The Next Chapter Starts Now

At 59 years old, I'm starting a new chapter I didn't exactly choose—but one I wholeheartedly embrace.

A few weeks ago, after nearly 13 years with the same CPA firm, I found myself facing an unexpected ending.

To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

For a few days, I did what many of us do when life suddenly changes direction. I questioned everything. I replayed conversations. I worried about the future. I lay awake doing the math on insurance, income, and all the practical realities that come with uncertainty.

After all, I've spent my entire career helping people manage risk and plan for the future. Yet suddenly, I was standing in the middle of a future I hadn't planned.

But somewhere between the fear and the frustration, I remembered something important.

Life isn't built in the moments when everything goes according to plan.

It's built in the moments when we decide what happens next.

When I look back on my life, this isn't the first time I've had to begin again.

I graduated from college with my Master of Science in Accounting (after becoming a widow and single mother).

I've changed careers.

Built businesses.

Moved across the country.

Started over more than once.

Every chapter taught me something new about resilience, courage, and trusting myself.

This chapter will be no different.

Today, I'm not focused on what ended.

I'm focused on what is possible.

In the coming months, Todd and I will be taking our boat around Florida and the Bahamas, exploring places we've talked about for years.

I'm learning what it means to be a more confident captain, not just a passenger.

I'm finally making time for things I've always wanted to do—playing the keyboard, improving my French, traveling more, and saying yes to experiences that once felt too far away or too impractical.