Have you ever been asked to describe yourself? In another context, I was asked to do just that. It seemed a bit egocentric to me at first and it has not been an easy task, but I tried. Here’s what I’ve concluded if you're interested, and you might want to try it for yourself!

I am actually an introvert, although most people who know me would not believe that. I have spent a lifetime of teaching, being in front of other people. I have always been vivacious, excited, giving, loving, nurturing, all of that. However, when the days have ended, I have always been happy to go home, pour a glass of wine, unwind, and enjoy the quiet. I have never regretted my decision to become an educator and I know, I know, that I have made a difference in the lives of my students. Conversely, they have made a difference in mine. They friend me on Facebook, some still call me “Mom”, and I rejoice in the fact that so many have become productive adults in this world.

So, to describe me may not be as easy as I would like it to be. I love to laugh. I love to laugh so hard I have to pee. I have a core group of friends, my Champagne Study Group that allows that to happen. Yet, I also love being alone. I love to spend time in my house all by myself listening to music or writing at my computer. I love solitary moments when I can read, pick vegetable from my garden, hike, or simply gaze at the beautiful koi that swim in the pond outside my front door. I like being by myself, and aside from a few incredible days at a San Francisco Giants baseball game among a throng of equally enthusiastic fans, I avoid crowds like the plague.

I am kind and respectful of others. I am a loving person. I have made mistakes. I have had failures and disappointments. I have had joys and success as well, many of them. I also have experienced extreme loss, as when my son, Alex, an Fire Apparatus Engineer with CAL Fire, passed away on May 24, 2013 after a nine-year battle with job-related brain cancer. I know pain.

So here I am: a mature adult woman who has so much more to give, so much more to offer, and a hell of a lot to say. I am fortunate to be able to admit that I feel good about myself. I wish the confidence I have now, I had had when I was much younger, but then, it would have changed my life and I wouldn’t be who I am now. I guess it is simply time to get on with it!

Here I am with my dog, Hallie, at Lake Tahoe on 9/29/2013.