Ten years of the Hippy Shakes: Oh the Humanity

“Let me introduce you to the one and only..”

May 11, 2013. It was a day that will live in infamy. It was the day I started this blog/newsletter/column or however you want to label it. The words at the top began it all.

Ten years of this. Who would have guessed? Certainly not me!

I had a plan for what I wanted to do here. I was about one year into the Parkinson’s Disease journey. I was having a tough time dealing with my new reality, but there were enough interesting things occurring that I thought I could write a book. The posts I was going to write would give me a roadmap on how to do it.

SURPRISE! Plans change. While I lost interest in that book, doing this did help me become part of a group that did write a book. It also led me to become the lead writer for a series of three plays. I think it was a much better outcome.

Back to the ten years of this thing…

While at the beginning I never thought this was possible, over the last few years I could see and feel this day coming. And, I actually had a plan. I figured ten years at the old place, which shall not be named, would be a perfect time to call it a day. It sounded like a nice even number, right? I did start putting the plan into motion about a year ago.

Again…SURPRISE! Plans change. I didn’t know that the old place, which shall not be named, would shut down without notice last August, nine months short of my goal. Nine months short of my plan.

But, there’s a lot to be said for being flexible. There’s a lot to be said about being able to adapt to change. Even though it’s still a ten-year anniversary, I’ve only been here for nine months and I don’t feel I’m ready to be done. Not even close. In some ways, it feels like I’m just getting started. I can’t see doing this for another ten years, but that’s what I thought on May 11, 2013. Maybe we should do this on a day-by-day basis and see where it goes.

So, I’m breaking out the cake for the “Hippy Shakes.” The candles are also for the future because there are a lot more words coming from these pages. Watch this space. Oh, the humanity.