Introduction: Helen Marie

I’m excited to be a part of this community!

My story is similar to many others. I love to write! It’s something I’ve done and thought about since I was a kid. I remember, somewhere in the 6 to 7 year old timeframe, creating tiny little books for my toys and dolls to read. I would re-create comic strips and write fantastic new stories for my family.

Any class which involved writing was the class I always enjoyed in school. I studied nutrition in college and found I enjoyed writing research papers. Not many people like writing research papers. I liked doing the research, compiling the information, and making it understandable to everyone.

After college, I needed a change of scenery from the small Midwest town I grew up in. So, I joined the Peace Corps and spent two years on a small island in the Philippines. They were both small towns, but oh so different. It was an eye opening and amazing experience to see how differently other cultures live. I have many fond memories of riding my bike on dirt roads around the island and carrying drinking water back to my nipa hut.

After the Peace Corps, I returned to the Midwest for a couple of years to figure out the next plan. I eventually joined the Air Force. The military wasn’t a family tradition. Though my dad had been in the Army for 3 years, he rarely talked about it. My mom spoke of the military with appreciation. She was a young girl during World War II and remembers the sacrifices her family made during that time.

Travel and the challenge of doing it were the top of my list in joining. I ended up in the Air Force because the recruiter was at the office. It turned out to be an another amazing adventure. The people I worked with were dedicated, motivated and held a common sense of purpose. It taught me a lot about what works and what doesn’t. The military keeps you on track and teaches a lot of life skills.

The next phase began when I met my husband and we started our own family. We now have three girls and two dogs. It’s been the most challenging part of my life, but well worth it.

Through all of this, I’ve always loved to write. I was horrible, however, at keeping a journal. I started many journals. Mostly to compile favorite quotes and words I didn’t know the meaning of. My enjoyment of writing never stopped.

As my family grew, like many others, I struggled to maintain a sense of enjoyment or happiness in my daily life. It lead me to a search for how to be happy, if not everyday, more regularly than I was. The result was a lot of reading and eventually sharing what I learned.

I’ve been reading Medium since 2016 and found Illumination recently. I’ve been a paying member since Feb 2019 and wrote off and on since, absorbing more than I wrote.

I’m now at a stage where I want to contribute more. My goal is to help others find a baseline of happiness for their daily lives.

Life can be a struggle. I feel everyone should have more fun, happiness, and enjoyable moments everyday. We need to enjoy the time we have with each other and appreciate the beauty around us. Happiness helps us achieve those goals. It also makes life much easier.

Thanks for reading and to Dr Mehmet Yildiz for starting this publication. I’m excited to join you on this journey!