I loved every part of this article, Barbara! I can definitely relate with your Phoenix Rising analogy. I've taken some hard knocks in my life, most of which I haven't written about, but I continue to charge forward pursuing my dreams and trying to not let anything stand in my way:) Though, there are always those that we have to make contingencies for (aging parents as one example.) I love your raw and real writing! Thank you so much for sharing these stories.