Betty Churcher, who died was the first woman in Australia to manage our National Gallery.

"They say fools rush in where angels fear to tread," she said in one of her last interviews.

"Well, I'm the fool, but I'm glad I'm the fool because I've rushed in and done things that seemed on the surface to be almost impossible." she explained.

When I was younger and manic I would be so impulsive and I learnt to believe that maybe the angels were right to be afraid, because there always seemed long term disastrous results for my foolishness.

One day on a short break down the coast, after years of living sensibly taking few risks, I saw a lovely freehold shop for sale with a flat on top.

My dream had been to have a shop, for many years I had market stalls. My children were now grown up and had left home.

Families and friends advised me against taking the plunge. They were worried that at best I was following my heart and rushing into a venture that would affect my health and finances. At worst they feared I would be very depressed and all alone in small town.

This December will be my tenth anniversary in my shop which still makes me happy when I walk downstairs each day and enter it. I love the great variety of items, the smell of old quirky books, the great range of books, the mixture of chaos and order. I have made new friends who form my support network. I have learnt so much about what I am capable of and how to run a business. I have even started to learn from my many mistakes!

The best part is being my own boss so if I am having a bad day I can open later or close early.

Of course I am not saying it is advisable to rush into a new venture with no planning but sometimes I think one needs to be brave, to maybe appear foolish and take a chance.

It maybe something like learning a new skill at a mature age, trying public speaking when you know you are nervous, or even writing a blog for moodscope when you have never written a blog before.

From an old fool

A Moodscope member.