Soundtrack of my Life – Entry 29 – Changes – by David Bowie

This year in May I made a Mother’s Day observation… Mr. Bowie was right… we rock and rollers are going to get older. I am going through so many changes right now, all good and expected, but at the same time surreal. You see, I recently became an empty-nester and a first-time Grandmother. And while, I do miss my babies, (the house isn’t the same as it was a few years back), I have to say I am completely ready for what comes next.

Changes happen to all of us, some good, some bad, and some completely life-altering. I am at an age where I can look back on a few decades and see the dips and bumps that now represent the roller-coaster of my life. If I had to pick one, a roller coaster that is, I would have to say it represents the Corkscrew. One tall hill, and a relatively smooth ride, that has some upside down moments in between. For those of you not familiar with the ride at Cedar Point, you can check it out here:

Looking back on it all… I’ve gotten married, had children, and run a few businesses (the successes of which I am only beginning to see). One of the major “corkscrews” of my life occurred in 2011 when I received a phone call at work that threw me for a loop, and ultimately changed my life. The phone call led to a 2nd mammogram, a biopsy, surgery and 6 weeks of radiation, and resulted in the realization that I had a whole list of things I wanted to accomplish before the final twist. So I did what any woman in her mid-40’s would do when faced with that realization… I signed up for college.

I started classes in the winter of 2012, and in the 2nd semester took a class that would once again turn my world over. My focus was Business Management, however, because I needed to take care of the pre-requisites for my degree, I chose a Creative Writing class to fulfill my English requirement. The experience I had in that class, and the support I received from my fellow classmates, is entirely what led to The Power Of Four series, this blog, and my pursuit of a writing career. For any one of the talent students I met there who may come across this post – Thank you! Also, I hope you are all still writing since you were all terrific!

Fast forward to 2021, I have completed my first series, 6 books in all, and have started publishing stories in a Greek Myth retelling series. I have also written 2 books that I am querying, 2 more of which are planned to round out that third series that will someday be in my backlist. Both kids are out on their own, and one is married and just blessed me with the most perfect grandchild on the planet (I can say that since I only have one so far). I am seeing my friends around me all going through similar experiences, but I still find it strange. It is surreal in that I don’t feel I have gotten older (except in the mornings), but my mirror, and the little angel that will be calling me grandma in a few short years, tells a different story. I have taken another roll on the corkscrew, and am now on the part of the ride where I can enjoy having been on it, but relieved that I can get off and enjoy a cold drink.

For me, I am ready for the next ride, the one that is a little smoother with less hills and valleys. One that, ideally, will serve drinks and have live music. While I’m not ready to stop doing what fills my soul with fire anytime soon, I am ready to take it easy while I do it. I feel I’ve earned it. So thank you David for the wonderful song that sums up a lot of what I am feeling right now. It is nice to know that I’m not the only one.

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As always, thank you for sharing this journey with me, and for taking the time out of your day to read my thoughts. It means alot. For anyone interested in what I write, please feel free to stay a while and poke around on my website. I have a ton of content I’ve been developing over the years and I would love to get your thoughts on it.

For my Power of Four series, the best link is:

https://dahenneman.com/welcome/power-of-four-series/

For my Mythical Creatures posts, head over to:

https://dahenneman.com/welcome/about/mythicalcreaturemonday-posts/

For more Soundtrack of my Life posts:

https://dahenneman.com/welcome/about/the-soundtrack-of-my-life/

And for my Shorts and Tidbits:

https://dahenneman.com/welcome/about/current-thoughts/short-stories/

As always, I hope this post finds you happy and healthy. Until next time! XO