| "I am a glass half full type of woman, but a few years ago I contracted a urinary tract infection that lasted over five months, which utterly altered the self I had always known. For the first time in my life it became difficult to rise in the morning. One day I was walking upstairs from couch to bed, since sitting was impossible, and noticed a childhood picture of myself on the wall. Thinking, 'I wish I could get her back,' I continued on my way and then stopped. Without pause, I walked into my office and sat down at my desk to write a letter to that joyous, curious, creative little girl. The pain had become irrelevant. That letter to 'little Nancy' was the beginning of a journey that not only examined my life, from my earliest memories to the move to the tiny earthy/crunchy town I moved to on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, but brought her back into my life full force. During the writing I not only found that lost part of myself, but discovered all the ways I had tried to bury her over the years and why. I made a commitment to keep her alive because she is the best of me, my heart, my soul, my creativity, and my joy. "At the suggestion of three female colleagues, who didn't have editing suggestions for me because they were so consumed by the memories that surfaced for them because of reading the manuscript. We shared those memories with one another for hours on the day we were supposed to meet to talk about the book, and whether I should try to offer it in book form to other women. Before they left, one of the them suggested I add a chapter-by-chapter workbook to the memoir and begin to offer workshops with the book/workbook as a guide locally. The depth of the conversations that ensued has been unbelievably life-affirming for both me and the women who have had the courage to share their stories with me and one another. From those workshops a new website was born, as well as an e-book, weekly blogging, workshops in more far-reaching places, and an offer to blog for the Huffington Post. Needless to say, I no longer dread getting out of bed. Because I was open to where life was leading me, I have discovered a new relish for life and what it is offering me: connection with self, and with women I never would have met otherwise. It has been a marvelous adventure thus far, the ride far from over. I welcome what is still to come with wonder at my good fortune." Nancy Alvarez |
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