About

The Road

Do you share my fascination with roads? I’m mesmerized by photographs, illustrations, and sketches of roads – and of course, the sheer thrill of driving on them.

Maybe it’s because I ran track in junior high school. I loved looking down at the bright white center line of the paved track, crouch four position, on your marks, set and go! I was all about the short sprints, 50-yard, 100- yard and I ran 220-yard relays. Running feels powerful. Our bodies are amazing machines.

I absolutely love to drive. I favor asphalt, the smooth ride but a well-constructed new concrete road can feel beautiful beneath your wheels too.

Or is it the plentiful poetry or Irish blessings about roads? Like Robert Frost’s “Two roads diverged in a wood and I –I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference?” Or “May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand?”

Each of us walks, runs, rides, or drives the roads of our lives. There may be roadblocks, U-turns, forks to choose between, one-way streets, roundabouts, and occasionally, dead ends. The key is to keep on keeping on. I’ve failed many times. Fall, get up, fall again, get up again. Keep trying, stay positive and never, ever give up! One more time: Never, ever give up!

Through the years my career path was a long and winding road with forks like “non-compete agreements” interfering with long term growth in a specific industry. I most enjoyed consultative industrial sales, purchasing, management, and administration. My own EQ usually worked for me but there were a few times when it was seriously lacking and therefore worked against me. Truly. Occasionally I reflect on wins and losses in the various roles I’ve played, recalling when, as a manager for example, I really aced a situation and then, regrettably – blew another! Live and learn. I’ve had many jobs (I was enthusiastic about a handful of them) so authoring a book about Interviewing made perfect sense. After all, my expertise was hard won (many jobs = many, many interviews) Lots of career, customer service, and how to interview books are written by good people with little actual “field experience.”

I’m a Kansas City author, and eBook publisher, and for a few years, a Board-Certified Patient Advocate. I’ve spent 25 years researching alternative health and quality nutrition. (I collaborate with a nutritional therapist who I treasure!) I encourage every one of us to become advocates for our own wellness. Properly vet the advocate to be sure they are working for you. (A Patient Advocate at a hospital is an employee of that hospital so, the potential for conflict of interest exists.)

I love research: studying technology and the Internet, pets and animal welfare, social justice, and preserving the planet are priorities for me.

Looking down on a road like the one above, my eyes see promise, the unknown, the mystery of the uncharted, a way out, a way forward, and sometimes a way home.

Among my favorites quotes is this one by Nelson Henderson: The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.