Victories Won, Defeats Surrendered — Resilience Triumphs, Optimism Prevails

At the beginning of 2013, I was caught in the undertow of economic loss. The housing crisis pulled me from a full-time, sustaining consulting career into a part-time temp role—barely above minimum wage—and I felt myself mentally and financially imploding.

I reached for social media as a lifeline, asking it to see my loss. I started a GoFundMe, and the results were both sobering and instructive. In hindsight, I learned that desperation rarely invites support. I learned, too, that my instinct for survival and independence is formidable. Generosity cannot be coerced. What arrived—money, gifts, kindness—came from people who chose to give, and I received those offerings with humble gratitude.

I can laugh now at one detail: my GoFundMe included a glamorous headshot. If I was pleading poverty, why did the photo look so well-off? In that moment, I sabotaged my own message. Lesson learned.

Throughout 2013, I wrote my way through questions and quiet discoveries. Blogger became a space to process bliss, agony, curiosity, and growth. By December, 33 posts had garnered thousands of views. Publishing on Yahoo’s Contributor Network helped me tune my voice—authority, authenticity, and tone. “I Am 60 Years—Well, Almost” captured my spirit then: life throws lemons, so I make lemonade; growing older is an adventure; and gratitude keeps me open to opportunities, even when they first appear as disappointments.

My social circles expanded. On Google+, I reached the platform’s 5,000-circle threshold and found new niches to explore. YouTube added a creative lane—videos, photo stories, and little experiments that widened my field.

A highlight of the year was my class reunion in Trinidad and Tobago. For months, walls of denial, impossibility, and detour tried to block the way. Yet with a gift from my son, help from family, and the generosity of lifelong friends, I became the accidental tourist. Abundance met me there. We celebrated in photos and video, and I learned even more about the tools to tell a story.

One sacred moment was a tribute to our teacher, Jovita Lee—a reminder that gratitude is a form of honor. Another joy was the simple miracle of being with classmates after forty-one years. Those moments were priceless.

This year carried disappointments and trials, yes. But every December 31 is also a beginning. In honor of Nelson Mandela, I hold fast to a refrain from “Invictus,” the poem that fortified him:

I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.

These words steady my resolve and renew my optimism. I don’t need to invent resolutions; I can look back and recognize the new skills, hidden treasures, recognitions, and worthy accomplishments that already took root. I can measure my capabilities by merit—my work, my experience, my talent. My video blog is one more tool I’ll use to present that work into the world.

My social engagement has never been only about me. I have been nourished and shaped by family, friends, and the many people whose stories crossed my path. I’m inspired by those who have faced harder odds than mine and still found a way through.

Quest, challenge, and humor—that seems to be the map we share. For me, the markers are clear: victories won, defeats surrendered, resilience triumphant, optimism intact. Achieving abundance remains my goal and expectation.

And in all of it, I am grateful..