Lessons Learnt From A Broken Heart - In Search of Mr Darcy Edition

There are few people on this earth, especially if you are over 40, who can say they've never had their heart broken. It’s almost a rite of passage. Heartbreak has tremendous power. It can hurt, enlighten, destroy, strengthen, shatter, sadden, transform, illuminate, empower and…change lives. It has inspired countless songs that can rip your heart right out of your chest (shout out to Leonard Cohen). It has left poets broken and beautiful, and it has been pretty much the plot in every rom-com I’ve ever obsessively wept over (shout out to Nicholas Sparks and The Notebook.)

I mean, if you are living life, how can you avoid it?

The Unforeseeable Upside of Vanity and How It Saved My Life

Ah, the sixties, the age, not the swinging decade. That dreaded biological marker that loomed before me like an ominous spectre. The mere mention of it sends a shiver down my spine, for it carries with it the weight of time and the burden of age. But, in the midst of this daunting reality, I must admit that there are certain unexpected advantages to growing older. The beauty of a sunset now holds a profound significance, a seniors discount at the movies brings a small glimmer of joy, and, if the passage of time has any value, I should possess a certain wisdom acquired through the trials and tribulations of life.

Yet, alongside these silver linings, there exists a shadow cast by the ageing process. My once vibrant metabolism has betrayed me, opting for reverse rather than forward, and I awaken to inexplicable aches and pains merely from sleeping weird. My existence can come to a screeching halt when my reading glasses, quite conveniently perched atop my head, mysteriously vanish into thin air. And… there is a hint of mortality that occasionally wafts in like smoke from a distant fire, triggered by a phone call in the middle of the night which can only mean bad news.

BREAKING NEWS! MY BOOK, IN SEARCH OF MR DARCY: LESSONS LEARNT IN PURSUIT OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS AVAILABLE

I’m not sure if I can conjure the words to express what an unexpected, crazy journey the last few years have taken me on. My life, and in all the ways I defined it, mother, daughter, lover, boss, employer, friend, sister and Hunter’s human, were all changed, reimagined or permanently altered for good. In short, without these labels that I had dressed myself in, I had no idea who I was. None.

It’s funny when you are presented with change. At first, you resist it, much like getting that suspicious mole checked or online dating. You push hard against it and do whatever you can to make it stop or, at the very least, slow it down. Change can be terrifying. But as we know, change is the only constant in our lives. So the question is not “will this change” but rather, “what are you going to do with the changes?”

Me, I wrote a book.

16 Must-Have Apps Everyone Over 40 absolutely Needs

I'm going to be straight up honest with you, this getting older thing has its disadvantages. I can throw my back out from trying to hold in a sneeze. I can walk into a room and completely blank out what I went in there for, and don't get me started about how my whole world comes to a grinding halt if I can't find my reading glasses.

Saying that I thought I would share with you 16 Must-Have Apps for us folk who have slipped into the other side of 40. And for you youngsters, take note, there might be a thing or two that might benefit you as well.

A BROAD IN LONDON'S ESSENTIAL TRAVEL TIPS FOR WOMEN TRAVELLING SOLO

He (or in this case she) who is outside their door has the hardiest part of the journey behind them. Dutch Proverb

According to a recent study women travelling alone are currently making the biggest changes to the global tourism industry. With a 131% increase over the last two years of women spreading their travel wings and flying solo.

And I can tell you why…

Travelling alone gives you a perfect time to reflect and really learn something about yourself.

You do what you want, when you want and what interests you. You gain a much needed appreciation and perspective on life, something no on else can give you. By climbing out of your comfort zone, by travelling alone it is truly where I have experienced the most amazing personal growth.

A-BROAD IN LONDON’S 5 FAVOURITE THINGS OF 2018

I hope and trust 2019 is off to a great start. I was planning on doing Dry January, you know give my liver and some other internal organs a well deserved break…but my only New Year’s Resolution was don’t make any promises you cannot keep. So sorry Ban-uary, I am coming to you with a glass of Chardonnay by my side, 4:45 BST.

As I was recapping 2018 it was a big year of change for me. I have moved house, I lost 20 pounds (although gain five back over the holidays) and I have officially changed my Facebook status to single by dropping another 170 pounds. I have a shiny new outlook on my life and I know this time is my time..and that makes me feel happy and empowered like the skinny legend I have become.

A-BROAD IN LONDON

A Survival Guide To Life, Travel & Being Sensationally Single

He (or in this case she) who is outside their door has the hardiest part of the journey behind them. Dutch Proverb

Travelling alone gives you a perfect time to reflect and really learn something about yourself.

A Broad in London