TT #24: in my past

Thirteen things from my past Yes, that's me in the header; taken in 1976! Get to know me a bit better by reading about the past. Here is a random selection of things that made me into the person I am today. In the first class (when I was 6) I wore glasses with one eye covered. I have a lazy eye, but the glasses didn't work. I hated them and they were hideous too. I have one picture of me wearing them, but that's still packed somewhere. My brother Gerard and I had a love-hate relationship during the time we both lived with our parents. He is 6 years older and we argued all the time. Very harsh sometimes, but when one of us was away we missed the other terribly. And when something happened to me, he stood up for me like my "big brother"; don't touch his little sis! We drove mum and dad crazy. I have been a majorette for more than 10 years. I loved twirling and was very good in it. I also was the instructor for the younger group. And... I met Ron there, who played drums in the drumband! I liked school very much. I have always been the best of the class with high marks without too much effort. That made me proud but it also caused a lot of stress for me, because I didn't want to "fail". The perfectionist in me prevailed. When I was a child, I often came home with wounded birds and other little animals. I even got angry when my mum killed a fly or ant. Needless to say I still love animals that much, all animals! I remember playing in our street when I was about 3. Suddenly a car (a Beetle) appeared and hit me, but stopped just in time. The image that remains is that I'm lying on the ground watching the bumper of the beetle. I wasn't hurt, just had a few scratches. I was a father's child. He could answer all my questions (and I asked a lot!) and when he couldn't he helped me find the answer elsewhere. Later he was waiting for me after school with a cup of tea. He knew perfectly when to ask further and when to be silent. We watched sports together, discussed just about everything and made cryptograms together. I also loved my mother very much, but with her I did other things: shopping, visits, etc. We were both early birds and in the morning she often helped me with my homework. She pronounced the words exactly as they were written. Her pronunciation of French, English and German sounded hilarious and we laughed about it a lot. But it worked and I always knew how to write the words! When my sister Joke was 18 (and I was 8) she moved out to live together with Leo. I often stayed with them for the weekend, first in Beverwijk, later in Haarlem. I always enjoyed myself very much. My mum and dad didn't have their license, so Leo's car was the first in our family. When they got married in 1980 I was bridesmaid. I've had issues with food and my weight for as long as I can remember. I can't say exactly when it became an eating-disorder. I have had anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder and mixtures of them. I've been obese, skinny and everything in between. I've been addicted to laxatives. I tried all kinds of self-help and therapies. Finally, when I was 32, the breakthrough came when I checked myself into a specialized clinic in Amsterdam. I never say I'm cured, but I can handle it and know what to do when I'm going the wrong way. When I was a teenager I looked older than I really was. I often had older friends. My boyfriends were always older. I had more, but before Ron I only had a few serious relationships. I got engaged with Arie, my dancing partner. We were together for two to three years, but he cheated on me with (what I thought was) a friend. I was devastated. When I was 13 or 14 I was raped. Horrible, but I've had great help. I'll never forget it, but I have given it a place. Unfortunately the perpetrators have never been caught. About a year later I lost my real virginity to a very special friend in a wonderful and loving way. He knew about the rape and made me feel very special. After school I wanted to go to university to study English and/or Dutch, but that wasn't possible financially. I decided to step in my father's footsteps. He was a book-keeper/accountant. I started to work 4 days (for KPMG) and go to school 1 day to become a registered accountant. I loved the work. Unfortunately a few years into it I had to stop because of my depression and eating-disorders. ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Bond ~*~ Laura ~*~ JohnH985 ~*~ Nadiah Alwi ~*~ Retta ~*~ Caylynn ~*~ Friday's Child ~*~ Thomma Lyn ~*~ Lexa Roséan ~*~ Daisy ~*~ Darla ~*~ Turnbaby ~*~ Silver ~*~ Raggedy ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Wylie Kinson ~*~ Gina ~*~ Christine ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ Angela ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Rose ~*~ Debby ~*~ Starrlight ~*~ Uisce ~*~ superstar ~*~ Sueann ~*~ Miss Pink ~*~ Amy Ruttan ~*~ Laurence ~*~ Sparky Duck ~*~ Joy Renee ~*~ Nathalie ~*~ Judy Callarman ~*~ Marcia ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! 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