Reinventing Myself Has Saved My Life on Many Occasions My life continues to surprise and amaze me. I've figured out that this is possible because I'm willing to reinvent myself regularly. My first reinvention occurred during the summer before I entered junior high. My most recent reinvention began sixteen months ago, at the beginning of the pandemic and when I decided to lose at least a hundred pounds with a plan that would work for me. Reinventing myself has become my way of transforming my … [Read more...]
The Cottage: Rising Up Like a Phoenix
All things considered, having a guest house in your backyard is a wonderful thing. Our new cottage received final approval this past week and my family and I are ecstatic! We've decided to refer to it as the cottage, as opposed to calling it a guest house or ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) or mother-in-law quarters or anything else. The cottage represents a full year of planning, pulling permits, building, and envisioning and next weekend we will christen it with a bottle of Bragg's apple cider … [Read more...]
On the Road Again… Seeking Clarity
On the Road Again... Seeking the Clarity I Left Behind This week finds me on the road again. I'm headed to northern California to spend time with some friends and family members. As I drive along the highway, alone with my thoughts and excited to arrive at my destination in a few hours, I ponder the big question in my mind... Is it too soon to think we've gone back to normal? Is the pandemic over? Will I and others continue to feel like we have only just begun to understand this new way of … [Read more...]
Building Your Village
Are You Building Your Village to Achieve Life Success? "It takes a village to raise a child" is an African proverb that means an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to grow in a safe and healthy environment. It also became a popular saying in American culture several decades back. My precept is that a village of people to help each of us to reach anything close to our full potential. My life is an example of how this works and I'm proud of what my village … [Read more...]
In Celebration of Independence
Today I'm celebrating independence. Not just for the United States on its 245th birthday, but for myself and others who seek freedom. It's the freedom from work you no longer love, from a life that may not be serving you, and from the daily grind that does not allow you to reach your full potential. It's the freedom to create a lifestyle by design, to reach your full potential, and to explore the possibilities that each new day brings. Exactly two years ago today, I began outlining an idea … [Read more...]
Balderdash and Poppycock
Today I've been thinking about a dear friend who is no longer with us. His name is Geoff Hoff and he and I came online around the same time. We became the best of friends, wrote two books together, and had many adventures until his untimely death from a heart attack in 2015. I'm taking care of his cat, Maggie and she is my daily reminder of this special man. Something I was reading had the word "balderdash" in it. That word and "poppycock" were two of Geoff's favorites. In fact, Geoff … [Read more...]
The Hungry Brown Bear
The Hungry Brown Bear and the Birthday Boy Having children in your life allows you to relive your childhood while living vicariously through theirs. Throughout my lifetime I have surrounded myself with children of all ages. It began when my kids were small, progressed to activities with teens and older children, then circled around to elementary school age kids when I became a classroom teacher. Most recently, I have been a part of the life experience of a boy named Calvin. He just … [Read more...]
The Unbearable Lightness of the Other Shoe Dropping
The Unbearable Lightness of the Other Shoe Dropping Just as the music is the space between the notes, so is the impending state of the world as the pandemic winds down. I think of this time as being the "Unbearable Lightness of the Other Shoe Dropping." Right now we are stuck in between, where the past year has changed us all at the core level and the future is cloudy with a chance to go either way. This will all depend on what we learn about ourselves, how we internalize what has occurred and … [Read more...]
The Big Lie and How It Changed Me
The Big Lie and How It Changed Me I had been invisible for far too long. Now was the time for me to step into my power and set the record straight. Would I have the courage to emerge from the shadows? We were in the area between the lunchroom and the bathroom just before the morning bell rang. There must be an official name for this space, but I wouldn't know where to find it. Her back was up against the vending machine and my breath was close enough to her face for me to see the hair on her … [Read more...]
I Write to Remember; Self-Discipline Makes This Possible
I Write to Remember, and Self-Discipline As a Practice Adds the Joy I write to remember the life experiences of my past. I write to learn from what I've lived through. I also write to share my experiences with others, now and in the future. I am only able to do this because of the habits I've nurtured over the past decade. The most important habit is that of self-discipline. Basically, self-discipline refers to the ability to resist feelings, temptations and other weaknesses that would … [Read more...]