About my Treasure Trove

There’s a key that can help us all navigate the world as safely as possible. It’s the key of listening to and acting on our instincts.

I was in the Musee d’Orsay in Paris a few years ago, pre-Covid, when I saw a painting of my life, or what it had felt like the last 10 years. It’s by French painter Leon-Maxime Faivre and is called Two Mothers’. Apparently, back in 1888, he knew that mother’s did a bit more than make dinner and help with homework.

A BIT AOUT ME…

I’m a screenwriter with a handful of writing and producing credits. In 2018, I co-produced and directed a 14 episode series called Getting Out with Grace designed to provide practical tools for people getting out of prison to become successful on the outside. In 2021, I co-produced and wrote a short documentary, John’s Ultimate Illusion, which went on to win a few film festival awards. I’ve co-authored two books and I’ve done a menagerie of things in my adult life, from getting a biochem degree and dancing ballet, to being the VP of a dental manufacturing company and owning a cafe in Seattle. In addition, for my entire adult life, I’ve been a mother. My first at 19, the second at 33 and the last at 36. Thirty of the the last thirty seven years, I’ve been a single parent. I don’t mind single parenting.

So why the Two Mothers’ painting? Well, 15 years ago, shortly after my 41st birthday, I found myself in the unenviable circumstance of having ones happy and busy life as a divorcee with two young kids, shift genre’s and morph into a nightmare. To be clear, it was always a nightmare, I just didn’t know it yet. Before that moment, I was a naive antagonist. After that moment, the stark reality of my life became so terrifying and confusing that the only way I could adapt was by being in a heightened state of alert 24/7. I consciously developed coping mechanisms so I could move forward and not stay stuck in the freeze state of mind.

In the months following my awakening, a friend gave me the audio book, The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. After the first story, I was hooked. He had deftly guided a woman back through a traumatic event, helped her find her first instincts, hear what they were saying and later see how listening to them saved her life.

I did’t have access to the author, but I knew I could learn from him. I have a treasure trove of life experiences to pull from. I thought to myself, I could go back to important moments in my life, slow them down, find my instincts and see what they were saying. If he’s right, I could reprogram myself to listen for them, and learn act on them. Over the next 15 years, that’s exactly what I did, and I’ve learned some surprising truths about instincts and life.

This is my Treasure Trove.

BUT, WAIT THERE’S MORE…

Since there’s more to life than instincts, my Treasure Trove will also contain:

Gems from from my script, The Nile & The Time Traveler’s Road; a fantasy series about climate change, black holes and mountain gorillas.

Random Thoughts on Universal truths.

And later in 2023, I’ll be starting a Treasure Trove Podcast that will explore in conversation how to listen to and act on our instincts.

Each article will arrive like the Sunday morning post, ready to be read and pondered. Maybe you’ll laugh, maybe you’ll cry, hopefully it will help make your life a bit easier.

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