Living A la Mode

Has there ever been a time when you heard a la mode and didn’t smile? “That is what I love about a la mode….it conjures up goodness, smiles, and of course, ice cream. Not a bad tone to set. The idea of living a la mode! also represents how a small, deliberate change can have a huge impact. How one simple act will elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary. To relish in the beauty of that simple act and not always attempt to go overboard when it comes to life. That one small act in any area of your life can change it for the better? Don’t get me wrong, live with gusto, just don’t go so crazy with projects and resolutions that you end up trying to stay one step ahead or playing catch up with life. Don’t miss the whole point of living a la Mode.”

About 10 years ago I started this blog. Above was my first post. A lot has happened in those years. But during the time I wrote the blog I was doing something that invariably brings failure. I was writing what I thought people wanted in a voice that was not always my own. I was also spending a lot of that time focused on others and not myself. I lost a lot of years to others. And I don’t mean serving others in a charitable sense. That is noble. I mean serving others so I did not have to deal with myself. That is just dumb.

Why start posting again? Well, I think it is time I write in my own voice. That I look at life as a grand experiment and not a series of duties or checklists.

I was let go along with many other people, most far more talented than I, after what seemed to be the hundredth round of layoffs at my newspaper. I had been lucky to survive so many. But looking back now, I was not so lucky. While the last few years were the best I ever had working with the editors and colleagues, I needed a change. The universe kindly handed it to me.

So I am 53, single, with severance, and have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. No idea what to do next. So I returned to my blog and thought I would start anew. This time in my voice, on topics important to me. To write on topics such as finance, budgeting, food, fun, and perhaps a little philosophy. I want to find my voice in my writing. I want to find myself in my writing. More importantly, I want to find those little a la mode moments in my life. Do join me.