I’ve been in hospital I know what a beating is ..... I was raped when I was 14 ... I know tough. I also know when one takes a minute to look up, there's often a surprise, it can be birds, like seagulls  or just the shapes of the clouds like the background in the picture I've chosen looks like fish swimming centre right under the lowest seagull................

Hi. My name is Helen Stokes. I’m  a Loganite. Basically that means I’m from the south side of Brisbane, I wasn’t born on the south side, RBH (Royal Brisbane Hospital) in fact and I’ve lived all over Australia and travelled overseas as well.

I work in paid employment from 9 to 5 and I enjoy what I do, it’s fun and easy for me. In the current reality, it’s not enough, I work from home in other capacities too. I have two network marketing businesses, which basically means I sell, cold canvas, vitamins, makeup, jewellery and membership and I’m an Access Consciousness Facilitator, which means I have the knowledge to place my hands on your clothed body and transport you to a relaxed state of being, which is amazing and awesome for you. So what’s this all about. I come from a background of DV. I was raped at 14 and I know life is tough sometimes. So why am I telling you my story. So that you know there’s hope. I have already been down the dark road and I found the most amazing colour in the dark. What does that mean. I was on the edge of life and death and I found something amazing. Life really is worth living. If we are breathing there is hope.

What we face regularly is that most of us including myself forget just how amazing this planet and breathing is.

Take a few minutes break every day, 2 or 3 a day if you’re on a downer and go outside or if you’re at a desk like me look up. Watch the sky change colour, the birds fly by, the flowers blooming, the trees blowing in the breeze, watch the planes, the boats, whatever you have outside or up around you. I often watch semi-trailers and trees, why, because I work in Rocklea and that’s what’s around me. I’m glad to be present in the moment knowing there’s bees flying around. My parents weren’t rich. I’d say they were poor. My Dad was a soldier, he’s dead now, he died in a motor cycle accident over ten years ago. My Mum well she basically fell apart after his death. So why am I telling you. So you have more choice. What would happen to you if your husband, brother, father, lover, boyfriend died or left? The reason I do that is because it took me the loss of my father to realise I did not need to be beaten by my partner any longer and it took the loss of my business to realise I was relying on a man to bring money to my world. I’m not trying to down you. I’m just wondering woman to woman what would happen to you? It’s taken me good part of my adult life and many knocks quite literally to wake up. Women require their our own income, the earlier we do this from more than one source, the easier life and living is.

Here’s my invitation .... there’s heaps of other’s out there so you choose for what makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

I give you a couple of possibilities.

1.       Work, 9 to 5, or whatever the boss at work tells you. For the rest of your time and just have 2 days off and 4 weeks per year. Or

2.       Take up other modes of income. Sure there’s work in it for a couple of years after you finish your job. Cold canvassing is where you talk to people and let them know what you have on offer so that people can choose if they would like to participate or not. I have three choices; membership, product, hands on body.

I lost everything, or at least for a long time that’s where my thinking was. I lost my father’s arms and his voice to say “don’t worry daught everything will be ok”, I’ve been in hospital I know what a beating is, so when I walked away from the man in my world beating me, I lost all my friends, I moved away so that “he” would not easily find me and when my business partner decided he required all the money in the bank and closed my business down, I lost my income. I know sad. I know bad. I know ripped off. Sure it’s taken me a minute or two to pick myself up this time. Yet I am here. I still have me so I didn’t loose everything, in fact I just lost the men in my world and my income. Luckily one can replace income. And why I’m telling you all this is so you too can have a choice. Do you choose more? Do you? Come and meet me. I’m at the Mansfield Tavern Mondays at 5.45pm approx. I have dinner there Monday as a treat for myself after work the first day of the week. Will I try and sell you something, probably not, I like talking. Will you want to buy something from me? Well that my friend is the question. It depends, have you enjoyed reading this? Would you like more, to listen to me, live? I’d love to hear your story. Come, share some food and conversation, that will cost you whatever you choose to eat and drink, and I can guarantee I will chat with you about whatever you would like. What else are you doing Mondays after work for an hour or more?