Shannan's blog

Help. I realise this is unprofessional - ABCTALES, delete if you must - but I have been locked out of my Amazon Kindle Publishing Account for over 6 months, and I cannot get in or make contact with anyone at Amazon, all I receive is: "We have detected unusual activity on your account and have locked it temporarily. Please contact customer service for further assistance." "Temporarily" has been months and months and months. I have tried every...

Question Twenty-Three – If needed, what coping mechanisms have you put in place with regards to your work space? Donna Reliance on God’s strength Alyss Coping in general, not exclusively, or inclusively, connected to my significant other status: Prayers, lots of prayer; the Psalms are great when times are tough. Bible reading in the morning is the best form of defence, cue “Men in Black” ;) Stay out of the projects and areas where challenging...

Question Twenty Two – If you have worked in the corporate field, how has your ‘single status’ impacted, or effected, your work relationships, if at all? Alyss The money-making environments are spaces of their own. Being asked to go on dates and my politely declining has taken me out of opportunities at times, and created awkward energies (for me anyway). Staff spaces have revealed things about married men that have disgusted me. Environments...

Question Twenty One – Have you found peace in the space of your singleness, or not? How so? Donna Yes Alyss I am human, and thus inconsistent, so if it’s a bad day, no; but if it’s a good day, yes. Spiritually, when the day is tough, and I am comparing myself to societal expectations and others around me, ( or I find myself in that crazy space of social media where the psychological trauma of everyone else’s ‘great’ lives impacts me ) God speaks...

Question Twenty – In what ways does being single empower you? Donna The freedom I have, and not being micromanaged by other people, has taught me to be empowered. Alyss I can’t say that this unforeseen story of mine has felt ‘empowering’ whilst living it out. It has felt more like a day-to-day survival game at times. Still, now that I have survived so much, it means power must have been involved. If I look back on the last 2 decades, the person...

Question Nineteen – How does being single impact your time management? Donna I feel free. Alyss Being single has fluctuating effects on my time management. I battle to get to things because there are so many things that I must get to and do on my own, but at least I can plan and work through things without affecting anyone else, if I don’t get to anything in the time I should. So, if it’s cereal for dinner, then it’s cereal for dinner and that’s...

Question Eighteen – What pass times are great for single people? Donna Being able to do what you want; e.g. go out dancing without worrying about a husband &/ kids at home or a curfew. Alyss Goodness, I have explored so many! My favourite is a having a one-on-one coffee chat with a friend. Writing has been big for me – journaling to poetry and blogging. Reading, there is so much to read, from great new novels to the classics and the self-...

Question Seventeen – Please give some positive and supportive advice for the other amazing ladies out in the world flying solo. Donna Just enjoy your time being single. Don’t dwell on what might have been, live in the now. Alyss There is so much good you can do when it is just you. When family and/or friends have needed support or help, I can literally change most plans in an hour and get to them shortly after that. There is no-one who is...

Question Sixteen – With the shifts in culture, entertainment, education and moves towards male and female "equality"; how do you think women should approach their dialogues with young girls? Donna Truthfully explain what is out there in the world, including discussion related to their gender and what it means to be female. Alyss I think that the best way to have a conversation is with authentic truth. So I can only tell my story as it is, and as...

Question Fifteen – Do you think men’s younger upbringing helps or disables them from unity with a 21 st century woman? Why / why not? Donna If he, like a female, is brought up properly, there would be no question that their upbringing would help them. However, I blame the break-up of nuclear families where there is no male role model to look up to, for when men become less able. Alyss I am going with a yes, it does, but maybe, slowly, that can...