Well, I’ve missed you very much, blog. But I promise you, my disappearance has been for good reason. You see, I have spent this time on a bit of a personal retreat to clarify, focus, and refine who I am and what I really want to do with my life.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my job teaching at the high school and university levels, and I love the time I already have to write. My life, by any measure, is a blessed one that I do not take for granted.

Still, something’s been missing, especially lately.

Maybe it’s been the trigger of the second hand, sweeping ever so swiftly these days around the dial. I feel myself getting older in a society that continues to get younger. There is a certain desperation that keeps surfacing, despite my efforts to just let these feelings come and go without allowing them to take up residence for too long. Somehow, I turned 43 when I thought I was still 23. Where did those 20 years go? I’ve accomplished so much during that time, and I’ve not wasted the time, at least not awfully. Still, I somehow spent those 20 years on a zipline to today, and now I’m looking down the barrel of dead-on middle age.

I’m making some changes. I’ve lost 25 pounds since mid-January, so I’m getting my health back on track. And I just finished a 5-show run of West Side Story, where I played Doc. Loved being on stage again after a 25-year hiatus. I won’t be on stage again; consider this an item on my bucket list. But I did it, and I feel great that I took the risk and realized that I still got it in the spotlight. I can still make a character come alive. That’s a piece of experience I’m taking with me to the pen and paper. Writers can never have enough experiences when it comes to developing strong characters.

I’m working on a major story called Carraway Station. I’ve outlined it more than any story I’ve ever written, and the first draft is going well. I’ve sketched out a little over 100 pages to date, and it’s turning into the best thing I’ve ever written.

But the biggest change, probably, is taking the transition from educator to writer very seriously. I’ll be submitting 3 pieces a month for the next 6 months, and then consider increasing my work schedule based on how successful those 6 months are.

This means changes to my blog as well. My posts will be much more writing-centered. I hope to keep my (largely silent) audience intact through this transition. If you know of somebody who might enjoy reading what I have to say, please do not hesitate in sharing…

One thing is certain: my focus is now on making this transition. I will never leave teaching entirely, but I can wait no longer to take this career change seriously.

My love to all….and thanks for hanging in there these past few weeks!