I crept up on the two major careers of my life: psychotherapy and music.
As I was majoring in Biology at Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas) sometime in the last century, I walked into a class as the professor read aloud from Browning: "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for." I fell in love with words and graduated in English Literature.
I'd been so immersed in the great writings, I didn't realize that my degree wasn't very appealing to the work world. As I floated along in my twenties (by this time a fairly anxious mess), I made my way to therapy. It opened my eyes to how we humans manage life, much as literature had shown me in the lyrical sense. A few years and much encouragement later, I graduated from The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, and began my career as a group, couples and individual therapist. Thirty-seven years later, I'm enjoying my clients still. They teach me about life.
In the 90s, I got the chance to write a weekly column for The Wichita Eagle called "Intimacy." I loved the writing and interacting with readers who wrote in. I finished that column four years later when my husband, Jim Modrall, and I moved to the glorious Colorado Springs. Colorado at last!
But our new home and happiness was short-lived. Jim died suddenly in 2000. I was lost, and only found a new life two years later when I met Bill Duryea. He serenaded me with guitar and his songs. I began to dream about singing with Bill, but never thought I could play guitar. Even though I was 55 at the time, I was living more fearlessly after losing my life with Jim (death of a special loved one can do that). So what the heck. I got his guitar out of the basement, found the chords to a song I loved on the internet and fell in love again.
Though Bill is a wonderful visual artist too (www.duryeafineart.com), I think it's fair to say music became our lives for the next 11 years. I studied music and life with Phil Volan, guitarist extraordinaire. Bill and I worked at marketing ourselves as THE STORYS in Colorado Springs and are currently enjoying 670+ gigs to our credit. "Not bad for two little old people," as Bill is fond of saying.
In the last few years, I've had the opportunity to write a monthly column for Pikes Peak Publishing in Manitou Springs. Life After 50 is a free magazine for seniors (and youngers, as Bill's son-in-law Preston reads it). "Close Connections" takes me all over the place as I write about young and old alike and the relationships we have with the rainbow of feelings we enjoy and endure. Life After 50 is at grocery stores and various locations around town, or you can read it on line at www.lifeafter50online.com.
This ONLY CHILD music is a new path for me. Inspired by Bill and THE STORYS, I've been able to find the courage to perform solo.
Thanks for joining me here.
Nancy