An Unordinary Ordinary Book

You already knew that didn’t you? The peculiar title gave it away. Writing something like this, I suppose, takes an extraordinary ordinary woman. I am delighted you picked up this copy, as we have a fascinating, enlightening, and fun journey ahead. 

 Reflecting on my past, I ponder how I became such an extraordinary ordinary woman. Maybe my feet-first birth played a role, as it feels like I’ve navigated my life in reverse—or at least outside what society considers the normal order of things—more on that later. 

Born and raised in southeast Texas, a town bordering Louisiana and divided by Interstate 10, surrounded by swamps, bayous, and both the Neches and Sabine rivers, this area boasts a unique culture of its own. Underwater treasure seekers regard it as a gold mine filled with sunken vessels, pirate ships, riverboats, and cotton clads. The area’s original inhabitants were the mound dwellers, the Atakapa-Ishak Indians, who supposedly practiced cannibalism, although this has never been verified. Legends abound about the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte’s buried treasures in the region.

I share this not because the book is about the area—or the history. I tell you this to help you understand—perhaps to help me understand—why I think like I do. 

Whether I accomplish that or not, enjoy the peek inside my mind.

I married the local preacher-boy at 17 and spent the next two decades serving him and the church. At 34, our curiosity about the world took on a whole new dimension when we moved to the Caribbean Island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Awed by the differences in customs and culture, particularly concerning West Indian women, I embarked on a journey of study and self-discovery. The beautiful blend of cultures and races and the respect each held for the other’s beliefs and holidays fascinated me.

Back in the U.S. at 40, I finally found the courage to confront the deep, dark secret I had hidden within since early childhood—that I was too dumb to learn. I stepped into the void. I enrolled at the University of Texas, El Paso, and didn’t stop until I earned a B.A. in Sociology with Honors, followed by a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology. 

Licensed by the state of Texas as a psychotherapist and marriage and family therapist, I established my own private practice specializing in individual and group therapy. I provided training in leadership development and management effectiveness while also facilitating therapy and assertiveness groups. Additionally, I worked as an adjunct professor and offered expert witness testimony for Administrative Law judges. For several years, I held the position of regional director for a for-profit company that provided long-term residential and rehabilitation care across Texas for adults with mental and physical disabilities.

See! I was able to learn, I had just told myself I wasn’t so long I’d learn to believe it.

As a strong advocate for women, my writing highlights women who transform themselves into the individuals they aspire to be—empowered women who take action, know how to speak truth to power, and foster healthy relationships for themselves and others. 

Hope you stay for the journey. If you do, you will find out it’s not all serious. I am a Story Catcher, so one never knows what stories I may tell. But I promise—they each have lessons in them too—as do all stories, truth or fantasy.

Here we go.