Who am I?

Somehow I got a little lost in my mommy adventure. I forgot a lot of things about myself like what I should do with the rest of my life. Thankfully I still know a few minor details that I can share. The rest I hope to re-discover through this blogging adventure.

I have a very loud laugh. It is slightly tragic but it is honest and I’ve accepted that it is one of my signatures.

Music makes me soar. I love to dance and sometimes embarrass myself with my enthusiasm on the dance floor. I dream about being the girl with the guitar around the campfire. I’ve just recently re-discovered music and I can actually answer the question: What are some of your favorite new musical talents?

I love taking pictures. There is something magical about being behind the lens. It forces you to be in the moment and look at things from different angles. Mostly I like taking close-up pictures of bazaar things but I’ve also fallen in love with being the family historian. You can follow my photo adventures on Instagram @findingcorine.

I’m a proud book nerd.  I sometimes get too attached to characters and have a hard time letting go. I don’t need happy endings because I love being tortured with sad stories. I’ve always championed the underdogs, the subaltern and the forgotten.  I find the human spirit incredible in the face of suffering.

I’m a Pisces with a Virgo rising. If you know anything about astrology you know that makes my head a complicated mess. Which it most absolutely is. I’m convinced this is why I am sometimes a horrible speller even though I was an English and Journalism major. This is my way of asking for forgiveness on my spelling and grammar transgressions. If the Virgo had her way, trust me, a lot of things would be different.

I’m a crafter. I love making things and can get lost in those moments of creation. I know I killed a huge chunk of my creativity growing up and I am desperately trying to get some of it back. Thankfully the universe gave me two super creative kids and they teach me everyday how to let go and trust that we are all innately creative souls … and that that silly self-critic thing is for the birds. They still have a lot to teach me on how to silence that beast.

My politics are all centered on a belief in peace, sustainability, equal human rights, and access to education and resources for all.

I love the adventure of new things and I have a lot of really great ideas. I am also very fickle. This leads to many passionate journeys started…but not always finished.  Life often distracts me from following thorough but I’m starting to realize that it might be because I like the journey – even though I keep desperately searching for that perfect end goal.

Most days I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up.  I have been many things in my mere 40+ years –  an advertising executive, an academic, a college teacher, a stay-at-home mom, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a secret writer and a general jack-of-all-trades.  I have 2 masters degrees and an almost PhD and I still contemplate going back to school.  I love learning and if someone would pay me to do it, I would have my life-long career.

I’ve been out of the traditional work force for almost eight years.  I’m not sure where all the time went. It zips by when you are a mom.  I have a long complicated story about how I became a stay-at-home mom that you can read about it here. I never really planned on taking this position for so long but I am grateful for the experience – most days anyway. The road has been bumpy and curved. It has been a long and sweet meditation – one that I realize was key for my personal growth as a human. It is part of my journey. Now I am ready for a new path.  I know I will always be MOM, but I need something new.  Something ME. Something daring and bold. Something that scares me.

The experience of motherhood has changed me in a multitude of ways, many of which are magical.  I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world. That being said, I’ve lost myself a bit.  I’ve become cautious.  I’m almost always second, or third or fourth. This blog is a way for me to carve a room of my own to explore myself again. I love writing and it has always been a goal of mine to put words into the world. It scares the living daylights out of me which is exactly why I need to do it. Sit back and enjoy my ride. I know I will.