I feel like the most important of my bio can’t be written because it hasn’t been lived yet; but, for those of you who want to know who this “Blue” person is, I’ve encapsulated my life here for you:
At age twenty, I had the opportunity to work as a public relations assistant for a semester aboard the University of the Seven Seas. We sailed out of New York, around the world and four months later, back into San Francisco. It was an incredible cultural experience that made an indelible imprint on the rest of my life. I earned $300 for the entire trip, sold my car for an additional $300 and created more memories for that $600 than should be humanly possible.
I interviewed Madame Shiang Kai-chek, dined at the King of Siam’s castle, rode camels in the Sahara Desert (in the rain), climbed the Pyramids of Egypt (in a dress), slept on the beach in Thailand and was tailed by a government agent in Formosa.
My marriage at age twenty-two–before I had grown up–lasted only a few years. I’m a quick study and decided I prefer being single. I’ve raised two exceptional children by myself. They’re both involved with computers. My son and his fiancée live in Northern California and my daughter just accepted a job in Germany. No grandkids yet, but I haven’t given up hope. I have many life-long friends, including my mother, who’ve helped me create a life full of laughter and wonderful memories.
My corporate America years were split between several careers. The first was in information systems, where I wrote Cobol programs, designed Hewlett-Packard’s cost accounting system, and managed a data center. Then I moved into marketing, eventually specializing in business-to-business direct marketing for high tech products and services. At one time I was product manager for games on HP’s Vectra PC products. Playing with Flight Simulator was a kick. I owned two consulting companies, each lasting about three years. Last and least, I spent three years managing a technical support and training organization for a Unix operating system company. Eventually, I received a BS in Business Administration.
At that point in my life, dreams and synchronicity intervened and caused me to question, “Is this all there is?” Something important was missing in my life and I understood that doing more of what I was doing and getting more of what I was getting wasn’t going to fill the void. I needed to make a radical change in my life. Now, aged fifty-six, I consider myself a midlife maverick. Four years ago I escaped the jungle of corporate America to “retire” in Ajijic, Mexico and search for my life’s purpose.
The last few years I’ve been reading, writing, traveling and playing. I just published my first book, entitled Midlife Mavericks: Women Reinventing Their Lives in Mexico. I interviewed scores of Canadian and American women, aged 40 to 81, who chose to move to Mexico in the second half of their lives. I’ve included a couple of excerpts from the book in my columns. I’m halfway through my first novel, called Leap into Life.
I live in La Floresta, just outside Ajijic, with my two white poodles, Pierre and Maurice. Besides being involved in the writer’s community here, I am active in several on-line writers groups, create soft-sculpture dolls, tackle diverse decorating and crafting projects, am an avid board game player, write occasionally for the local papers, and teach English at the orphanage in San Juan Cosala.
Each day I count among my blessings, being able to live and write in this beautiful place with a wonderful climate and such warm and gentle people. I look forward to the second half of my life unfolding day by day.