Second Wind I didn't plan to be a writer. I didn't major in Creative Writing, Journalism, or English Lit. In fact, my undergraduate degree was in Recreation and my graduate work was in Information Systems and Telecommunications Management. The fact is, I spent close to three decades trying to work out what I wanted to do with my life. I went from job to job exploring, striving, learning, and always searching for that one perfect job where my gifts, talents, skills, passions, and purpose would fit. Despite all the change one thing remains: I love to read and write. It's like breathing. When I read, I inhale. When I write, I exhale. The combination of the two gives me insight I can't find anywhere else. I love the aha moments, the universal themes, and the life lessons that can be found in just about any situation, be it trauma, tragedy, or triumph. Which is probably why I landed on memoir (and self-help), where I can write about universal truths that are illustrated by something deeply personal. I can dive deep into all kinds of experiences — abuse, divorce, surgery, surgical menopause, cancer, and racial tensions as well as cycling, the gym, food sensitivity, health transformations, road trips, setbacks and comebacks — and pull out the good, the bad, and the ugly. I can add lightness and laughter and find the positive. As I embrace hope and joy and share it with the world, it gets multiplied. “A joy shared is multiplied; a sorrow shared is divided.” ~ Proverb I began blogging in 2014 but it was in 2016 when I whispered my heart's desire to be a best-selling author. I always thought my first book would be about life lessons from the bike or cycling shorts (stories) but that book remains in incubation while others rise to the forefront based on the seasons of my life. Over the years I've written about all sorts of wellness topics, which I categorize as the Wheels to Wellness. The main four themes that have emerged are True Health – In mind, body, spirit and emotion Love – “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” The problem is, we don't love ourselves enough. Laughter – It truly is the best medicine Freedom – Because at some point we've all been in chains