Back in the Saddle Again

Two months ago, I officially retired as a mother, moved into my own place, and have begun the ‘next phase’ of my life. It’s not unlike being 17 all over again, wondering what I want to be when I grow up. Now I don’t have the tug of raising kids that so completely dominated my life for the past 23 years. As sad as it is to let go, there are such possibilities ahead that I can get a little giddy.

I’ve spent a great deal of time working with Facebook in the past couple of years. I created a Facebook Page for my book Companion Through The Darkness, which led to creating a Facebook Group called The Companions for my readers. After years of hearing from individual readers about their reactions to Companion, I was finally given a way to connect these people to each other—something I believe is critical in healing grief. It’s been an incredible experience to become involved in the lives of my readers, who are the most authentic people that I’ve ever met. I am in awe of how the Internet has given rise to not only the ways that grieving people can find support through a common community, but also with the number of those communities that have sprung up since I wrote Companion, 23 years ago. This has led me to design a series of workshops/retreats, which I will be announcing in the future.

Because of Facebook, I now also hear from students around the world who have read my essay, “The Ways We Lie”, which is thoroughly delightful. This essay, (originally published as the cover story for the Utne Reader’s issue, “The Whole Truth About Lying, Trust Us” [Nov-Dec 1992]), has been reprinted in textbooks for college English for the past 18 years. With Facebook now connecting everyone in the world, students are able to find me on Facebook and start a dialogue about the essay. It’s very rewarding to hear them tell me that this essay changed the way they think about truth and lies, what constitutes a lie and why, and what are the consequences of the lies we tell. Some have said that it actually has changed their lives. Because of all this interest, I have created a new Facebook Page for this essay which is only just up and running.

I’m also building a web-presence for Dr. Stephen Zuckerman, whose first three books I edited in years past. This has meant getting back on the learning curve, something I really love doing. I will post Zuckerman’s pages as they're created.

I’ve decommissioned my blog, Confessions, Thoughts Better Not Left Unsaid, for now, because it needed a major re-design. I will be combining some of that blog into this one. I’m also looking into various web software for blogging to decide which one will suit my needs. In the mean time, I'm blogging here at 'a writer for all reasons.'

It is really great to be back in the writing saddle again. I’m loving it in a way I never did before. I still, however, hate the paperwork!