The life I am living right now is very different from the life I had less than 6 months ago. And that’s very different from the life I had a year ago. And that’s very different from the life I had 2 years ago, 5 years ago, and 10 years ago.

I’ve had to make some tough choices about the direction my life was going in, and I’ve made them. I had to say “goodbye for now” to several activities I enjoyed, in order to spend that time learning new ways to do what I do better and to communicate that with the world. I still have a lot of learning to do.

The other night, I read a Facebook post from a couple I know, announcing that after 37 years of marriage, they are separating. I met this couple 13 years ago through the Swinger-Verse, and to say that they are a “power couple” in the world of swinging would not do them justice. For decades, this couple has planned events attended by thousands of people all over the world. They have hosted more large scale swinger events than just about anyone else in the world. These two have been the largest proponents of the swinger lifestyle, not just because they own a business that caters to sexually adventurous adults, but because they found swinging to be a positive, healthy way of life, and they still do.

Yesterday, I got to wear a Halloween costume that I made. Doug and I came up with the theme, I tried to find a costume from the store but none of them fit. I ended up finding a sewing pattern for the costume I wanted, picked out the fabric, and made the costume to fit me. It took maybe 6-8 hours between shopping for fabric, cutting the fabric, and sewing the costume. The day of the event? I heard stuff like “You made your costume? You must be so talented.”

Some years ago, I met a lady who was a Chinese medicine physician. We met at Hypnothoughts and struck up a conversation about how we use hypnosis. She mentioned that she used hypnotic techniques to ask her patients what their symptoms and personal history were. She noticed she had a several clients that had various pains in their breasts, or undetected breast cancer. In nearly all cases, these women had “mommy issues,” miscarriages, abortions, and/or given up babies for adoption. Her clients with endometriosis were often sexually abused.

Even though I may look like a “New Yorker,” Cleveland, Ohio is where I spent the first 25 years of my life. For those of you from Cleveland, I grew up in Berea, Ohio.

Berea…Berea…you just met a girl from Berea! (to be sung like “Maria” from West Side Story).

Some years ago, I met a guy named Dave at Hedonism II in Jamaica. For those of you who don’t know, “Hedo” is a clothing optional resort with strong swinger tendencies. Not everyone who goes is a nudist, not everyone who goes is a swinger, but those who are both have a lot of f**kin’ fun. I happened to be single the last time I was there, and all I say is what happens at Hedo stays at Hedo.

Doug and I were looking forward to seeing our friend Mark yesterday. I met Mark several years ago at a Law Of Attraction Meet Up Group, and just liked his energy. We gave him a tour of the place and wanted to show him one of the condos we bought a few months ago. When we got to the top of the steps, our elderly neighbor “J” was slumped over the table on his porch, and a young lady named “K”, the neighbor on the other side of his condo, was trying to get him to respond but a little unsure of what to do next.

Some years ago, a dear friend of mine asked me how things were going.

“Everything’s great! Why do you ask?”

He then said he had noticed that I didn’t seem very happy. I was going through the motions, but without my usual joy and enthusiasm. He then got more personal, and asked how things were with my then relationship. I got quiet. I wasn’t happy in my relationship and my friend knew it. I had been struggling with my unhappiness for many years. From the outside, it appeared that I had no reason to complain about my life. I had all the things most people could ever want! I had a successful partner, a nice house, a fun career…but I was miserable. Being an emotional person, I felt something was wrong but I couldn’t express what it was.

Today’s blog is for myself. I’m in the midst of some major life changes. While I’m confident everything will be okay in the end, these next few months are going to be critical for myself and my partner. We’re both being pushed beyond our limits in many ways, and it’s important we stay focused on our end goals so we don’t get overwhelmed by the numerous little speed bumps and potholes that just pop out in front of us when we least expect it.

As a comedian for nearly 19 years, I’ve navigated some pretty tough waters in comedy. Comedy is based upon “free speech” and “freedom of expression,” yet my entire comedy career I’ve been told what I can and can not say on stage.