It’s hard to believe that it’s been three years since this website launched on Halloween 2016. Since then, my book, Thin Mint Memories, was published, and Girl Scout cookie lovers across the country embraced those stories of girl empowerment. I had a wonderful time talking about the book and the cookies, particularly when in giving a presentation at the Newseum and donating a copy of Thin Mint Memories to the Girl Scout archives in New York City. I’m honored to say that there’s even a copy of the book in the Smithsonian library! Three cookies sales seasons later, I can never walk by a booth sale without buying at least one box, knowing how important each transaction is to developing life skills for the girls in uniforms.
Fast forward to three years later, I’m now a newly minted retired lady! After forty years of working in publishing from 9 to 5, I’m now at the crossroads of Life Is Good and What Comes Next? In my last editorial for Peer Review journal, which I edited for fifteen years, I wrote that retirement is a bookend event to college graduation—they are both times when, despite great preparation, you wonder what challenges you’ll encounter along your new path.
In preparation for the first steps on my new path, I became a certified workshop leader in the wonderful Amherst Writing & Artists writing method, which promotes positive and active writing experiences. Using freewriting prompts and active participation, workshop participants tap into their imaginations and thoughts with surprising results. I was a bit nervous to be part of this method because I used to HATE freewriting. I’m such a slow writer that I was afraid I’d have just a few words on my paper. Once I shut off my inner editor, I was amazed how much richer my writing became. Listening to the other participants’ pieces, I was inspired to write more poetry and stretch myself creatively.
Going forward, through a new business I call A Writer’s POV, I’ll be giving writing workshops in the DC area. The first will be held the morning of November 16th at the Silver Spring Civic Center. The title of the workshop is Writing Your Holiday Memories. I’m hoping to inspire adults—young and old—to capture their stories for themselves, their loved ones, or publication. We all know that the key is to writing success is to stop thinking about it and actually start doing it. From these workshops, participants will leave with seeds to plant in their creative gardens, which can bloom into new written pieces. As I start down my path of discovery, I invite you to write with me at these workshops and to stop by and read about my retirement adventures on this website. I hope to see you soon!
