A year ago, I had a plan.

It was time for my dream to take priority. I have wanted to write ever since I had teachers whose belief in me fueled that passion.

Unlike other wanna be writers, I know what that would actually look like. I have an aunt who is a very successful author. She wrote one book that changed the field of nursing and has been used by nursing students for 30 years. She speaks all over the country about that one book. My “dream life” was attainable because I had seen it lived by someone I loved.

I have an Auntie…do you?

My vision, my circumstances and the market were ready. It was my turn. Finally.

I responded HELL YES to a DM on Twitter that said - have you ever thought about writing a book? And within a day or two, I had paid $10,000 to a manuscript program that would guide me through the process of publishing my book in one year.

I finally had a plan, a system and a framework to build on!

Finally I had a plan with the support I needed to succeed. My parents were declining but stable. We blocked off our calendar for a few months and I was going to stay home and write every day. Finish my manuscript, publish my book, plan a book tour.

I had been propping up my parents for the past several years. The goal was to keep them independent in their own house for the rest of their lives. I would stay with them during the plethora of medical procedures and then fly to meet my husband for our hotel photography jobs.

Home is my favorite place on earth but I was only there about 20% of the time.

The plan was perfect. The stars had aligned. I could replace our hotel photography income and the travel it requires. I would be doing something I love and have always dreamed of. I would care for my parents when they needed me and they had agreed to split time between our home in Illinois and their home in Georgia rather than me having to go there all the time.

And then {Insert Life}

On July 17, 2023, I woke to find that I had missed a whole bunch of calls.

The details don’t matter. My dad had fallen, broke three ribs in the fall which was terrible but worse was the realization that his progressive Alzheimer’s was now accelerated with a series of strokes. Vascular dementia, blood clots, punctured arteries, urinary tract infections, sepsis.

Months in and out of rehab led to months of hospitalizations.

He couldn’t stay out of the hospital long enough for me to get back to work. My mom was not able to care for him and would not allow any caregiver except me. After months of living with them, my life on hold, it became unsustainable. We moved them to my home town so I could care for them…and myself.

A month after they officially emptied their house and moved in here, my mom got sick and died 9 days later. My dad went off a cliff physically, emotionally and cognitively.

So What Happens Next?

I’m at my office now while my dad is at PT. I lost the $10,000 investment in the manuscript program and it turned out to be a terrible impulse decision. The program was not a scam per se but it was not right for me and the type of writing I want to do.

My dream is not dead. It just has taken on a different shape and size.

I still want to write the same book. My dream hasn’t changed. But my book is about Get to No University - a framework I created for Critical Thinking. I believe that what I have to say will change lives even if that’s just mine and my husband’s.

This year, I lived my framework. I depended on my system for Critical Thinking for Neurosparklers. And I got to see what happened when I did most what I did best in the way that worked best for me…because there was no other option.

I learned more about resilience, strength, and Neurosparkle in the past 12 months than I learned in the previous 57 years.

As I look back over the events of the past year, I am more convinced than ever that this is what I am here to do even though I still don’t know what that will look like.

If you are struggling with your own {Insert Life} moments right now, then please join me on this journey. I am building something for us all.