My life is not normal. I’m 44 years old and live in New Jersey (thought i’m definately not a Jersey housewife). My husband works in New York City and has an apartment there where he lives during the week. My daughter is away at college and my crazy mother-in-law who has her MBA in Psychology (and thinks she knows everything) and is a leftover hippie lives with me. My sister-in-law who has MS and her 10 year old daughter also live with me. I work from a home office as an editor and until a year ago, spend a lot of my time either alone or with my in-family who drive me crazy half the time.

Needless to say, I found myself in a very unhappy situation with what I felt was no way to change. I was depressed, tried to keep to myself in my own house just to avoid conflict and felt stuck.  

I knew I had to do something to begin to make myself happy or I would spiril down into a really unhappy place filled with prozac, lots of food and theraphy sessions that including tears and feeling sorry for myself and my situation.  

Last past January, I decided enough was enough. I began a journey of self discovery which I would like to share with others. I started working out three times a week with a personal trainer. One because I was completely out of shape and couldn’t stand to look at myself but also because I just needed to get out of the house. All I ever did was work or read.

I have come to see that I was the only person holding myself back and that if I didn’t do something, I would be destined to be unhappy.  

I came across a saying that I have tried to embrace over this past year. “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to slide in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming “Wow, what a ride!”  

I don’t want to arrive at death’s door someday regretting all the things I didn’t do, or try or say. It was time for a change, a major change and I’ll share some of the crazy things I done over this past year and some of the things I’m doing now on my journey to happiness and fulfillment.