I never signed up for this….. Exactly 6 years ago today I started this blog and chose that title, both the title and the date intended as deliberate ways to challenge the universe.
When something bad happens, you naturally associate the bad thing with what surrounds it: the date, where you were, what you were doing, what you were wearing, what you were eating.
Even if you’re not superstitious, in my life July 4 weekend was a doozy. Death. Divorce. Diagnosed with cancer. Nearly all the bad stuff in my life swirling around one date. (Trust me on that, or read this.)
You can stop eating at a restaurant where something bad happened but you can’t stop a date from showing up on the calendar.
I couldn’t find the cure in my normal coping skills. I tried, but no amount of chocolate could make this better.
Instead of hunkering down every July 4 hoping nothing bad would happen, I thought I could neutralize the date if I could associate it with something good.
Since I couldn’t count on the universe to cooperate and deliver good things right on schedule, I had to create them myself. (In a way this is what my TED talk, and my life, are all about.)
Starting this blog is part of that. I had never heard the word “blog” when someone suggested I do it. When I found out what it was, my gut told me to jump in with both feet. So I did.
A lot has changed over those 6 years. For the first two years I wrote a full length post every single day 7 days a week. Then I dialed it down. Way down.
Other aspects of blogging have dialed up. Good things started rolling in from day one. The rewards and relationships initiated by this blog have continued spreading out like ripples into the universe.
So the universe and I have reached agreement: cooperating rather than challenging each other. I consider that my true Independence.
Happy Independence Day weekend to all.
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