Getting Even: What it Means Here, Ways to Get Even

Hello! Welcome to my updated site, “Getting Even.” No, it isn’t about revenge for times I’ve been wronged or short-changed.

The purpose for “Getting Even” is two-fold. First, it is to share some hard-earned advice, stories and resources that have helped me heal and “chill out” more in my early 50s. I’ve earned some talking room and want to encourage others not to wait or stumble around like I did.

Second, I think a way we all can “get even” with all of the negativity on-line, in the news, in our towns, state, country is to share the good stuff we see. To encourage each other, to bring down our blood pressure and bring up our moods.

I mentioned earlier that I’ve earned some talking room. If you are in your midlife, I’m sure you have, too. I’ve been a police officer’s and soldier’s wife since I was 23. In my mid-forties, I finally gave myself one of the greatest gifts so long overdue: weekly therapy with a heaven-sent psychologist. I needed to mourn a childhood compromised by alcoholism and a homeless parent. I had to realign an adulthood riddled with anger and conflict. In that four years, I made some major core changes that immeasurably improved my life and my relationships going forward. This included a “divorce-like” split from a church I’d been attending most of my life.

The end of my fiftieth year, I was diagnosed with asthma.That was really scary! After a lot of tests, I found out I was allergic to my dog, dust and golden rod. I started allergy shots because there was no way I was getting rid of my black lab! The asthma, ironically, forced me to “just breathe” (calm down) to avoid making it worse.

I promise you now that this blog is not going to be about me whining my head off. On the contrary, it will be for the most part a place of gratitude and rejoicing over the good things going on in our lives and in world!

One caveat. While I’ve cooled my jets a bit in the past few years, I am who I am. I will still vent once in a while when something really gets my goat! (See “So Wrong I Just Have to Say Something” on the menu). I will try to temper my passion and offer alternative positive thoughts and resources if I smoke starts coming out of my ears.

So, it is with a renewed spirit and a deep breath that I revamp my blog to try to accentuate the positive instead of simply adding to the malaise of negativity, people-bashing and downright “hate” that’s out there. It will be a reminder and resource to us what is necessary to “get even” and “stay even” in our personal lives.

I hope you’ll get even with me.