Two and a half years ago, I discovered The Moth on NPR. I instantly fell in love with the art of storytelling, and yearned to tell my own stories. And once I screwed up the courage to get up on a stage, I never looked back. This week, my wildest, seemingly unreachable dream has come true. A story I told is going to be broadcast on The Moth Radio Hour this week. A good friend and mentor told me the best way to get on the show was to stop trying to get on the show, and just concentrate on telling a great story. I love this story about my mother-in-law, Rita, and am overjoyed that through my story, thousands of strangers will get to know her, too.

My storytelling journey over these past two and a half years has taught me a lot. I used to think I was a lazy person. I’m not. I just never found my true passion. Once it became clear that I intend to (and am meant to) dedicate the rest of my life to spreading the joy and power of stories far and wide, I have worked tirelessly to realize this dream. I have never felt more useful, excited – more alive than I do now in my mid-50s. I have a new meaning, a new purpose in life. And it’s exhilarating.

It was my dream from the first time I heard a Moth story on the radio to become that voice on the radio one day. Then I dreamed of starting my own storytelling show on Long Island. That show, “Now You’re Talking!  has sold out large venues and gathered a devoted following over the past year. Now  that I’ve realized those dreams, I am dreaming of so many new storytelling related dreams for 2018 and beyond.

Last night, my husband, my kids and I sat in our driveway, listening to The Moth Radio Hour in my car. I could have listened to it at home, but the magic of storytelling first entered my consciousness through my car speakers, and that was the only way I wanted to listen to my story, the only way that felt right.

Stay tuned. The best is still yet to come.