EVERYTHING ‘OLD’ IS ‘NEW’ AGAIN

From a facebook post on my personal page: Friday, March 27th, 2020

So… even with the best of intentions, I have not been able to get done what I wanted to get done by today, so I am making a short ‘announcement’ here to my friends on my facebook page until I have the opportunity to get everything in order…. Here it goes:

Two weeks ago, I received a call from the editor of The Expositor. She told me that my column that day had been my last one. The explanation offered was that they were taking the paper in a new direction, and that there were also necessary cuts to their budget that had to be made.
I was a bit blindsided, to say the least. Not because they were dicontinuing the column — newspapers and radio stations are making adjustments and shifting directions all the time — but because I was turned down when I asked if they would allow for me to write (at no charge) a ‘final column’ to thank the readers of the paper for sharing the journey we’ve all made together over the past 15+ years.

So, now I am in the position of figuring out where I go from here. My column was the conduit that allowed me not to feel quite so alone in my struggles as I navigated, separation, divorce, single motherhood, single parenting, parenting in general, becoming a grandparent, surviving my sister’s suicide, starting Project Dragonfly, and a myriad of other things that have been woven into the tapestry of my life’s journey.
And, believe it or not, one of the first thoughts that ran through my mind during that phone call was the sense of obligation and community I felt towards and with all of the people over the years who have shared their own stories with me, and who have told me — through emails and phone calls and letters through the mail and stopping me in the street or approaching me when I was out in the community — that I had made a difference.

Honestly? After the shock and sadness wore off, there was really only a desire to continue sharing my stories, and to be able to use that outlet & have it continue to make a difference to the people who have come to rely on it for information, inspiration, motivation, and a sense of not being so alone.

And in these troubling and difficult days ahead, I think we need to share our stories…now more than ever.

My first ‘post-Expositor’ column / post will be appearing sometime over this weekend under the KIMbits and KATtales section of the Project Dragonfly website. I invite you to check it out and tell me what you think. And by all means, please share it if you think it will give someone a smile, a laugh, food for thought or maybe even just that little something they need to help brighten their day. I’d really appreciate it.

KimberleeAnna Taplay (aka KAT) is a ‘biker chick’, mom of two amazing young women, nana to one, and someone who is very much looking forward to seeing where this goes. You can reach Kimberlee at ProjectDragonfly@rogers.com.

To browse my newspaper column’s online archive, please click here…