Do you ever take road trips anymore? The last road trip I took was in dental school– that’s over 20 years ago! It made sense at the time. We had an extended break and very little money to pay for travel. Based on the time commitment and the lack of comfort, I thought they were a thing of my past. But a few months ago, the road trip came back on my radar. My mom moved into a smaller house, and she had some goodies that she wanted to share with me. It wasn’t enough stuff to pay for a...
Do you love travel? Is it of high value for you to create great experiences in your life? Would you love to fly across the ocean to an exotic destination and get to enjoy the thrill of business class travel? Do you want all of that without breaking the bank? If you answered yes to any of those questions, listen up! I’ve partnered with longtime friend, Roger Kleckner, aka the Miles Mentor, to bring the art of affordable luxury travel to you. You might be wondering what this has to do with side gigs and career design. Well, it’s part...
I originally wrote this blog post on November 15, 2013. It was 2 years after I had officially quit dentistry. After blogging for some time, I met the first of many other dentists who had also experienced life after dentistry. I was so excited to meet Rick, a dentist and fellow blogger. A lot has changed since then. I no longer hide behind the screen name, Lolabees, and Rick has also evolved his own career. That is the great thing about taking that leap the first time– once you do it, you never fear changing again. Check out his guest...
Last Thursday I had a really good cry. I can assure you it was a good, long, ugly cry. And it felt so good. That day was the one-year anniversary of my last targeted chemotherapy infusion. It’s been quite a year, a tough one for many. But given how 2019 was for me, 2020 has been a breeze. I’ve been happy. It seems almost suspiciously happy, the kind of happy that you don’t think is humanly possible. Most of the time it’s a carefree feeling. I’ve not been bothered by the small things, and when I am, I can quickly...
Today was my last cancer treatment. Actually, by the time you’re reading this, it was yesterday. It’s been a strange day, one that holds a mix of emotions that leaves me unsure of how to feel. It’s good though. On the one hand, I’m beyond excited to be done. After 14 months of treatment, I never imagined arriving at this day. The idea of finishing what felt like a list of never-ending treatments, seemed impossible. I await the moments of anxiety and fear of recurrence that will pop up, and I wonder if my life will ever stay feeling normal...
How do you feel about change? Do you love it, or do you fear it? I love change! You know why? Because without it, I’d still be that same person I was 6, 10, 15 years ago. I would still be stuck exactly where I was. Change is scary for all of us, but I can’t imagine my life without it. Over the past 5 years you’ve followed my career journey, and I’ve been so fortunate to follow yours. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed since we started sharing our stories in November of 2011, the month...
With so many great holidays to celebrate this time of year, there is one holiday in the bunch that will forever be my favorite– my anniversary! It’s the anniversary of my farewell from a high intensity career in dentistry. It has been 4 years, and it is so hard to believe that so much time has already passed. It’s fitting that it all came to fruition around Thanksgiving, because gratitude is the one feeling that never wavers. I know I made the right decision, and I’m so thankful those days are behind me. What does waver, though, is my perception of...
Have you ever noticed how sometimes the most simple discussions can bring about the most unexpected moments of clarity? While hanging out with a friend a few weeks ago, he reminded me of an old memory we shared. He is a high school teacher, and several years ago he had a student in his class with very bad teeth and very little money. She needed serious help, and he felt so strongly about helping her, that he paid me to do her dental treatment for her. As we reminisced about how amazing that story was, I realized that I had...
Do you ever think that when things are going great in life, they are bound to take a turn for the worse? That you’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop? Or that things have been going way too smoothly, so surely it has to get difficult soon? I used to kind of worry about that. Whenever life seemed perfect without any challenges sprinkled in, I anticipated a storm was to follow. Not only did I believe that I shouldn’t expect things to continue getting even better, but I assumed that good times were absolutely destined to be followed by...
How’s your luck? For years I believed that I had bad luck. It was true. I never won anything. Whenever there was a drawing or a lottery, my name was never drawn. It seemed like the same lucky people always won over and over. When I was 8 my sister won a highly coveted Cabbage Patch Kid on the Point Pleasant boardwalk by placing her $1 bet on the word “son” on the roulette wheel. The very next round I wanted to place the same bet but was talked out of it because it would never hit again. Guess what...
