I turned 50 almost three decades ago, and since then, every day and decade I have been enriched by experiences, people, and love.
I was widowed abruptly three weeks before I turned 50, and I was unsure of what my life would become. How would I rear our teenage son? How would I manage a life that should have included this man I loved so totally? And then, at age 58, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. These two occurrences changed my entire trajectory, more than any other. Fortunately, I had gracious support from a community of a loving family of the heart.
And so here I am: retired from 35 years of public school teaching in New York City, having sung a sold/out solo cabaret act at the Metropolitan Room in NYC, published a few poems and essays, earned an MFA in Creative Writing, traveled widely with several beaux, about to perform my one-woman show called FATLY BEAUTIFUL.
Although I am aware that I am closer to the end than I am to the beginning, I still have plans and projects. I continue blossoming into the peony I have always been.