It Takes A Village… to raise a child. So, I’m asking bloggers, and in this case friends, from my village to each write a message for me to pass on to my girls. If you’d like to write one, let me know.

This week’s message to my girls is from the gorgeous Lisa, The Artist Formerly Known As Sawhole. She is the lovely Madam Bipolar. She is a fellow journo, a mum, an educator, a fun and kind woman. 

Life really does happen when you are making other plans. This is the truest thing I know.

It’s fate’s way of giving you the finger and letting you know it has the upper hand, when you are planning as busy as a bee.

Take my bipolar disorder. It railroaded my corporate PR career but opened the wonderful world of blogging to me.

Fate is life’s roller coaster. Sometimes you will scream in fear, other times you will exhale with relief. Sometimes nothing happens.

I learned this all too well when my fiancé spent our supposed wedding day with another woman, who later became his wife.

Me? I was the one before the one. Discarded.

It turned out to be a lucky escape but it took me years to realise that. Don’t ever waste your time with someone who is not worth it.

At school, I wanted to be a shop assistant in a clothing store. This all changed when my teacher told me about this wonderful placed called university.

I became a journalist like your mum and I later ended up on television as the Choice consumer advocacy lady.

Education is priceless and your best investment.

Back in the day I had a lot of nice clothes and some great make up. It was a blast. I lived by myself, dated boys and lived the high life.

It still makes me smile. Independence is underrated. Go out and sample it.

I also had always imagined my mother as a grandmother. It was not to be. She died in 2001 from ovarian cancer and before she got to see any of her grandchildren. 

RIP Mum.

Then there was the virus on 2005. I was tired and sick and could not work out why.

So I whipped out a pregnancy test and there was the greatest surprise of my life – Miss Charisma.

She is a ball of fantastic, with crazy brown hair and an indomitable will. The best surprise ever.

That’s the thing about life – there is no map. Don’t tempt fate with long term plans. It will win out in the end.

Lisa x

Lisa is a mum of one who hosts the blog www.madambipolar.com.

She also runs the public relations consultancy Blogger Communications and was formerly the agony aunt at Woogsworld.

Her passions are politics (sadly), travel, attending live comedy events and living life despite having bipolar disorder.