A Decided Life was created to share important stories and meaningful lessons. The hope is that these stories and lessons somehow help each of us through the many, many decisions we face in life.

I created A Decided Life for selfish reasons. Like many of us, I went through some things. Things that challenged me and changed me. Things that made me question some decisions while also clarifying other decisions. In the midst of these experiences, I also realized that I wanted to connect with others in hopes that there would be some insight or lesson or simple words of wisdom someone might share to help me make sense of things. To help me decide what to do about so many things.

But as you’ll read in certain posts, not only did some of my early efforts to connect with others reveal the darkness that exists within some people, but the impact of others knowing certain things about my experiences could have unintended consequences. I am a woman of a certain age trying to achieve certain career goals. I am someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s friend, someone’s co-worker, someone’s partner, someone’s mentor, and most importantly, someone’s mother. In my head, I have always known that my experiences inform my decisions about how I live each day of my life, but do not define who I am. I know that. But I’m not sure that everyone else knows that.

My first decision for A Decided Life was to share openly and honestly while staying anonymous. The stories are real and represent my perspective on events in my life. The decisions I share are the decisions I made. I will invite others to share their own stories, their own truths, and join me in being anonymous among friends, as we each decide how we want to live each day.