(This piece was in response to a writing prompt from the workshop, “Creative Aging: Re-Imagining Your Life.” Participants were asked the simple question: Who were you and who are you now?)

I WAS as skinny, shy child, a dreamer. I was a would-be artist, and according to my early teachers, I was a poor reader. Thus labeled, I feared failure.

I AM a reserved adult, not shy, but quiet and observant. I am an excellent reader. I read for information and for relaxation and maybe sometimes for escape. I have taken many university classes, and although not degreed, I believe that my education may be a “little north of average.”