Hi, I’m Cheryl, and I am a lifelong beginner.
A fledgling is a young bird just learning to fly—testing its wings, taking leaps, and discovering the world. But if you look closely, that process isn’t elegant. It involves loud begging for answers, clumsy hopping on unfamiliar ground, and short, wobbly flights. It’s a stage filled with trial, error, and moments of wanting to hide in the brush.
Somewhere along the line, society tries to tell us that we’re supposed to outgrow that stage. We’re expected to get it all figured out, settle into a groove, and eventually punch out. But I believe that curiosity and growth have no retirement date.
How I Got Here
For decades, my life was defined by dedication to others through a long, varied, and fulfilling career in public service, public education, and communications. Then, I retired. More recently, I walked through a divorce—a fresh, painful, and challenging shift that brought unexpected grief.
Now, as I approach a milestone birthday, I find myself standing on the edge of a vast, open landscape. This next chapter—with all its beauty, disappointment, and messy healing—belongs entirely to my own horizon.
Choosing to be “forever fledging” at this stage of life isn’t about being hesitant or lost. It is an act of deep self-awareness. It requires the courage to decide what comes next while giving myself equal permission to nest, rest, heal, and enjoy my hard-earned freedom.
I am choosing to be vulnerable, to explore new realms, and to devote my time to creative endeavors—even when it means wing-fluttering through a wobbly start (like navigating my steep learning curve to build this new website).
What We Are Navigating Together
Because a courageous mind refuses to stay in a single, safe lane, this digital notebook reflects the full texture of a lived life—the joyful discoveries, the quiet epiphanies, and the storms we are forced to weather. We will look at both the thrill of the sky and the friction of the branch.
My past has shaped both my fierce passion for justice and my deep love for wonder. Having navigated the fractures of our justice system over the past four years as a survivor of stalking, I know firsthand where our structures fail crime victims, especially women.
And as I navigate the quiet, personal process of healing from divorce, I am discovering what it means to rebuild a life from the ground up.
I find myself depending on the profound healing power of the natural world, the thrill of exploring other countries, and the magic of uncovering where we come from—a journey I’ve recently leaped into by diving into my AncestryDNA roots.
When you read my writings, you will see how these pieces of my world come together across three distinct wind currents:
- The Quiet: For close observations of the natural world, field notes, poems, lyrics, daily epiphanies, and poetic reflections (like watching fledgling bald eagles take their first clumsy, hesitant flights on the Columbia Slough or receiving the magic of a resting barred owl in the Cottonwoods).
- The Bold: For vibrant chronicles of purposeful adventures, creative discoveries, travel tales, relationship reflections, and the art we make along the way (like charting the unsteady but persistent healing landscape of a recent divorce or designing a custom tattoo to commemorate a soul-stirring trip to Scotland).
- The Fearless: For urgent inquiries into the heavy topics, complex struggles, and broken parts of our world that demand our attention (like confronting systemic injustice or decoding the frustrating bureaucratic labyrinth of Medicare).
Let’s Leap
Staying curious keeps us alive. It keeps us empathetic, sharp, and deeply connected. Our minds, our personal evolution, and our sense of wonder should never have to punch out.
So, whether you are trying something new for the first time, rethinking an old belief, feeling a bit awkward on a temporary branch, or looking for a courageous story to spark your own discovery—welcome. I am so glad you are here for the flight.