Hello and welcome! I’m Laura, a schoolteacher who’s rediscovered the latent English major within. I’m a single mother and homeowner. I’m a Lover who’s been beaten down with past toxic relationships and life’s challenges but who continues to rise and try to put loving energy into the Universe even when it goes unrequited. I am W-O-M-A-N (My so-titled essay won 3rd place in the memoir/personal essay category of the Writer’s Digest 88th Annual Writing Competition.). I’m single and dating, discerning in my choices. I’m alpha and I’m beta—beta by nature; alpha by experience. I’m a March baby—gentle as a lamb and strong as a lioness. I’m not one thing—I’m a spectrum.
With divorce, I had to reorient myself, my life, my children’s lives. It was an active creative process, with me, the sculptor, intentionally shaping myself into who I am and who I can be. The work isn’t done. Rather, it’s a perpetual work-in-progress as I continue to be shaped by new experiences and try to rise to manifest my best self within my ever-evolving context. The people I invite into my world these days are those who bolster mutual betterment and expand my universe.
A large part of my re-creation over the last several years has been reexamining the core of who I’ve always been (That 10-year-old girl writing stories on an Apple IIe computer is now blogging on the internet!) and reconstructing myself from the foundation up. I was fortunate enough to discuss this with Bruce Feiler, bestselling author of Life is in the Transitions (I’m on page 236!). He filed my story under the section “The Tharp Rule: Dig”. It’s not always about turning the page, sometimes you need to look back to move forward.
Not wanting my life to be one thing, I continue to look to expand it in new directions. My boys are grown and flying the nest. My life continues to transition. I still seek that elusive loving relationship but choose singlehood over settling. The end of my teaching career approaches, and I want to expand myself in new directions, explore possibilities.
Resurrecting this blog, much like turning back the pages of self, is part of that expansion. Previously, I shared a broad spectrum of myself in this blog—art, relationship, travel, even politics. But that spectrum of self finds its way into my writing regardless of my topic. So now, I evolve the blog with me and turn its focus to dating, a place where I’ve focused much energy in the past dozen years in my own search for Love, and a subject over which I’ve gained a fair amount of knowledge and insight. Some of my story I share here.
As an English major, I love human story, and the story shared herein is all written from my experience, knowledge, insight, and talent. I do not use A.I. It’s all me and my words.
I welcome your input, questions, and story as well. Let’s journey together.
Best—Laura
P.S. If you’d like to visit my archived art blog: https://artseen8.wordpress.com/art-seen/