Fall is a Time for Beginnings

Many think of autumn as the ending of summer. I think fall is a time for beginnings. We all enjoy the crisp cool air and deep blue sky; the sun signaling the days to become shorter. And who doesn’t love sweater weather? Pumpkin spices, tea and coffee, apple cider and soup on the stove top all bring great memories to my mind and senses. 

It’s a time when the seeds begin to plant deep into the earth and get ready for a long winter of transformation. Then in the spring, those same dead seeds will be the beginning of new life. 

Along those lines, my husband has enjoyed the writings, and the fly fishing lifestyle, of Joe Humphreys, a man who fished The Little Red and the Heber Springs, Arkansas area. It’s where hubby spent many childhood days camping, boating, and fishing, and his family still have summer homes there. This man is in what some would call the Winter of his life, but he lives each day as though life had just begun.

A new documentary titled, “Live the Stream: The Story of Joe Humphreys” was released last year. It’s an inspirational movie about a man who is still quite active, and teaching, in his early 90s. His zeal for life is energizing. We watch very few movies, and this is one that I highly recommend.

Always Beginning

Since 2010, when my liver moved to decompensation and I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, I fought to live another day. Through HCC liver cancer, I continued this website and spread out into advocacy work. After my liver transplant, being best friends with liver disease patients continues to be a huge part of my life. In reality, I’m a teacher, and enjoy learning and being in relationships with other learners, on many different subjects. 

Social Distancing and Online Education

Since COVID-19, public education has changed a lot. I’ve watched with great interest as parents do their best to manage career and home schooling. I can’t help but notice how my website, social media, facebook live, online Tai Chi and yoga classes, zoom webinars, and youtube channel are like social distance classrooms for liver disease and wellness. 

Being active online and in social media communities is rewarding and fun. The relationships are authentic, whether we meet in person at conferences and workshops, or simply “follow and like” each other. I love how we support each other, and will continue this work forever. 

A new call has been stirring in me. This fall, again, I felt the urge to come back to the classroom – virtually. It’s a way for me to help another generation of kiddos find joy and meaning in learning. I am immune suppressed, and yet feel quite safe with this decision. It’s an old door, reopening after 5 years of liver transplant recovery. It has beckoned me again and again. I feel as if not answering is shutting the door to a part of my dreams. 

Fall is a time for Beginnings

Yes, I’ve accepted an offer and a position to teach. In a way that only another teacher will understand; every student’s future is intwined with mine.

The Best Friend’s Guide will go on. My advocacy work with Global Liver Institute, American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Trio Oklahoma, LifeShare, The World Transplant Games Federation, and all other health and social media outlets will continue. I am a liver disease patient, and this important work will always be part of my life. 

Fall is a time of Your NEW beginnings

Follow my adventure back to school this fall as I push the boundaries of what is possible post organ transplant. I’ll end with a quote by JRR Tolkien, “Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate. And though I oft have passed them by, a day will come at last when I shall take the hidden paths that run, east of the moon, west of the sun.” Follow your path too, dear friends. XO Karen