Is Change Messing With Your Sanity? IWSG

This is the month.

THE MONTH.

The month people go back to school. (Were you expecting something else?)

We've homeschooled for twenty years. Twenty. You might think I know what I'm doing after all that. Three graduates and two more inching forward with 9 years until the finish line... In those twenty years we've tried all kinds of things:

• Workbooks
• A kinesthetic education
• Virtual classes
• DVD classes
• Hosting co-ops
• Library classes
• A Montessori approach
• Establishing a teen book club
• Attending small co-ops
• Creating fieldtrips
• Early college
• Attending LARGE co-ops
• Hosting parties and events
• Running a drama program...

We've run solo, done groups, and used a hybrid. It's always easy to up the scale/scope/commitment, but it's terrifying to scale down. I remember the days of going it alone, always wondering if I was doing enough, worrying about the balance of experiences...

This school year, we're pulling away from the major supports we've utilized since 2018. Going solo. To be fair, we have a strong support group of friends but stepping back means everything falls on my shoulders.

And why are we doing this? 

To chase a dream. (Literally.) Because I can't do both. It's too much.

So we're giving up the familiar, comfortable, status quo for something that feels impossible, heavy, and ALL ON US. Doesn't that sound smart?

But here's the thing: it's either worth it, or it's not, and we can't know without trying. That's the deal with going after your dreams--if you don't put everything on the line, you are choosing the mundane. The boring. The unchallenged. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I'd rather live without any what if's. Which means I'm choosing (consciously, intentionally) the unknown and the burning shoulders that go with carrying the load. May my muscles grow rather than charring to cinder. 😂

What big dream would you risk it all for?

Thanks to our awesome co-hosts for the IWSG: Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim.

This month's question - What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

I'm going to skip the question this time, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

What changes are you facing that have your heart pounding? Do you have a big dream you'd throw your status quo to pursue? Have you ever stopped to intentionally rewrite your personal narrative?

True Heroes: Dare to Dream, or the infamous "D"

True heroes are all around us, in our every day lives, but some people stand out. During this A-Z Challenge I hope to share several of my real life heroes, and invite you to share yours in the comments.

One of my favorite bits of advice from my teenagedom was "Dare to dream," and when you put that idea together with the fact we live in Florida, there's really only one option for D.

isney, Walt: Here's an extreme risk taker who believed so hard in his dreams that he risked EVERYTHING, and ended up leaving a family legacy for the world.

Walt dropped out of school at 16 and went to work for the Red Cross in France. Upon returning, he tried to find a career as a newspaper cartoonist, but no one would hire him. His brother got him a job at the bank, and he started creating ads for them. When he quit, he and a colleague tried to start their own commercial company.

And failed.

He didn't give up though. He got another job, built connections, and started a "hobby" studio for animation with a friend in their off time. Innovating the cartooning process, he moved into cell cartooning rather than cut out cartooning and landed a deal with a local theater.

Success!

He was able to start his own studio full time, that eventually failed in bankruptcy. Fail #2.

Did he quit? No. He sold what little he could and relocated to Hollywood where he formed yet another studio, going into business with this brother. Finally some success...

Until a New York studio stole his workers and intellectual rights for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit right out from under him. Ah, the legal system...

That would have taken me out of the game, but you know Walt. He didn't quit. He picked up a pencil and created his greatest success and lasting legacy: Mickey Mouse. Finally this inspiring entrepreneur got his feet under him. And then the biggest decision of his career: Snow White.

He mortgaged everything. The world was betting against him. He was literally living off his last pennies when the movie hit the silver screen, and blew the world away.

Did Walt stop there? No. Classic after classic, and then if that wasn't enough, an amusement park! Then another one, including an experimental futuristic community (EPCOT--which he never got to finish). Every endeavor was another huge risk, and as he tells his own story, he expected to lose his shirt with each one. This guy was a visionary and I hear his courage and determination every time someone sings, "No matter how you heart is dreaming, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."

April ONLY, MOONLESS is $1.99! Get your copy HERE. DO IT NOW. (Because seriously, if you don't you're missing out.)


Who inspires you to take risks? Do you like Disney? What's your favorite Disney produced movie?