Dear Reader:

If you are like me… you might be thinking to yourself … why do all the ” experts” pick on ” being comfortable ” … as if it is a negative drawback on one’s personal path through life? Can’t we be comfortable without feeling guilty? Didn’t we earn this right after years of dizzying cycles around the proverbial work merry-go-round?

I have discovered the answer myself since my ” formal” retirement from education and the answer depends on the depth of the entrenchment we dig ourselves in post- careers.

Human beings are drawn to familiarity and order because they both provide us a sense of security and we feel most at ease when there is minimal stress and uncertainty in our surroundings. But too much of anything is not healthy. We soon come to realize that ” All play and no work make Jill a dull girl.”

For me… so much happened so quickly after my retirement that I never had time to process my own dream for it. Mandy’s wedding, breast cancer diagnosis and multiple treatments ( still on-going) becoming a grandmother, discovering St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope and then finally taking the leap into daily journalism via the blog post ” Chapelofhopestories.com.”

The biggest ” Something I Did for the First Time” was taking a leap of faith to share thoughts about Bill and Beverly Barutio’s amazing story creating St Jude’s Chapel of Hope… a story that needed to be told to the world. To this day I feel Beverly’s spirit every day while waiting for a new idea to appear. No doubt Beverly is my angel post deliverer.

My only regret is and was not meeting her in person because I feel we share the same sense of humor mingled with our own take of a shared spirituality . So everyday I do ” Something for the First Time” with a little help from my friends!

The secret to the balance of comfort and productivity is ” optimal stress.” ( Or as grandmother used to say ” Do something everyday that puts a giddy-up in your step.” )

So until tomorrow… Try to live the message your teachers reenforced ( including myself) every year ” Become a Lifetime Learner.” I know it keeps me curious about learning new things continuously … the catalyst for personal growth and discovery.

Today is my favorite day. Winnie the Pooh