I had a vision for Kelly’s Roadside Gossip.
I was going to retire, travel with my boyfriend, discover incredible places most people had never heard of, and come back here to tell you all about them. There would be winding roads, forgotten places, beautiful scenery, and probably a few wrong turns worth writing about.
Well, life apparently didn’t get the memo. Instead, I found myself alone, less than a year from retirement, staring at a future that looked nothing like the one I’d planned. And if there’s one thing Kelly knows how to do, it’s make a plan. Of course, that only works when life cooperates. And we all know how often that happens.
The Trouble With Being a Strong, Independent Woman
Did I wake up one morning and think, Dang, I want to be a strong, independent woman?
Absolutely not.
That took years of disappointments, setting goals, picking myself back up, and figuring out how to handle whatever life decided to throw at me. I learned to depend on myself because, for much of my life, I didn’t feel like I had anyone else to depend on.
But there’s something nobody tells you about becoming that strong, independent woman. Two things tend to happen.
First, you become the person everybody turns to when something needs fixing.
Second, you forget how to ask for help yourself.
For years, that worked for me. I love helping people. I love making somebody else’s life a little easier because I know exactly what it feels like to have to figure everything out on your own.
But being strong doesn’t mean you never get tired.
And sometimes the hardest thing to admit is that the life you worked so hard to build isn’t the life you’re going to have.
When One Dream Ends, Another Begins
It took me a while to grieve the future I thought was waiting for me.
I wasn’t just grieving a relationship. I was grieving the plans, the adventures, and the picture I’d carried around in my head of what retirement was supposed to look like. Eventually, though, I realized something. I still wanted to travel. I still wanted freedom. And I still wanted to help people.
My first idea?
I was going to solve the homelessness problem. Yes, I know. Sometimes Kelly sets her goals just a little high. But the more I researched, the more I began thinking about what happens after someone survives a crisis. How do they rebuild? How do they find stability? How do they start believing there’s something better waiting for them?
Then it occurred to me.
I’ve been figuring out how to get through difficult situations and rebuild my life for years. Maybe I could take what I’d learned and turn it into something useful for somebody else. And that’s how Beyond Survivalā¢ began.
I shared more about that unexpected turn in my earlier post, The Detour I Didn’t Plan.
Apparently, I Became a Publisher
I started with a participant workbook built around a 12-week program. The idea was simple: nobody has to turn their entire life around overnight.
Sometimes all it takes is one step.
Of course, being the overthinker that I am, I immediately started worrying about what would happen if somebody actually bought the books. Would it affect my Social Security? So I called Social Security, asked my questions, learned the rules that applied to my situation, and created Bowers Life Coaching LLC.
Then I published my first Beyond Survival book.
And naturally, I couldn’t stop there. What if an organization wanted to teach the program without me being there? Well, they’d need a facilitator’s manual. So I wrote one.
Then I started wondering what would happen after participants finished the 12 weeks. They needed something to help them continue building on what they’d learned.
Enter the 90-Day Success Journal.
Before I knew it, the woman who was supposed to be retired and traveling had created a business and a book series.
I was a published author!
I was a businesswoman!
I had my own publishing company!
There was just one tiny detail nobody had mentioned.
Running all of this was an actual job.
Wait a Minute. Wasn’t I Supposed to Be Retired?
Suddenly, I was learning about book formatting, publishing, websites, search engines, marketing, website traffic, and how to convince people to read something I’d spent months creating.
Every time I figured out one thing, I discovered five more things I didn’t know. And somewhere in the middle of all that excitement, I started neglecting something important.
My health.
I had worked so hard to build a new future that I was wearing myself out trying to make it happen. Well, that wasn’t going to work either.
I hadn’t come this far just to let my health determine what I could and couldn’t do with the rest of my life.
So I did what I always do.
I made another plan.
I called it Project Restore.
I began tracking my nutrition, exercise, sleep, pain, mobility, and progress. I wanted to understand what was helping, what wasn’t, and what I could realistically improve.
And you know what?
It started working. My pain decreased. My mobility improved. I lost a combined six inches around my waist and stomach. For the first time, I walked into a doctor’s office carrying three months of information about what I’d been doing and how I’d been feeling.
Instead of trying to explain everything from memory, I could show the doctor what was happening. And for once, I felt heard rather than judged. I was proud of myself. Not because everything was suddenly perfect, but because I was finally seeing what consistent, manageable changes could accomplish.
Just When I Thought I Was Ready to Hit the Road
Now things were really starting to come together. I had my business. I had my books. I had a blog. My health was improving. And the best part?
I could do much of my work from anywhere.
Buck and I could finally start exploring those unusual places I’ve been dreaming about. Old ruins, forgotten cemeteries, strange rock formations, beautiful trails, and all those places you don’t always find in a travel brochure.
I could practically hear the road calling. Apparently, my foot had other ideas. A torn ligament. A walking boot. No driving for at least three weeks.
And just like that, my travel plans were pushed back toward spring. Now, I would love to tell you I handled this with grace, patience, and a positive attitude.
I did not.
I was frustrated. I was sad. And for a few days, I felt sorry for myself.
What bothered me most wasn’t even the boot. It was the thought of losing all the progress I’d worked so hard to make with Project Restore.
I had finally started getting stronger, moving better, and feeling like I was taking my life back.
And now I was supposed to sit around? Seriously?
Maybe It’s Time to Practice What I Preach
After a few days of feeling miserable, something finally clicked.
I’ve spent all this time creating a program that teaches people how to move through difficult circumstances, focus on what they can control, and take the next step forward.
Maybe it was time I listened to my own advice. I can’t control the torn ligament. I can’t control how long it takes to heal. And I certainly can’t argue my way out of the doctor’s restrictions, although I might have considered it.
But there are things I can control.
I can plan my meals and continue tracking my nutrition. I can work toward my protein and fiber goals, stay around my 1,800-calorie nutrition target, and drink my two liters of water. I can track my sleep.
And I can look for ways to stay active through seated exercises that my medical team has cleared, without putting weight or stress on my injured foot. Will it be the same as hiking through the woods or riding my exercise bike?
No.
But it doesn’t have to be. The goal right now isn’t to prove how much I can do.
The goal is to protect the progress I’ve made while giving my foot a chance to heal.
And that is a very different way of looking at things.
From Crisis to Stability. From Stability to Purpose.
Something occurred to me while I was figuring all this out.
Beyond Survival isn’t about creating a life where nothing ever goes wrong.
That life doesn’t exist.
It’s about learning how to respond when things don’t go the way we planned.
It’s recognizing that even when we can’t control the circumstances, we can often control the next small decision we make.
Sometimes that decision is starting a business.
Sometimes it’s rebuilding your health.
And sometimes it’s sitting in a chair, wearing an ugly walking boot, eating your meal-prepped lunch, and reminding yourself that progress doesn’t always look like movement.
I started Kelly’s Roadside Gossip because I wanted to share the places I’d go and the adventures I’d have in retirement.
I still want to do that. Buck and I are not giving up on the road. We’re just taking another detour.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that a detour doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve lost your way.
Sometimes it’s where you discover just how far you’ve already come.
One day. One step. And sometimes, one very stubborn woman in a walking boot.
