Confessional

Confession time! {Probably not the sort of title you'd expect to see on The Secret Life of Maggie May} Here is a list of 10 things you probably didn't know about me.

I decided to write this post because I personally love reading this sort of thing on blogs; maybe because I am inherently nosy? But I reckon everyone is to some extent - human curiosity and all that...

Also, it's quite fun to shock and surprise people from time to time {although I'll admit, I'm not wild enough to have done anything terribly shocking} Let's see if any of my truths come as news to you!

1. I'm an only child

This means I'm slow at eating as I never had to race for seconds, I have a desperate need to play board games whenever possible as I had no siblings to join me when growing up {sob}, and I tend to be quite demanding of attention...

Being an only child also means that I have an amazing relationship with my parents, because it was just the three of us {despite me telling people when I was younger that I was a "lonely child" as opposed to only child}. I'm also lucky enough to have adopted Mr MM's siblings as my own, as well as my half-brother - so I get the best of both worlds!

2. I have five piercings

OK, so this one sounds a lot more exciting than it really is. Four of those piercings are in my ears {two in each lobe}, and the other is in... my belly button! This does tend to surprise people who know me actually - probably because I am a fairly tame individual usually {NOT boring. NOT BORING.}

I'm not a crop top kind of gal, so the only time my piercing is out is when I'm on holiday and wearing a bikini. I have to say, I do like matching the stone to my swimwear, and it's nice to have a bit of extra sparkle on the beach. But I'm not sure if it will be staying in for the longer term...

3. I'm a film star

Ha! A slight exaggeration. But when I was about 16, I was in an Icelandic "coming-of-age" film. I spent a day on set as one of three college students {my character didn't have a name} and it wasn't quite as glamorous as I expected - it mainly involved standing around and repeating takes over and over again.

I can't actually remember what the film was called {something Icelandic}, but one of the actors told us he was quite famous in his homeland - as well known as Daniel Radcliffe, in his words. Who knows, maybe I'm as well known as Emma Watson in Iceland?

4. I couldn't walk properly

When I first started to walk as a toddler, my parents noticed that I would only walk on my tip-toes. Following lots of appointments with orthopaedic surgeons, I ended up having both of my legs put in plaster casts for weeks, to try and aid my mobility without actually operating {my parents didn't like the idea of me having both Achilles tendons snipped}.

And it worked! However even now, I find it very easy to walk on my tip-toes - although unsurprisingly it's a skill which is never really called upon.  

5. I've done a skydive for charity

I'm not a daredevil, I'm not very adventurous, I'm not an adrenaline seeker, and I don't really like doing anything at all risky. But I've done a skydive! To a lot of people's great surprise.

Mr MM and I did it together several years ago to raise money for charity {The Dystonia Society}. Watching him tumble out of the plane before me was pretty bloody terrifying. The freefall bit was quite strange {as it very much feels like you are pelting towards the earth at quite a speed from 15,000 feet} and my ears started to hurt after a while {I'm a delicate little thing}. But once our parachute went up, the gentle float back down to the ground was glorious - beautiful views for miles around, feeling like you're on top of the world. That bit was lovely. Would I do it again?

No.

6. I used to be a singer

It's how Mr MM and I first met! I used to do a lot of singing - mainly classical, but with some musical theatre, opera, and pop songs thrown in for good measure. I used to sing at public events a lot, as well as weddings {getting some great ideas for our own}. I studied singing with my teacher weekly for nearly ten years, and passed my Grade 8 with distinction when I was 18. I was in a chamber choir while I was at university, but to Mama Maggie's May annoyance, I haven't sung very much at all for the last few years, mainly because I've been too busy... Who knows? Maybe I'll go back to it - watch this space!

7. I have terrible skin

Not so much of a secret! But I have really struggled with acne since I was about 11 years old. You name it, I've tried it - all the lotions, potions and tablets under the sun. I'm planning on writing a more in-depth post about it soon, as I know it's something that affects a lot of adults {even though we pray we'll grow out of it}.

As I said, it's probably not so much of a shock confession as the others, as you can all see my skin for yourselves - but it's had a huge impact on my life, is something I feel very self-conscious about, and is something I'm determined to tackle over the next few years. There's the confession.

8. I studied Latin and Ancient Greek

I know, I know - I'm a loser. But I absolutely loved the classics when I was younger; I studied Ancient Greek at school and have a GCSE in it {great fun but I can't say it's been that useful in later life}, and I actually carried on with Latin up to A-Level.

The sad thing is I've sort of forgotten most of it now; if there's a monument or plaque with a Latin inscription on it, people will often turn to me and ask me to translate. It's deeply embarrassing as I stare at the crumbly letters and try to dig out some old vocabulary from my brain - "Oh, I think that means a man - or does it mean bravery? No, definitely a man. Or is it a marketplace?" - but luckily my linguistic skills aren't requested too often.

9. I've struggled with my mental health

As have 1 in 4 of us. A quarter of us. And yet we still feel embarrassed and ashamed when we're having difficulties. I've had both depression and anxiety, with an especially bad episode last year, and have previously found it hard to talk about. But I wrote about it on the blog as my own form of therapy, fought off my black dog - and I've been great since. Unfortunately a niggling part of my mind tells me that it'll be back again some day, but until then I'm not going to worry about it. 

10. I'm not who I say I am

Time for the big confession: my name is not Maggie May.

 !

Sorry to those of you who gleefully hoped I was named after the Rod Stewart song, but it is in fact a pseudonym and fictitious name. It's got a lovely ring to it though, don'tcha think?