.

Here’s why:

• Your grey hair will match your skin tone perfectly.

• Your eye colour will look so much more beautiful. That surprised me.

• Grey hair makes you rethink your wardrobe. Now I look great in black and grey. Grey used to look terrible on me blonde, not great on me light brunette.

• It gives you back HOURS of your life and thousands of dollars a year.

• Best of all — your hair will feel so very healthy: silky and strong.

And because everything is natural and matches (skin and hair), you may look totally gorgeous grey.

Here’s a super fun experiment with no risk: let your roots go for five weeks. Stand in front of your mirror and pull your hair back. You’ll see your natural colour and you’ll see your eye colour looking so beautiful and startling.

Then decide — try grey for a few more weeks, or stop and colour.

Whatever you want to do with your hair or your body, your life is YOUR choice. But please don’t think you ever have to age a certain way. We can be beautiful at every age.

I went grey at 48, before nearly every woman I know. I have one friend in Canada who is grey, and a sister in law four years younger than I am who never coloured her hair. That’s it.

But here’s the benefit: I’m done ageing.

This is me, walking into the future.

Can you think of this as a fun experiment?

It’s fun that you have the freedom to check out your roots a little and see what kind of silver is there, waiting for you, without ever having to commit.

Stay curious. Even grey curious! Be curious about every single thing you might like to change — to help you feel the way you want to feel.

Let’s love our age,

Catherine

PS. Here’s me blonde…in 2016. Mwah!

And here’s me, half n half. Fun!! (And the boys are so little!! Again, 2016?)

I Learned This From Hockey...

As a kid, I watched my older brother play — and to be honest, I wasn’t much interested in the game. But recently I read an old quote of Wayne Gretsky’s, and it applies to everything we’re trying that’s new.

What is it about new things that brings out our fears?

Not good enough, or talented enough. Not experienced enough. Don’t have the skills and don’t know how to do it. It’s probably not worth it in the long run. I don’t want to look stupid…

And then I saw Wayne’s old quote.

There’s no quicker route to failure than failing to try.

What’s my mantra now?

Make honest things (not perfect things).

Try.

Because what if it’s fun? And what if you make something wonderful?

Let’s love our age,

Catherine x

Image source — hockey legend, Wayne Gretsky

Love This Beauty Hack!

I promised I’d share lovely things at Love Our Age!

Lately I’ve been using a jade roller — all of $6.99 and I adore it. You know how you wake up sometimes with puffy eyes? Or you’ve had a good cry and feel ugh?

A jade roller really helps.

And if you need some serious face fixing, an ice roller is even better.

These are the two I love. I keep the ice roller in the freezer and the jade roller on my beside table. The jade seems to stay naturally cool.

All you do is roll from the centre of your face outward and up. It seems to reduce puffiness and feels lovely. You’re welcome!

If you’re interested, my ice roller is here. My jade face roller is here.

Let’s love our age,

Catherine x