11 Things You Might Love or hate About Me!

I’m now at an age where I like who I am in a really nice way. I’m not perfect, far from it, but I’m a good human who tries her best….. and I try my best to laugh at myself lots too xx

**I really think the best way to enjoy this letter is to hit the audio recording…I add in lots of extra bits in the audio option and you just get a better feel of who I am….I can be company with you anytime anywhere in this means & I love it x (apologies for any grammar or spelling mistakes…it’s the human in me ;)

Keeping it simple today and forming a list about myself haha ;) Surely I can keep this in order without getting deep and emotional….It is me after all so god knows what could happen as I start this……

Do your remember Bebo and Myspace..oh those were the days right? haha….Do you remember on Bebo or even just through an email your friend would send you a list of questions to fill out about yourself…I don’t know was it just me, but I loved filling those out and equally loved reading them about my friends too…. I’ll keep it nice and simple for this week….I might only do a few and continue this format next week too…Let’s see what comes up…I want you to know me a bit better and maybe you might giggle to yourself and say ‘oh yes’ that’s me as well or maybe you might answer some of these questions in your head or maybe in the comments down below….feel your way….Hope you enjoy anyways, that’s the main thing for me as your writing pal and friend on this life journey x

So here we go:

1. Name: Louise Coghlan - Pronounced Coghlan….In Ireland, most people spell Coghlan with a U, as in Coughlan but for our family, we must have lost a letter along the line somewhere because we spell it without it haha ;) In our native language was gaeilge, my name is pronounced Laoise Ni Cochláin. So if I was to say Is mise Labhaoise/Laoise Ni Cochláin…that means I am Louise Coghlan…agus Sílim go bhfuil tú an chuid is fearr….. that means…..I think you’re the best!

2. Age: 39…..ekkkkkk…Yep I’m old….and heading towards 40 years on the planet…..but as many of ye know I have a heart of a five year old and still I can be old and wise in my own way…….I like to think I carry as best I can a balanced personality on my good days…but like us all, I have my wobbly days too. Most importantly I am healthy and well and have been given a nice chunk of time on this earth so far. I hope I live healthy for a long time but as I always say we never know what is around the corner for any of us. I try to be grateful for being well every morning I wake. Putting my feet down on the floor as I wake I always take a moment to say thank god for the ability to just get out of bed. Often we can forget how amazing our bodies are but really our health really is our wealth.

3. Occupation: I can finally say with a beating heart of joy that I am a full time writer and a published author….ok I can die now and go to Heaven…..Who cares if I’m not a millionaire because the best part of my story is I am HAPPY!!

4. Favourite Colour: emmmmm now this is a tricky question…because it depends what the colour applies too…here goes deep thinking Lou….I never can just answer the question. I love blue…sky blue….maybe that’s to do with my obsession with the sky…I love a lot of colours but let’s pick blue…

5. Favourite Music: Well getting me to pick my favourite music is like a million dollar question…I love so many bands and artists and so many albums and songs… But if I have to pick one band, then I would have to choose Coldplay. I fell in love with them when they released ‘The Scientist’ way back in 2002 I think it was….I guess it just hit a chord inside me when I heard it way back when….I started going to their gigs then and there was no turning back from that moment on. I think Chris Martin is one of the most amazing lyricist in this world. I know they are not everyones cup of tea in those early days but if you are unsure of them, please go see their live show. I promise you, it will blow your mind and not another artist of their kind will ever reach what they do in a live setting…..You will cry, laugh, jump, scream and you will experience your heart and spirit explode, you will feel every feeling under the sun! If you love music, a Coldplay Live experience must be put on your bucket list….

6. What food do you like on a cold grey day in Ireland: Ooooohhh such a hard question…. lots of options in Ireland for this one…..Well on a cold day here in Ireland there is nothing nicer than a big bowl of homemade vegetable soup with homemade brown bread..delish….second in line would be a big stew with potatoes….yummy….We love potatoes in Ireland…..The famine ruined us Irish that time and since then we eat spuds like they are going out of fashion….

   

7. Favourite Film: eeekkkkk oh this is too hard to choose…..From Notting Hill, Ten Things I Hate About You, Coyote Ugly, Save The Last Dance, Ps I Love You….oh I’m giving myself away here aren’t I? But I do love a lot of different type of films but if I just wanted to relax I always pick something old and reliable and usually a romantic comedy seems to be my go to…. I love Irish films too…Sing Street, Once, Brooklyn, War of the Buttons, In America, Angela’s Ashes and the list goes on and on…..

8. What was the last film you saw in the cinema: The last film I saw was the story of Whitney Heuston….I Want To Dance with Somebody. It’s really well made musical drama and just sad the way poor Whitney’s life worked out in the end. She was missing some key good people around her and then as life tends to roll, it went against her. The thing about me and the cinema - I LOVE THE CINEMA…Popcorn and a movie in the cinema - I love…..I will never say no to the cinema unless it’s a scary film. I am really bad at them and I just don’t do them. I don’t like gruesome ones either. Because I would just end up having nightmares or being afraid for the whole thing so many many years ago I decided, nah…life is too short for this….so now I just enjoy films that bring me joy. The world has enough scary things going on, my mind doesn’t need anymore. I know some people love scary films but it’s a no for me….I stick to unrealistic happiness and complete silliness….

9. What one piece of advice would you give yourself ten years ago: I think I would tell myself that even if things look like they are not working out or even if they are falling apart, that everything works out in the end Lou. Who you lose through life, is the natural progression of YOU & your relationships and those who love you will never leave your life. I also think I’d tell myself if you feel someone is not good energy, to step away from them. I’m not sure would I have listened and in that case, it’s probably better we live and we learn right? We learn through experience and even when things go wrong, you always learn something from it….Or at least you should try when you can…..

10. Who is the most famous person you have met in your life: The most famous person i’ve met was Mr. Chris Martin. I was in Barcelona with my best friend from school, Lorraine. We had flew in on the Friday night ahead of the gig in Camp Nou on the Saturday. We were just stepping out of an Irish pub after food and relaxing into the city vibes and there he was walking by the door. I looked and Lorraine and she looked at me. That is who I think it is right. There was an entourage of body guards hovering in front and behind him but there he was…..And you know what they say…NEVER meet your idols…well here was my moment and no way was I going to miss it…..We tried to engage with the security men behind him but that was a no go…So I said to Lorraine I’ve got an idea….I sped up my walk (very cool I was i’m sure haha)….I passed them all out and then very cooly again I slowed down my walk….I pretty much slowed to the pace of the head security guy and softly said, ‘Would there be any chance we might just say a little hello?’ He was having none of me, and bluntly said, PLEASE MOVE AWAY NOW……..at that I said, Ok sorry I just couldn’t let the opportunity pass…..and at that, I heard a voice say ‘Are you Irish?” Thank god, my Irish accent had its benefit…I looked up to see who was asking and wasn’t it Chris himself? Of course I quickly responded yes I’m Irish…We’re Irish….At that, the whole game changed. He was like what are ye doing here? All of of a sudden was I not be shushed off, instead the lead singer of my favourite band was asking me where I was from and what our plans were? The chat followed that we explained we were there to see him in which my most favourite moment happened. He replied, ‘What? you came all the way from Ireland to see us play?” So humble. So unassuming. My dreams all coming through….He was actually so sound and stood with me and Lorraine for a good chat. I then asked for a photo and of course he was only too happy. It was the days of before iPhones so it was a real camera….I said to Chris we might need to take a few snaps because I always have my eyes closed and my mouth open. He laughed and said ‘me aswell. So for the photos we just all laughed and with my arm around Chris Martin, I gave us a countdown of ‘are you ready? 3….2….1….we can do this Chris!” He then said see you at the gig tomorrow night and we said, we have our Irish flag, you won’t miss us. The next night came and as promised, when he saw our flag up front, we got the nod of approval from the main man….So in conclusion, you can indeed meet your idol and sometimes they really are the person you imagine and dream them to be!

11. Can you name a song you are enjoying this week: Yes I can indeed. This week’s recommendation is Brent Morgan with ‘What Dreams are Made Of’…If you don’t have dreams, it’s time to set some in front of you….and it’s time to believe….I hope you enjoy this song…..

Thank you substack family for reading all the way down here….a different type of Substack but I hope you enjoy it. Do let me know if you did and would you enjoy a few more of these kinds of letters going forward…I hope you found it easy to read to or listen to and maybe learned something new about me? What was your favourite question or favourite answer from above? Or do you have a question for me….I’d love your feedback and always love to hear your thoughts. Thank you so much in advance for your support and kindness always with my words.

Love you lots,

Lou xx

Ps. Loads of big news coming in next week’s letters……More about my first LIVE SHOW on February 26th and other exciting news coming too……I can’t wait to share it all with you and I can’t wait to bring you everywhere with me.

Do you know how much I love you? Well if you don’t, I want you to know that I do love you lots and I think the world of you….You are the reason I write. You are the reason I have dreams and you are the reason I am chasing those dreams and you are the reason I am who I am and I’m being brave this year because of YOU!

Thank you for loving me and know I believe in you too!

Lou x