Life Chapters

I'm not inclined to reflect on "chapters" of my life but tend to focus on certain "events". My parents were both alcoholics who preferred drinking to parenting, so I was pretty much on my own early on... not much to transition from there. I never had an emotional bond to them and couldn't wait to get away from them in legal/practical terms.

Maybe because of my chaotic and unpredictable family situation, I grew up living one minute at a time and learned that I could neither predict nor count on the future. If things are good for me for the moment, then things are good. I have some concerns about the not-so-distant future of my country and planet, and I have some basic ideas of things I want to accomplish in the coming years, but... fear? No. Life has taught me to adapt, and in so doing it's given me confidence that I can and will handle whatever comes to the best of my ability. I know the difference between working towards creating the best possible future for yourself, and counting on everything going according to plan.

I've been homeless. I've been through a terrible marriage and brutal divorce. I've been severely injured and required CPR. I've lived for over a decade without running water, electricity, or home phone, far away from civilization. I gave birth to my 3 sons at home and ended up being their only parent as their father fell to mental illness. I've worked on ranches with animals 10 times my weight or more. I've worked in film and television production. I've worked for doctors, lawyers, and many other businesses. Not much fazes me.

There have been times when I've suffered from "paralysis by analysis" in desperate attempts to make sure that I don't make mistakes on big choices. But that in itself usually ends up being a mistake. Thinking things through is important. Over-thinking can be problematic. The key is to find the right balance, and it's not always so easy.

Seems relevant: