I'm starting this blog as a way of chronicling the greatest leap I've taken in my life thus far. For nearly 40 years, I've largely played by the rules, done the things I was told would ultimately yield success, happiness, material wealth and the trappings of modern life. However, somewhere along the way, like many of you, I discovered that my life was out of sync with who I was at my center. The person I had become was not the person I thought I wanted to be, and the sour pill of swallowing this dissonance had become more than I could bear.

So I've broken the mold, and I'm rewriting the manual on how to be Pbody. First things first, I refused to continue working in a job I disliked, one that made me feel used and dirty and part of a corporate structure that is not directed at saving the world, but rather swelling the bottom line. I spent time as a journalist before working in public relations for a large national non-profit. It is not my desire to run that organization through the mud, as things have ultimately turned out for the best. But as I felt the spirit of the organization on the wane, and saw the focus shifting from assisting those in need to bolstering the budget, I became a number, not a talent. A producer rather than a creative leader. For far too long, I bore that burden, working in the field because I "had to have a job," "mouths to feed,"and other such justifications for doing the brave thing and setting out on my own.

With another round of layoffs looming, I decided my parachute was packed, and that the time to jump was rapidly approaching. Finally, with m wife shoving me towards the plane door, I left the excuses behind and did the bravest thing I could do under the circumstances: I refused to reapply for a lower-paying job with more responsibility, opting instead to once again embrace the purpose for which my Maker created me. I returned to my first love: the written word.

So that's who I am, and that's why I am here. I am many things: a father of two great kids, a husband to a supportive wife, a provider, a lover, a giver. But one thing I won't be again is a slave to the "have-to's" of life. As a believer in manifestation, I know that my remaining years will be determined by my mindset, and how I choose to employ my talents to lift others, heal myself, and maybe find a way to support myself without compromising my morals and desires.

This is step one on a journey of a thousand miles. This blog will cover a lot of ground, from inspirational stories to the how-to's of preparedness and surviving (both mentally and physically) this world in which we now find ourselves. This is not the world our parents enjoyed for decades. We have crossed that imaginary boundary, we are moving towards the artificial horizon. It is my hope that some of this information I share on these pages will be a drop in the bucket of the collective happiness that will one day change our way of doing business in this world.

The title, The New Way Back, is reflective of my desire to return in some sense to the person I was, not the person the world had pushed me to become. It is also significant in regard to my reverence for the old ways of doing things, whether in terms of natural healing, home crafts or other lost trades that we have cast off in the name of modern conveniences. I've sometimes felt I was born in the wrong century, and in creating the new me, I feel the tug of yesteryear drawing me like an undertow to pursue these undertakings here with you.

But even if it just turns pout to be an outlet for my musings and a venue for my thoughts, I am at peace with that. I won't know if anyone cares what I have to say until I say it, s I'm going to let 'er rip.

More to come...