About Raili

 

Raili

Hi, I’m Raili.  Welcome to my place. There’s lots of ‘rooms’ here for you to explore. From the funny to the very serious. I post on this, my main blog pretty much every day.

Regular features on my blog –

Saturday Smiles – is joke time

Sunday Serenity  – is meditation time

Other days – are a surprise!

Dad always introduced me as his baby. That felt weird when I was grown up. Of course for him it was true as I am the youngest of three. We moved to Australia from Finland when I was a little girl. Strangely enough, I married a Finn. Of all places we met in the desert heat of Mt Isa in North Queensland. By then I ‘d already lived in Hobart and Brisbane. We married young. I now live in Adelaide, South Australia with my human family and fur baby. Tess, the little terrier  maltese demands a disproportionate amount of time and space for her size.

I think of myself as an Aussie-Finn. My family is a mini melting pot of nations – Finnish, Indian and Filipino born first generation Australians. You might have guessed by now that our kids are adopted. Our extended family too is a riotous mix of races, cultures, traditions and beliefs.

Right from the start I wanted to be a nurse. After a few detours I got there. Mental health was the first to offer me post-graduate specialist training. I loved it so much I stayed there for the rest of my career. The privilege of working with some of the most disenfranchised people in our community was humbling, enriching, challenging. I learnt so much about life, the universe, and everything.

I’ve now resigned from my day job to follow my passions.

I appreciate your presence here. Please leave a footprint. I love to hear what you have to say.

Raili

193 thoughts on “About Raili”

  1. Lovely to meet you Raili, and we have a little in comment, Although I am not a qualified nurse.. I have worked within Mental Health.. As I became a Support Worker in 2002 .. And worked for 7 yrs with adults with learning difficulties, Autism, Downs Syndrome and others such as Asperger syndrome etc .. For the last three years I concentrated on supporting Schizophrenia to one individual.
    So I know how demanding a job it is, but also how rewarding too. I look forward to following you blog Raili, but cannot promise to comment on each daily posting.. 🙂 Especially when Spring and the growing season kicks off, I will be out and in the allotments growing food, weeding and just plane enjoying nature.. 🙂

    But I hope to catch most of them..
    🙂 Thank you for your own follow, and I look forward to reading your posts.. 🙂 and looking around your blog xx

    Reply

    1. So more in common than I realised. As you head into spring we enter autumn. I love both those seasons with all the glorious changes in nature to nurture the senses. Enjoy digging in the dirt and harvesting your crops 🙂
      I look forward to reading your posts too. My hope is that all those who visit mine take a little something away with them – and leave a ‘footprint’ or a note if they so wish to let me know they’ve been.

      Reply

    1. Thank you so much! It inspires me all the more to know that there are people like you out there who appreciate and enjoy my writings. Welcome back any time 🙂

      Reply

  6. You have got a unique writing skill….It’s like I am talking to your animate self, you have got a voice in your words…..which is quite rare. Loved to read your blog.

    Reply

      1. Ma’am I wrote a post ‘The Bloody talk’ few days back, would you mind reviewing it and tell me what I lack because your writing inspires me….

      2. Thank you for your kind comments. Happy to read your post – but my very first comment would be to be positive, stay away from words like ‘lack’ and seek constructive feedback 🙂

  7. This is гeally interesting, Yoᥙ aгe an overly professionaⅼ blogger.
    I’ve joined ʏߋur feed and sit up for seeking more of your magnificent post.

    Additіonally, I have shared your web site in my socіal networks

    Reply

  8. As someone being treating in mental health (eating disorder), I appreciate your contribution. It took me 10 years to REALLY get the help I needed and I was told that I was brave for doing so. I don’t regret it. I also want to comment on you resigning to follow your dreams. I was on a pretty direct career path when I got burnt out and realized “THIS IS NOT FOR ME” “I don’t know why I’m doing this anymore (grad school for PT)… through my eating disorder treatment, I have found creative outlets that I never knew existed or that I even enjoyed. I started my blog to express my thoughts and some pain through my process of recovery. I see now that it can be so much more. I love to hear when people decide to follow their passions (it makes me less scared to do so). Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for sharing a little about your journey. Recovery can be a long, winding hard road. You have named your blog well. I’m so glad you have discovered passions you didn’t realise you had! When I started blogging I knew I had stories and so much more I wanted to share, but never realised all the detours and delights along the way. They keep on coming – like this one from you 🙂 You’re on my list of new followers to visit which I promise I will get to soon. In the meantime, thank you so much for the follow and welcome to my blogging community. Safe travels 🙂

      Reply

  9. Thanks for stopping by my recovery blog and so “Happy” to meet you Raili… I appreciated your kind comments too. I am unique kind of gal as my other passion other than helping others recover, I love writing, reading good books, and book promoting for fine authors. So if you didn’t see it? Come by my other WP BLOG: https://anauthorandwriterinprogress.wordpress.com

    I am loving your blog and a new fan XO. CAT

    Reply

      1. Awesome! I feel the same. Blogging is about engaging and meeting new friends XO Cat

      1. I knew about the knee surgery, but it seems such a long time ago. I must be losing track. It’s like all the different parts of my life are running at separate speeds…
        Thanks. I’ll stop worrying now xxx

  17. Hey, pleased to know you.! Found a way here through someone’s blog.
    Your about page is interesting so it arouses curiosity to explore your blog more.😊 Now following! Blessings.🌸 Xxx

    Reply

  18. Hi Raili,
    Nice to meet you here. Mine is a relatively new footprint to blogging. It is nice to make a footprint in your house and I look forward to exploring the rooms.
    I am presently trying to help new bloggers find their way around my home, adapting it as I go along.
    Take care
    Margaret

    Reply

    1. Hello Margaret! I look forward to catching up with you – welcome to blogging. I find that it is a never ending process of tweaaking and lerning. And fun. I hope you find it so too. Raili

      Reply

      1. Hi again Raili,
        Hope all is well with you in these unprecedented times. We are all doing o.k. so far & as most people I suppose taking a day at a time.
        I can’t believe it is just two years ago since I first visited here. I try to keep up with my blogging but am not always successful, however I find when I have the mental and physical energy to visit word press the process of reading and interacting with bloggers further energises me.
        I suppose like you having worked as a nurse but specialising in public health blogging goes some way to fill the gap of engaging with my clients.
        I have been on the receiving end of mental health care, a fact that I have gradually introduced to my blog and found the process quite cathartic.
        I have neglected your lovely Sunday meditations but hope to catch up.
        Take care 🙂

      2. Hi Margaret, so nice to hear from you. These are indeed ‘interesting’ times. I find my energy is lagging, and it is difficult to dredge up the energy to do much blogging.
        Sorry to hear about your health. I trust you are receiving the best care to support your recovery to wellness.
        One at a time, one step at a time, is sometimes the best way forward.
        take care

  19. How wonderful to meet you Raili. I found my way here from Paul S’s post. Love what I’ve read so far and look forward to reading much more. Warmest wishes xo 🙂

    Reply

  20. Hi Raili, good to meet you.. 🙂
    I’m an Aussie, too; though not with all the interesting rellies you have.. must make for some fascinating get togethers! 🙂
    I will investigate your future ‘rooms’ with an email subscription.
    Have a great day over there in S.A. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the follow, Carolyn. Appreciate it 🙂 We don’t have that many family get togethers anymore as we are scattered all over the place from WA to Qld and in between!!

      Reply

  23. Hi Raili, I’ve been looking through some of your eclectic posts and I think I’m going to enjoy following along. A real, ‘box of chocolates’ blogger where i never know what I’m going to get when the next email alert comes through. Love it.

    Reply

  25. Thank you Raili for your prompt reply,
    Yes I agree small steps approach is the best as I gradually unlearn approach of trying to run before I can walk. Sorry to hear your energy levels are running low but hope you are being kind to yourself.
    Yes, I am receiving the help that I need which, apart from my annual routine health check and medication review from my General Practitioner and access as necessary in between, comes in the form of self help. I am learning to create my own boundaries when friends in particular try to impinge on or cross them. I think it is only recently that I have shed my caseload worker mentality since retirememt in 2010 and subsequent carer for mum who passed away in 2015.
    I have been ‘in remission’ from bipolar disorder since 2002 and discharged from psychiatric services in 2008. I remained under their care as I was working full time in my Health Visiting role.
    Hope you have a good week and I must explore your blog further.
    Take care 🙂

    Reply

Your thoughts ...

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s