I may have written about her once or twice, I may have even posted a photo or two of her, but today I’d like to take a moment and thank her, once again.

So many thoughts of late, thoughts of re-locating to LA to chase a life-long dream, thoughts of leaving a secure job after 12 years, thoughts of leaving so many loved ones in various states over the years. So many memories, so many stories. Here is another one, Cheers! Please remember, this is not a love story - this is MY love story.

We often think of our lives and how we’ve lived it, what we did wrong, where we should of done something different, that one time … everything in our life story is egocentric, after all it’s OUR life story right?? Wrong. So many movies I’ve watched where 2 or more individuals come together to accomplish amazing things. Then there’s that one movie where one person stands out amongst the others - as the leading role. In the story of my life, Kimberly has clearly defined herself as the leading role.

If you want to be king of your world, first make her the Queen of her world.

Kimberly has been such an amazing influence on me. She sees me, and she knows how to keep me grounded when I’m flying like a kite in a very crazy windstorm. YES, she is the person holding the string while I fly aimlessly in the sky, trying to stay afloat with the entire world crashing around me. OK, now that you have that visual in your head - some crazy kite that looks like me flying in a crazy ass windstorm. Get rid of it, and think of this - A warm summer day, not too warm and not too cold, the wind is blowing gently, and there is a kite, and as you follow the string down, there is a simply stunning and confident woman holding onto it, effortlessly. Enjoying the beauty of it all, not a care in the world.

Do you see what I see?

We are all kites in the sky of our lives. We all deserve to have someone holding on to the strings. We all deserve to hold onto someone’s strings while they float around for a while. We all deserve happiness in the balance of it all.

NOTE: I am now at the point of my story telling to leave the interpretation up to you, I hope you enjoyed our little interaction, I enjoyed sharing it. I float effortlessly in the sky knowing full well the Queen of my world is holding tight onto my string.

As May comes to a close I am reminiscent of what I call "life cleansing v38.8"

I was living in a suburb outside of Chicago, work had moved me there a few years prior from outside Atlanta. How I got to Atlanta or to Chicago are stories for another time so lets stay on task and continue. I was living with someone, no I was "engaged to be married" to someone that had a profound effect on my life. She had helped me through a major life crisis- I had just overcome heart failure for the second time, having received a pacemaker/defibrillator, being placed on copious amounts of Coreg and some good old fashion traditional acupuncture and herbs. I fought hard and won yet again- I just wasn't ready to lay down. I was back on a flood tide and I was pacing the cage. Things between said "fiancé" and I were not all that great so I was nudged to move to Seattle. I gave away my furniture, put what little valuables I had in a storage locker and I packed Mac, my computer, and 2 weeks worth of clothes into my car.

I drove to Seattle. I purged my life, I turned the page.

2 months later I flew back to my storage unit with the full intention of packing all my crap in a truck and driving back to Seattle. I get into town, borrow a friends car and head to the storage unit. I open the door and the last thing I packed into the unit was my Stratoliner. Now for a side story- I purchased the Stratoliner on a whim, it was when heart failure was just starting to get the best of me. I had left work for short term disability, was still feeling ok and thought "what the fuck" I didn't want to die not owning a motorcycle. There is more to that story, for another time. So I sit on her, she starts right up, I back her out of the storage unit, and I look up to the sky. I just sat there, who knows for how long- a minute, or 10, I just sat there. I was alive, and it was because I chose to be alive. I decided right then and there that I would leave everything in storage, pack the bag with a few clothes, and ride from Chicago to Seattle.

I was … ALIVE