For too many years, I ignored my dreams and avoided doing things I really wanted to do because of the stories I told myself. It was unexpectedly after a white-knuckle ride at Disneyland that I had an epiphany and decided I was done letting worry, fear, and doubt write my life story. I learned how to hear the negativity but not listen to it and began trusting in myself and taking risks. For a person who doesn’t like roller coasters, I learned that there are ways to let go and not fall off.

I then decided to move across the country to Manhattan just before I turned 60, and two months later, Covid happened. I began to understand that while our dreams and the risks we take don’t always turn out the way we want or expect them to, things eventually work out in ways we can’t even imagine. We just need to trust the process. There are no guarantees in life.