Mary Oliver wrote, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

I know what George Bailey planned to do in It’s a Wonderful Life. As a young man George was desperate to get out of Bedford Falls to make a name for himself and change the world. He wanted not only a taste of the world, he wanted a big bite, he wanted to devour it. He was the quintessential carpe diem guy.

In the end, it became clear that George did change the world, but not in the way he'd imagined.

They say life is what happens when we’re busy making plans. I’ve found that life rarely turns out the way we think it’s supposed to, but oftentimes, as it’s been for me, it’s so much more than I could have imagined.

I’ve gone out with the intention of trying to change the world, but in reality, what gets changed is usually me. And I am reminded it was an inside job all along. Just like George Bailey.

And then there’s Gladys Kravitz, from the sitcom, Bewitched. She was my people-watching inspiration. Mrs. Kravitz was misunderstood. She wasn’t nosey, she was a pioneer who cared. A self-contained Neighborhood Watch, she was a trailblazer for little, timid girls like me.

Like Gladys, I’m curious. And I'm not a hifalutin woman. I like the simple things, like leftover gnocchi for breakfast after a run on a gimpy ankle along the Arno.

I love to laugh, cry when necessary, cook, eat, feed people, travel and stay home.

I’m a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grammy, a friend, people watcher, evidence gatherer, dot-connector—an avid note taker which makes me a writer. Which I’m finding, is one of the reasons I’m here.

I’m grateful.