Senator Katherine Zappone
Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle?
Yes I do. I think probably at the heart of it is that I have a great relationship with my partner. I also eat good food, I meditate, I do acupuncture and I have great friends.
How often do you exercise?
I exercise virtually every day. I find it’s good for my body and soul. It’s a form of relaxing, but it’s also a time when I can get some of my most creative and happy thoughts. I do a lot of walking and hill climbing, golf, and now I’ve begun training for the Dublin to Wexford cycle for the Peter McVerry trust. I’m really psyched by it. I’m going to start riding my bicycle to Leinster House.
Do you get your five a day?
I do. My partner goes out every week and buys an array of fruit and vegetables, and puts them on our beautiful kitchen window, so that they are beaming at me and I always grab one.
Do you worry?
I do worry. Over my life, I think what I’ve worried most about is not having enough – not having enough money or enough for a livelihood. I think that probably came from my own upbringing. I had wonderful parents, but it was often tight for us. So even now when I don’t need to, I worry about not having enough. More recently, I worry that I will do justice to the privilege I’ve been given with this job as senator.
What do you do to relax?
I go to a forest not far from where we live and I walk. I also love to read. I listen to sacred music like the Glenstal or Nóirín Ní Riain type, that’s wonderfully relaxing too. And I do meditation, which is good for stress reduction.
What’s your unhealthiest habit?
I love American potato chips. The second thing is that I smoke a pipe sometimes – often when I’m doing some writing. I think sometimes it helps me to think and to write.
In conversation with Joanne Hunt
