“Adventure can be an end in itself. Self-discovery is the secret ingredient that fuels daring.”

-- Grace Lichtenstein

I never understood why I lived immobilized by fear and self doubt or felt like a victim, totally unprepared for what was to come. I felt unsafe and intimidated by others who were bigger or older or more experienced than I.

Now I want to find myself naked in the words I put to paper, spelling out who I am and what I have become. I saw myself as a failure and yet there are pieces of paper that tell me of my successes. How I managed to survive all the self rejection and still be here moving on, is beyond my comprehension.

I have a sense that I have been elsewhere and someone else has been in this body. I find myself weeping for the years I've missed when I left my body for someone else to inhabit. The laughable question is, "where have I been all my life?"

In spite of my stupor and unconscious state … I have gone through a transition and am in the process of giving birth to myself. I am growing up at 67. The future is not frightening but a journey to be experienced. Where I go from here is a mystery and an adventure to be lived.

For the first time in my existence, I feel an opening to the possibilities of things ... I am fearlessly here and there is always one more door to pass through and one more opportunity to master. Thank you God!

~ Gemma Halpern

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to your courage."

-- Anais Nin