To sum it up, it isn’t rational

What happens when I give in, give up control?

Rather, the question is—when am I ever in control?

In my lifetime I’ve seen examples of people, who as they age, curl up, go inward, and end up watching Fox News. My parents. I’ve also been blessed to know people on up to their 100s who stay engaged, get on the bus, allowed their children to take the bus, who went downtown to events at the Italian Cultural Center because they were curious. I know who I want to be like.

But there is a cost.

Every year I take a trip. Just like with art, traveling makes me happy. I’m so glad I did each trip. BUT why am I so petrified and worried beforehand? All I can think of is losing my wallet, getting delayed, luggage left behind. Where’s my phone?! Lost!!

And, all this has happened, will happen. But along the way, I’ve met people, had adventures, and event in the detours made discoveries. Even now, at age 67, I’ve got a one-way plane ticket to fly to Eugene, OR this summer, hang for a day, then catch the casino bus to Florence and ride down the West Coast to San Francisco. What about the timber trucks?! Those dark tunnels where cyclist/hikers have to share space with motor traffic?! What if it rains or is foggy all the time?! I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out. Stay tuned.

I go solo. The same with writing, it’s a solitary endeavor. But we are not alone. There will be other people doing the same thing with possibilities of meeting up at hiker/biker campsites, pull-outs, etc. I have a writing group which meets once a month. We’ve been doing this for 10 years.

I Zoom in for online classes. I sign up for newsletters to keep up with the New York School Studies. I look for resources that will enrich, encourage, continue to connect. As any writer knows or soon discovers, you need a network. I was part of SCBWI in Chicago for over 20 years. I’m slowly making bridges here in Michigan with writers of similar sensibilities. At Dawn Burns’ book launch for A Green Glow on the Horizon I finally met up with Mary Jane Pories, a Grand Rapids-based renaissance woman first made known to me by Cheryl J. Fish who was recommended to me by Sharon Bippus, whom I met at the Festival of Faith and Writing 2024. Anyway, through Sharon I’m now invited to lead a workshop in Kalamazoo and have made connections with Bonnie Jo Campbell, whose writing is so powerful that even Trump voters love her. Is this a good thing—always when we can bring people together to bond over words. Words not swords.

To sum up: