Shirl’s Pearls is now in its fourth year! 2024 went all too fast, but as I flipped through my diary, I spent about 20 hours a week reading, collating and summarising health reports, shooting videos, chatting to my team on the phone. With gym sessions, coffee mornings, routine appointments, housekeeping, watching the Sydney Swans at the SCG … I managed to fit them all in. But I was already thinking up another project for the new year …

Earlier this month at my GP’s waiting room, a lady sitting next to me asked:

“Doing anything exciting this year? Going overseas maybe?”

“I haven’t planned anything, just routine. Happy to get on with my day with no nasty surprises!”

“REALLY??”, she said, looking at me in disbelief. (I didn’t want to tell her that for me “routine” was just as exhilarating as going on holidays – without the trauma of packing.)

We so take for granted that our days will go smoothly, forgetting to be thankful when they do. Like work, partners, parents, children, grandchildren, friends, and our HEALTH! At this stage, if all’s well by bedtime, I’m quite ecstatic … 

Recently, Lionel sat me on a stool in our backyard, went behind his tripod and said, “I’m going to take a video – just talk!”

He took me by surprise. “NOW??”

But the words quickly came out soon after, and I described how dreams I had from the age of 10 became a reality at 60. Everything flashed before me. It was like looking at my old diaries. Was I the same person who wrote them? How did I pull off the almost unthinkable goals to do what I’m doing today? 

At that moment it dawned on me: what about the dream I had to write a book? I wanted it so badly – but as of January 2025, it’s still waiting to be finished. (Perhaps it was the calming, almost hypnotic fragrance from the lavender bush behind me. Lavender apparently has this effect, by the way.) Could I even attempt this goal at this time of my life or was I being foolishly optimistic?

I recently watched a wonderful documentary on the life of jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, who once said:

“Don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration I don’t think you can go wrong.” 

Thank you, Ella.

So after a morning session at the gym, I’ll shower, have breakfast and head to my laptop. On my desk I’ll have a glass of water infused with mint leaves and lime, and a vaseful of lavender flowers. I will set my timer for an hour and start typing, my online Thesaurus set up.

I want this project to benefit all of you – to distil, like the sweet scent of lavender, lessons I’ve learned in life about people and the science of being well. I’ll keep you posted!