I have lived in Surry Hills for two years. I love the community. I got involved here with Northcott and love seeing people I know, having a chat with the locals. There’s a sense of belonging here and it’s beautiful. It is a village. I think being at Northcott had a bit to do with that.
Surry Hills is a mess right now though. Who thought of putting the city rail through a tiny street like Devonshire? I feel sorry for the businesses there. It’s a mess.
I moved here because I had been through an extraordinary journey and overcame some major life blocks. So after having to move a million times to the point that I was questioning whether I belonged here at all, I was given priority housing and moved into Northcott. It’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It’s something I am grateful for everyday. A lot of people look down on this estate, but to me, it just reconfirms that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Everyone here has been so lovely to me. It’s peaceful here. It’s my sanctuary and my healing place.
Like one in four women, I have been through abuse. From a young age I suffered panic attacks and anxiety and other health issues. So that launched me into a personal and spiritual growth journey. I have done everything to heal myself. I don’t suffer from anxiety anymore. Some time back, I was working on a global project to end poverty and suffering in the world and I physically collapsed. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I have had a lot of health issues that I have overcome. People go through major life changes a few times in their life but mine, until recently, had been ongoing. I realised moving here that I actually feel safe now for the first time in my life.
Ego versus spirit is a big problem in the world. “What’s in it for me?” is ego. Spirit is “How can I help?” So if people moved to a more collaborating service-oriented spirit and if more women ran the world, that would be a big solution to the world’s problems.
This is why I’m producing my ‘goddess events’. I wanted to combine entertainment with empowering women. I focused on women, because: one in four women are abused by an intimate partner; one woman loses her life every week because of an attack by an ex- partner; fifty-five per cent of women are obese; women are paid sixteen per cent less in the workforce; and half of our middled aged female population has little super. So I’m putting these events together to help women with their self worth and to give women tools so they can ‘Be All of Who They Really Are’, free to live their lives. Unless we empower women financially, we will be in dire times.
Happiness for me is a choice. It’s doing what you love. If you are passionate about what you do that means happiness. I would say to my younger self “I’m proud of you”. I’m grateful for my entire journey. It has given me the gift of who I am today. I would not have been who I am today if I wasn’t who I was as my younger self.
(You can find Tula at http://www.tulatzoras.com)
20th October 2017
Surry Hills & Valleys 