Today is my 50th birthday. For half a century, I’ve been living on this rock, trying to do what I can to make the best out of a very chaotic existence. Due to recent events, the chaos is dialed up a bit more than normal, to the point of starting anew.

Well, I’m not completely starting over from scratch. This time, I have furniture and pets.

Still, the things I thought would be there are no longer available, and it’s time to make some major changes. I’ll spare you the details, but essentially, my life has become an 80s country-western song. At least, it would be if I liked the taste of beer.

Although I have a lot of big changes going on right now, there are still a few things I am trying to maintain. The hard part is trying to juggle everything as I pack up for Maine. And it’s going to cost a small fortune to move 2200 miles.

Why the Move to Maine?

Someone very important to me turned me on to Maine. I spent a bit of time doing some research and have come to realize that the state is everything I’ve ever wanted in a climate. It’s much cooler, rains more often, is full of trees, and has a ton of ponds, lakes, rivers, and the ocean. These make me happy.

I have secondary polycythemia, which means I produce far too many red blood cells. A lower altitude means my body doesn’t have to compensate for lower oxygen levels. And let’s not forget about humidity, which is greatly beneficial for my psoriasis.

From the perspectives of physical and mental health, Maine is ideal for me.

Another reason to move is to try something new. Truth be told, I’ve had a rough 25 years living in Colorado. Don’t get me wrong, I love this state and what it has to offer. But I’ve also had the hardest time making ends meet and keeping my family afloat. Now that the kids are moved out and on their own, it’s time to explore what I can while working on my degrees.

I’ll miss the mountains, but I’ll gain an ocean and a regular white Christmas. As odd as it might sound to some, I really miss the snow.

So, when do I move? I have no idea. I’m still trying to figure out the logistics and financing, all while attending school at CU full-time. At the moment, I just don’t have a clue.

Maintaining a 4.0 GPA

Speaking of schooling, I am still holding on to a 4.0 GPA, and I’d like to keep it that way. My next semester is full of core classes that might prove a bit more difficult than my most recent classes. Nonetheless, I’m putting maximum effort into my education.

Currently, I’m working toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing. Then, I’ll move over to acquire a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology. I intend to have all kinds of initials next to my name. That is, as long as I can afford to keep going. I’m already racking up one hell of a bill.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what college could offer that I didn’t already have thanks to my experience. It’s more than attending classes for me, though. I miss human interaction, having been working from home since 2013.

Besides, a degree might help boost my career in one venue or another. Plus, I’m putting what I learn into immediate practice for future blogs and books. Perhaps I can make a few bucks before it comes time to start paying the school loans.

At any rate, going to school, even at 50 years old, has been an incredible experience. And I’m going to do everything in my power to continue until I have a PhD of some sort. Well, that is, as long as I live long enough to get one.

The Books

I’ve had to put the books on hold for the last few months. With everything that has been going on in my life recently, I just haven’t had the time or motivation to write much.

However, I want to get back into writing more often. I still have a slew of story ideas in my head, and I would love to get them printed. And I would love to spend a bit of time learning how to market them properly. A book sale every four months isn’t really conducive to being a world-class author.

Then again, I don’t really focus on trying to make sales. I tell the stories I want to tell, regardless if topics and genres are trending or not.

The funny thing is that I’ve written a lot this year, especially during the summer semester. For five weeks, it was a new story every three days or so. I’m working on getting them up on this blog, as well as some that I kept for the anthology I’m working on for Wattpad.

In any case, I would love to publish more than one book every two years. Then again, I would also love the chaos to stop for a day or two so I can write. Perhaps moving to Maine will help me organize my time better – new locale, new me type of stuff.

The Blogs

I haven’t been able to spend as much time working on the blogs as I would have liked this year. I’ve dumped a couple, added AnthCodex.com, and plan on helping my friend beef up SheepleUnderground.com. So, there is still a lot going on with the blogging front.

The fun part is that I might have to change a couple of names, or perhaps start new sites when I get to Maine. CrossingColorado.com and ColoradoPlays.com don’t make much sense if I am living on the other side of the country.

I had a lot of high hopes for those two websites. And a lot of things didn’t come to fruition thanks to procrastination and a lack of motivation. I’m not sure what will come of the “Colorado” blogs and YouTube channels. Maybe starting over is more ideal, and this time, putting in the effort to see things through.

Why keep the blogs alive? Because I am a writer, and I love sharing what I know. I’ll always be a blogger until my dying breath. Let’s just hope that is many, many, many years down the road.

Regardless of what AI does in the future, I’ll always be a writer.

The YouTube Channels

Like the blogs, I haven’t been able to do much with the YouTube channels. However, I would like to dial up the effort for video content. Plus, I enjoy making videos. I suppose I just like creating things regardless of the platform.

I mean, I’m still working on the storyline for my own video game that happens between Kingmaker and Fury.

I’ve also been planning online video courses using YouTube, and I would love to see how well they work out. I had to take a bit of a hiatus, considering my background is now full of moving crates and boxes. But I would love to get back to it as soon as possible.

Although I am first and foremost a writer, I do enjoy the process of making videos, especially when I was producing the Despair audiobook. I would love to get back into doing that at some point this year.

Doubling Down On Myself

So, what is the biggest thing I want to work on now that I’m fifty? Well, I still want to work on time management. A lot of the things I want to achieve would have been done by now if I managed my time better. Granted, chaos plays a huge role in derailing my efforts on a regular basis. However, there were plenty of times when I could have managed a blog post, video, or chapter in a book.

In reality, it doesn’t matter how you change the surrounding scenery with a move if you’re still carrying the same old baggage. Yes, moving to Maine may inspire my development. But without addressing a few internal things with myself, I might wind up spinning my wheels with the same old habits and behaviors.

I’ve taken a huge step with investing in myself and going back to school. Now, I just need to keep the momentum with all of the other side projects.

Investing in yourself is probably one of the best ways to spend time and money. This includes things like going to the gym, going to therapy, taking classes, visiting the doctor once in a while, and focusing on who you are and where you want to go.

Some folks my age are content with where they are in life, and that’s perfectly fine. As long as you’re happy and healthy, that’s all that matters in the end. For me, though, I intend to keep pushing to newer and greater heights.

Here’s to Another 50 Years (hopefully)!

Will I live another 50 years? Who knows? I would love to see the tricentennial of the United States. In the meantime, though, I’m going to keep doing what I can to accomplish all of the realistic goals I have in life.

I am the only one stopping me from achieving all that I’ve ever wanted. So, let’s see what I can accomplish in the next 50 years. I’ve led an interesting life up to this point, and I’m quite excited to see what comes next.