Take a chance



Even as you hear the words, living wild, you may think this is not for me. I live an everyday life. I have a full-time job, children, responsibility. Perhaps you even think to yourself, ‘I don’t want to live wild’.

But you do. We were made to live full, expansive and growing lives. But we become tamed. Like a frog in a kettle, we become so accustomed to the heat until we stop living with purpose and future in mind.

John Mayer sings a song about ‘staying inside the lines’. And as I sing this song, I remind myself that the voices giving this advice, are most often not ‘others’. They are the voices in my own head. The voices from history, mistakes made, family of origin, fear of failure, risk of reputation…and too often they tame us until time is over.

Many years ago, I heard a sociologist reporting survey results from seniors in a nursing home. In response to the question, “What is your greatest regret?”, the overwhelming answer was not taking enough chances. Not trying things that resonated in heart and soul.

Living wild is not about overriding your values and priorities. It is about living them out – forever – with passion and conviction.


About Kelley

Kelley is a speaker, author, overseas aid worker and perpetual student. She is passionate about women and gender issues, both in the local and international context, which underpins her enthusiasm for kinwomen and its contribution to women ‘living their finest life’. In 2014 Kelley completed a Masters in International and Community Development before establishing The Foxglove Project. Foxglove is a registered charity focused on supporting international development projects that are sustainable and driven by indigenous leadership. Kelley’s paid work requires her to travel extensively to evaluate and support projects supported by Australian funds. This experience and networking enables Foxglove to partner with outstanding overseas agencies delivering real opportunities for the poor and vulnerable to lead independent self-determined lives. Kelley combines these passions with a love of family and faith. Across more than 30 years of marriage, Kelley and her husband have worked through many of the challenges of building a relationship while raising three sons. Their boys have now finished high school changing the dynamics of family life and relationships. One of her great joys is sharing parenting lessons and learning from good and bad (sometimes disastrous) experiences. She uses humour and common sense to talk about the everyday challenges facing parents in today’s context.