The life I am living right now is very different from the life I had less than 6 months ago. And that’s very different from the life I had a year ago. And that’s very different from the life I had 2 years ago, 5 years ago, and 10 years ago.

I’ve had to make some tough choices about the direction my life was going in, and I’ve made them. I had to say “goodbye for now” to several activities I enjoyed, in order to spend that time learning new ways to do what I do better and to communicate that with the world. I still have a lot of learning to do.

Doug and I celebrated the 3rd anniversary of meeting each other this past Friday. We met through OKCupid.com, which is not all that different from how millions of others meet potential boyfriends and girlfriends. What was different about us, was HOW we went about it.

Yesterday, was an amazing day. Doug and I began our day having an amazing breakfast buffet with our “chosen family” at Paradise Lakes Clothing Optional Resort. We then we headed to the pool area to relax. At 1pm, the owners of the resort and several guests poured several bottles of Mr. Bubble into the conversation pool.

I think everybody has THAT song, that when they hear it they are magically trance-ported to another world. I know whenever I hear Anyway You Want It by Journey…I’m back in junior high (young people: it’s what we had before Middle School). Whenever I hear Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf, I’m cruising the southwest side of Cleveland, Ohio with my bestie Todd Stuart in my 1984 Chevy Cavalier drinking a nasty beer called Little Kings (young people: do not drink Little Kings and drive). Whenever I hear KC and The Sunshine Band, I can’t help but think of thinking how cute KC was, performing on Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve with those hot bell bottom pants and platform (boogie) shoes.

For 18 years, I was a professional people watcher, also known as a “comedian.” I got paid to watch humans and report on the weirdness of what they do in the funniest way possible. After many years of training, I now simply walk into any room and in one glance can put together someone’s background.

The Ghosts of Crafts Past...my mother used to get me all kinds of craft things when I was growing up. She loved sewing and crafts, my family members loved sewing and crafts, so it was just a natural progression that I did them too. Somehow, the crafting gene that was supposed to be transmitted genetically by my DNA skipped a chromosome and passed me over. When I did paint by numbers, it was supposed to be like coloring, only my landscape painting was really drippy...and required the furniture to be professionally cleaned.

To say I had an unusual upbringing would be an understatement. While my friends were headed to conventional vacation places like Disney or Cedar Point on a Memorial Day Weekend, my parents would pack up their 1926 Dodge Brothers Touring Sedan with a picnic basket (complete with a portable liquor cabinet)(it was almost okay to drive a little tipsy in the 70’s) and ride off to something like The Milan Melon Festival in Milan, Ohio. On the way home we’d hit The Blue Hole which was a huge blue hole in the ground that was deeper than the Marianna Trench. Of course, know one knew who Marianna was much less her “trench,” so making irresponsible claims like that was pretty safe.

Long, long ago, in a galaxy pretty darn close to us…we celebrate Star Wars Day on May the 4th! It’s hard to believe how a movie that opened nearly 44 years ago is still influencing us today, thanks to memorable characters, a twisted timeline, and of course, ingenious marketing. The movie Star Wars debuted and made movie history as one of the largest grossing films of all time. When I watched Star Wars for the first time at the age of 8 I knew I was hooked.

We are all naturally drawn to optimistic and enthusiastic individuals or parties. Both in our private life or in the workplace. A safe, happy, passionate, and intellectually engaging environment enhances our own levels of energy and trust.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” but positive thinking really does have more power than we give it credit for. The way we think is connected to our actions and behaviors, thus positive thinking is linked to more positive outcomes.

It’s hard to believe that 6 years ago, I was sitting in my apartment crying. My husband and I split after 20 years together. I was no longer living in my dream home on the water, I was living in a 600 sq ft apartment overlooking a sports bar. I was driving 1.5 hours a day to take care of my mother, who was in the hospital for the 4th time in 4 months. Taking care of her took so much time I couldn’t do any of the things I loved (comedy and hypnosis). I was deep in debt and driving for Uber to make some extra money in the little spare time I had. Did I mention the man I had been dating dumped me for another woman? It was a rough time for me.