ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Getting to Know Shauna Bowling

Updated on October 11, 2016
marcoujor profile image

In an English course at Villanova University in 1981, Maria interviewed her mom, who likened her to Barbara Walters. She never looked back.

Where it all happens....
Where it all happens.... | Source

Meet Shauna....

Over these weeks, I have discovered that Shauna Bowling is a woman after my own heart. She wears her rose - colored glasses 24 / 7 and always reminds me of the power of positive thinking and determination.

Join us as we learn (even more in Part 2) about Shauna and what puts a sparkle in her step:

The times I feel most relaxed are....

I love sitting outside. I have a little bistro set on my front porch and a gazebo with an adjacent outside living room I've created on my back porch. My property is abundant with trees. I love to have my morning coffee outside and watch Mother Nature's world wake up. I have hawks, red-headed woodpeckers, owls, hummingbirds, butterflies, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, armadillos, bats.... so much nature at my feet! Evenings are nice too. I love the sound of the night bugs singing in the trees.

The times I feel saddest are...

Other than the death of a loved one or beloved pet, I can honestly say I don't really ever feel sad. I feel "down" from time to time, but that's my psyche's signal for me to take a break and "empty out".

Something I'd like to teach others...

Always be true to yourself. You cannot be there for others, or offer advice and guidance if you are not first true to yourself. You must be honest with yourself and admit when you are wrong or when an unpleasant situation, directly affecting you (or others), occurs and causes strife. You need to take a look. One thing I've learned through life, is to go inside and ask myself, "what is the common factor?" in whatever situation it is that is making me unhappy or causing a down slide or causing it to perpetuate. The answer is ALWAYS, me! Granted, some things happen as a result of circumstances beyond our control, but allowing it to keep you from living life, from moving on and getting back on track is because you allow it to debilitate your momentum and become an excuse for not moving forward.

See it, accept it, pick yourself up by the bootstraps and fix it!

Additionally, I have a self-proclaimed motto by which I live: if it feels good do it, if it doesn't don't and when it stops, quit!

My secret passion ... my dream job....

Oh, this is a no brainer! My passion is writing. My dream is to once again become a full time writer and forgo my 8 - 5 job working for someone else. I have the drive, the equipment, the talent and the desire. I'd better get kickin' 'cuz I'm on the downside of the hill! (you know, over-the-hill!)

Most hated gift I ever gave someone ...

I wouldn't know. If I've ever given something someone hated, they were gracious enough to hide their dismay!

The gift I could have done without ...

Menopause!

If you peeked in my junk drawer, you'd be surprised to find ...

Ummmmm, I'm kind of anal. I don't have a junk drawer! Everything has it's place in my house!

My date from Hades ....

I don't know if I should go there. Let's just say, I feared for my life.

My worst/ or funniest vacation story ....

Growing up, we didn't take family vacations. We traveled to visit family, as my mom is one of ten. There was always someone to catch up with.

As an adult, I've never been in the financial position to take an actual vacation. I take a day here and a day there. I know, dull, huh?

Bravewarrior and Axel
Bravewarrior and Axel

A life goal on my bucket list ....

To actually take a vacation!!! Ha ha!

As previously stated, I want to become a full time writer. I have a novel in my head that I'd like to put on paper, then in print and become successful.

I'd also like to jump out of a plane (parachute!! parachute!!), but I don't know if I'd actually have the balls to do so at the nth hour!

What I most look for in a friend...

Understanding, patience, being able to sit quietly together without feeling uncomfortable and not being afraid to let me know when I've pissed them off.

Something I will never part with...

My cats. I chose a husband over my cats once. I ended up firing him. My cats are true. Lesson learned!

A life lesson I will never forget....

I actually have two that come to mind. The first is, cocaine kills. I had a bout with addiction and it killed my sense of responsibility. It killed my drive and credibility. I, fortunately, recognized what I was doing to myself, pulled myself up by the bootstraps and removed myself from temptation. In 1987 I moved to an area where I knew no one because I couldn't "just say no". I live in this area still today and gave birth to my son 20 years ago. He's got a stable life, having lived in the same house since he was two.

I've also had a dear friend die from cocaine overdose. Bad, bad news! Trust me folks, just say no!

The second, is don't go into debt to compensate for a spouse's inability to keep a job and help with finances. I'm still paying for it, which is the hugest (is that a word??) obstacle I have to overcome if I want to achieve my dream of becoming a full time writer. Think ahead. Have a dream on the horizon and don't make choices that make the climb harder! Choose a life partner who's a partner, not a cling - on!

The worst part of getting older...

The body parts don't keep up with the mind! Don't squat down - unless you can spring load yourself up off the floor! I've gotten pretty good at it actually!! :)

A writing lesson I learned the hard way...

Don't send emails telling how you really feel when you have a buzz on! Words can be wise, but they are also deadly weapons! If you have a bitch to bitch, wait a day before you hit the send button!

My favorite movie and why...

Love Story. I've seen the movie 8 times and read the book 11 times when I was in Catholic school. I love movies that make me cry. Crying is cleansing.

Another movie I watch whenever it comes on TV is Forest Gump. It's just an awesome story and takes place in the 60's. Magical times when so much was going on and America wasn't afraid to speak. And the music was awesome! In the 60's, even the music had a voice.

Forest Gump himself, although fictional, is the epitome of overcoming the odds to reach for and grab your dreams! He loved unconditionally and forever, his compassion was unwavering and his disability was enough so he wasn't wary of being himself (unlike we who have been conditioned to reach for dollars, forsaking strengthening our souls). In other words, he had the innocent heart and soul of a child, but the bravery of a lion! He cared and persevered even when he was turned away (Major Dan,Jenny). He beat the odds every single day of his life. Isn't it ironic that his innocence and keeping a promise to his "very best friend" made him a fortune! I think there's a lesson here, don't y'all? Very inspirational, not to mention phenomenal portrayal by all the actors!

What subjects / genres do you enjoy reading/ about ?

I love mysteries, suspense and the paranormal. My favorite authors are Dean Koontz, John Grisham and Iris Johansen. Stephen King, in his early days is a favorite, but once he changed his genre with the Dark Tower series, he lost my interest. I'm not much into the sci - fi genre.

What would be a subject/ genre that you would like to read more/ about...

I'd like to read viable solutions to overcoming/eliminating current debt. With the increase in the cost of living, increased interest rates, increased taxes, being a single parent and having a stagnant paycheck (no raise in over 4 years), I've had to "supplement" my income with credit cards. My current unsecured debt is almost as much as my annual salary. If I could eliminate my debt, I could put the necessary energy into fulfilling my dream of becoming a full time writer.

Billybuc wrote a hub on downsizing, ridding yourself of unnecessary "things", which was inspirational and informative, but doesn't address my current situation. On top of my unsecured debt, I have 13 years left on my mortgage and a car payment. I need real life solutions for those of us who are in real financial trouble!

Can you take us to a favorite piece of writing on HubPages by you that does not get much traffic...

Hmmm. I had to go to "my account" to look that up. I'd have to say, The Wind - Written in 1983

Thank you, Shauna....

Of all The Supremes songs I know and have learned for this series, "The Happening" most spoke to me of you, Shauna.

Thank you for agreeing to this interview and sharing yourself with us.

© Maria Jordan (revised November, 2014)


The Supremes: The Happening

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)