Leap of Faith

Today I join you. Like any new neighbor moving into a well-established and highly respected neighborhood, I am excited and a little nervous. Although I have kept a journal, off and on, for most of my life, creating a blog is a leap of faith for me. I have to believe that someone, hopefully many someones, will want to read what I write.

 Let me introduce myself. I am a woman in transition. Significant transition. My youngest child is about to leave for college. Two weeks ago, my husband took early retirement to fulfill his dream of being a full time artist. (This has many positive associations, but also the not so wonderful reality of two kids in college and one paycheck.) Finally, I recently realized that I am going to turn 50. Soon.

 Now, if you are a woman of a certain age (or live with one) that last statement requires no further explanation. But, just in case you’re curious, let me just quote my mother, who said it best. “Sometimes, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I am shocked by the person I see reflected there. I still feel like a young woman on the inside, but my outside is only too happy to correct me.”  I am not the twenty-something with a journalism degree, no responsibilities and time on my side any longer. I am also not the thirty-something young mother who was going to get right back to her writing as soon as her precious girls started school. I am a forty-nine year old mother dealing with an empty nest, a wife dealing with a self-employed husband, a daughter/sister/friend, a PR manager for a national retailer and (still) an aspiring writer. I am treading quicksand so I can keep moving in the direction of my future. This blog is my record of where I go, what I do and what I learn as a tread.