I am recovering from knee replacement surgery, with a few minor complications. I am being patient but have had meltdowns and have wondered where I can find a roadmap to traverse this new chapter. I’m still able to do so much but the reality is, I’ve gotten older. Then my partner mentioned this program to me and I knew this was what I needed.

Reinventing oneself has always been fun for me. I’m a yellow after all! We moved often as a child and my Mom taught me to think about what I wanted for each new chapter. My Mom lost her Dad at 13 and her whole life changed. She moved from the big city of Atlanta to Plains Ga., from well off to poor, to an old rickety house they shared with her father’s mother and her Mom became a school teacher.

By the time she was 40, her younger brother and sister were dead, her surrogate Dad died at 54, Kennedy and MLK had been murdered. And yet my Mom was one of the smilest and happiest people I have known. I once asked her how she got through it all and she said “I would think about the next fun things I was going to do”. She’s now 94 and still happy.

My Mom is still a touchstone for me. She taught me how to seek joy. My Dad and my middle son taught me courage. Dad was active in the Civil Rights movement in Atlanta. We were friends with the King and Abernathy families and went to marches as a family. My son, Sam played soccer in rural NC as an out gay boy. What courage he possessed at 15 years old!

Anytime I feel afraid to take a step, I think to myself “if they could do that, then I can certainly do what I need to do”. Now it’s my turn to invent my new life. Let the fun begin!