Ending your work life does not mean that you are losing you. Instead, it means that you need to redirect the energies that for so long occupied such a large part of your life. This transition is by no means easy; it can be painful and disorienting but also enormously exciting and liberating. Friends and family will help remind you that there is so much more to you than just “the lawyer”, “the teacher” or “the realtor.” They are the constant when you are surrounded by change. All the qualities that made you successful at your career are just waiting to be channeled into new arenas!
I am new to my career as an author. In 2015 when I was 57- years old I began to write my memoir, The Apple and The Shady Tree, The Mafia, My Family and Me. Encouraged by friends and my therapist to share the story of how I successfully emerged from a dysfunctional family life, I hit the computer keys. My writing ultimately served to kill two big birds with one stone; I confronted the demons from my past that were causing me such debilitating emotional stress, and I quelled my nagging unhappiness that I was an underachiever who had sadly never reached my potential. With the publication of my book and its subsequent distinguished reviews, I now consider myself to be an AUTHOR!
If you’re thinking back to history class when you learned about Mount Vesuvius’ eruption burying Pompeii in volcanic ash, you’re on the right track. That’s the same type of volcanic ash we’re talking about, but with a happier ending.
According to the Volcanic Ashfall Impacts Working Group, volcanic ash consists of fragments of rocks, minerals, and volcanic glass that forms during explosive volcanic eruptions. In the beauty world, these particles serve as nature’s exfoliator.
“Volcanic ash is a combination of natural ingredients including bentonite clay and sulfur,” says Peterson Pierre, MD, a board certified specialist in dermatology and cosmetic dermatology at the Pierre Skin Care Institute in Thousand Oaks, California. “Its high mineral content gives it antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.”