5ThingsAboutLinda

ColourLovers helped save my life — Three years ago this month, shortly after I joined CL, I found a half-inch lump in my breast. It was an aggressive cancer, worthy of concern. Three months later, I shared my battle with CLers, creating a palette called “Today I Start Chemo.” Then the love started flowing my way. So many people sent prayers, messages of support and caring, and gifts of palettes and patterns. And they kept on sending them for many long months. I practically lived here then, absorbing myself in this world of wonderful people. That kept me from dwelling on negative possibilities. It kept me laughing and strong. In short, this world became my support group (aside from a small circle of family and friends). I have no doubt the people here helped save my life, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

I love to party — I live between my two best friends, and we and our husbands have developed a tight, fun bond over the years. We get together almost every weekend and listen to great music, laugh a lot, and drink ourselves silly. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had, and I can’t get enough of it. So at 60 years old, I’ve finally turned into a party girl.

I was a teenage beauty queen — In my senior year of high school, I entered the county’s Junior Miss pageant. (For those who don’t know, it was a pretty big deal back in those days.) The contest was noted for the high priority it placed on intelligence, and the awards consisted primarily of scholarships. I entered in hopes of winning the national competition, which would allow me to attend the college of my dreams in Washington, DC. I won the county contest and got, instead, a four-year scholarship to a local college. I also won prizes for Physical Fitness (if you only knew what a joke that is!) and for Miss Congeniality. The state competition was very tight. It turned out the judges were quite torn over which type of personality to send to the national contest, which type would be more likely to win—a reserved, composed, nice girl or a feisty, bubbly one (that would be me). After an intense 45-minute debate, the judges finally chose the composed personality, and I became first runner-up. And what type of girl won the national contest? A feisty, bubbly one.

I was the editor of a design magazine — In my early 30s, I worked for a magazine about landscape architecture. The company decided to launch a new publication called “Garden Design,” which was to be on par with “Architectural Digest” and “Horticulture” magazines. Within a very short time, I became editor-in-chief of the new magazine. The irony is, I knew nothing of gardens and plants—couldn’t even tell you the difference between a pansy and a petunia. Nonetheless, I was successful. The magazine no longer exists, but I developed a big love for gardening. And that’s why so many of my templates are floral ones.


I hate to be employed — When I left the magazine at age 33, I had had enough of being employed. Too much business politics for me, too much phoniness. I quit my job and decided to become a freelancer. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I remained a freelancer for the next 20 years and even owned and ran a company for other independent talents. Going freelance was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. To this day, I strongly encourage others to break free of business institutions and the dependency they foster. So, in conclusion, I say to all here: “Go for it!”

I hereby tag kalindy, praxicalidocious, and huege