The Backstory

Whenever I my interest is captured by a new blog, after reading the most recent post, I jump to the oldest post out there in the hopes of finding out the starting point. Why did this person start to blog? What is their history? How did they get to this point? Inquiring minds, mine, want to know. Sometimes it is there, and then again, sometimes not. Usually though as I read through all the back entries the stories emerge gradually, like peeling the layers off an onion. I love learning about the lives and legacies of the bloggers. So, for my blog, I’m trying to provide that starting point. It is, of course, harder than I expected.

As an extreme introvert, it is hard for me, in the day to day reality, to connect with people. Reading blogs is one of my connections with the outside world. Thus far I have chosen to remain silent. I have not commented on others blog preferring to lurk in the background. But now that I have decided to try a (semi) disciplined approach to blogging, maybe I’ll break out of my shell and comment.

Oh well, now for some history.

I’m a 64 year old leading edge baby boomer, a retired business woman, who struggles with my weight, a Christian, ex-hippy, foster parent/grandparent. I am single - (divorced really but the marriage lasted five years and the single part has lasted 40+ years so I think of myself as single). No kids from my body but several from my heart. And.. I haven’t been on a date since 1981. Yup. That’s a long time. I had pelvic inflammatory disease in my mid-twenties brought on by a Dalcon Shield IUD. Google it, Wikipedia has all the boring details. Anyway, when I was 28 I lost my uterus and both ovaries. The lack of hormones for the past 30+ years has contributed to my celibacy... that and my Christian faith.

Lacking the ability to have any children of my own, I’ve had fun spending lots of time and energy on my 12 nieces and nephews plus I’ve had several children live with me over the years: a couple of ‘foster’ kids were with me for ten years, a widow with two young girls lived with me for four years, a single mom with an infant daughter and a single mom with three daughters both lived with me for less than a year. And most recently, my foster grandson and his mother lived with me for a couple of years after his father, my foster son died. It was so much fun to have a young one (2 years old - four years old) living with me. I’ve missed them so much since they moved back to Portland.

Right now I have a woman with grown children living with me. (Her children don’t live with me.) She is the age of my original foster kids and has two children and five grandchildren. Marie was homeless... well sleeping on her daughter’s couch when a friend made her plight known to me. Although employed at large retail store as a first tier manager her medical expenses have made it difficult to afford both a car and an apartment. She has epilepsy and emphysema and her medical expenses, even with insurance, are astronomical. She has the whole second story of my house these days as my knees make navigating the stairs challenging.

I’m also technology geek and love to have all the newest pieces of hardware... and software. Most particularly, I’m currently an Apple aficionado having a MacBook Pro, iMac, iPhone, and iPad plus several Kindles of all generations. I bought my first computer in the late 70s and have never looked back.

Here I am now: retired, two homes, one for sale, both parents still alive, two grandsons. Why do I want to write a blog now? Well why not? I’ve been reviewing some beliefs that I’ve held for years... revisiting, and realigning. So I thought, why not record the process, plus review the past- hence the detours.

Isn’t a blog just an online journal? When reading blogs,  I prefer those that update everyday or have a unique slant; however, I’ll never manage to post everyday and I don’t have a unique slant, challenge or task that I’m recording. Still, I wanted to try to record this part of my life's journey and reflect on my past journey on a blog. Just know that I’m not following a single path but will probably take many detours. I hope you enjoy the journey with me.

So here we go! K