Turning Yet Another Page

We move well into year nine of the Kandi’s Land experience.

I move now into year 12 of the existence of who you know as Kandi.

I can see social security and Medicare on the horizon. We became grandparents in 2025. Life continues to grind forward, with blessings and challenges to enjoy and deal with.

I have reshaped my revenue-generating machine, which has brought me tremendous peace-of-mind. I have moved toward getting paid for my efforts directly and not investing in a future (sales) that may not have amounted to anything. I accepted who I am, not the finance person I wanted to be, not the salesperson I would like to be were I 20 years younger, but the truck driver that I am. I have embraced who I am and not what I wanted to be. I left behind empty thoughts and possibilities and moved forward with reality.

I have found an amazing groove in my presentation to the world. It has become like breathing, gotten better and better and more interesting each time. I have built an actual portfolio of acting and modeling gigs, having recently been asked to walk a show in a gown deigned for ME!

I intend to attack every opportunity to get out with such joy, with a grace and elegance to how the world sees me. I will try my best to foster and grow friendships. I will do my best to have an open heart and an open mind.

I am proud of myself. While I have not really had significant health issues to deal with personally or with immediate family (for which I am VERY grateful), I have fought through mistakes made and the issues which we all deal with here, in one form or another.

So, as we move into 2026 (I cannot believe I am saying that, still remembering Y2K, Prince’s 1999 and a high school graduation in the ’70’s), I am committed to finding ways to spend more time with our children and our beloved grandson (six plus hour drive and in Chicago, it is by no means a cheap trip) and I am stating it here and now. I know I have my doubters, this elephant never forgets. I am two months into intensive daily physical training, having added a treadmill to my home gym with an elliptical, spin bike, rowing machine, resistant bands, kettlebells and weights, along the treadmill. I delight in the daily grind, always seeking to work my body in a slightly different way, to step it up by increments every single time. Daily workouts are generally about 45 minutes, and I allow the off day about every two weeks.

I have a goal of running marathon number eight in September, which I expect will lead to my qualification for the Boston Marathon in 2027, five years after my last such experience. I will work tirelessly to reshape my body and build my physical stamina (I already have the absolute mental toughness to be successful) to meet these goals. And oh yeah, this training will make me beach ready and to look awesome in a sundress! There are a few things I know for certain. I can run a marathon, no problem. The issue is my time, that is the challenge. I could not care less what my time would be in Boston, but I need to run one exceptional race for this aged person to get there. I have selected the absolute flattest race in my geographic area to do so. This has been well thought out, and it will happen.

As always, the holidays with the extra down time bring introspection. Beside my physical commitment to earning unicorn status again, every time Kandi steps out, she will be so well put together, she will be so positively noticed. Recently, I have fallen into a groove with my presentation that brings me such pride. It is a combination of practice, practice, practice, investing in myself and just allowing myself to be the best me possible. I have not always done that. I have allowed myself to spend a few bucks for the right look. I always felt guilty about money spent on Kandi; I no longer do.

My new secondary job will create less wasted time at home, which has led to the bottle. I can therefore better manage drinking much less often. It will allow for the generation of the additional revenues to build toward my wife’s retirement, making the necessary upgrades to our now 30+ year old home and to spend more time and money on my Kandi time, without guilt. Taking an extra shift or two, not previously available to me, pays for a Keystone, Erie or maybe getting back into the model circuit (that costs money, does not pay money, but is amazing). It will also finance regular trips to The City with the Big Shoulders (Chicago for those who don’t get the reference, Windy City was too obvious).

Happy New Year to all of you! I love my sisters all, knowing what we go through and have endured. Represent yourself with grace, dignity and pride in who you are. I will remind all: be smart, be appropriate, be confident and be visible. Societal change is not microwaved, it is slow-cooked, we change minds one at a time!