Planet Buchanan

The first activity in The Serenity Journal asks you to “Write your life story in 2 or 3 pages. What are the important highlights, good and bad?” 

Don’t overthink this. The idea is to make simple notes about the big memories from different ages of your life. Below is a snapshot of what mine looks like (heavily edited to protect others):

I was a first born child. Moved to childhood home when I was 3 and little brother was 1. Sister came 2 years later. Parents divorced when I was 8. Stepdad joined the family. Mom went back to work. We struggled financially. I took on a lot of responsibility caring for my siblings. We left the family home and moved to a small town in Alaska after my sophomore year of high school. Major culture shock. Lots of chaos in the family. I came back to Washington a year later, moved in with my dad, so I could finish high school with my friends and go to the college I had always dreamed of (Go UW Huskies!). Dad remarried, a woman with 3 school-aged girls. I moved in with my boyfriend’s mom and started college. A year later, I married that boyfriend. We bought a house, I graduated college, and we had 2 beautiful boys, but there were issues. I moved out with my boys and lived on my own for the first time in my life. We got a divorce. I got a job, met my future second husband. Got a new job that inspired a 30-year career. We got married, bought a house, had an amazing daughter. Husband had serious health issues, we had drama in our neighborhood, mom and step dad moved back from Alaska, dad and step mom moved out of state. Husband’s health declined and he had a double transplant. Our kids were 2, 8, and 10. Lots of stress in the greater family. We took in a niece for a year. We moved to a new neighborhood, made some amazing friends. I started to focus on building my career, which ultimately had me traveling a lot. Husband had a few serious hospitalizations. More stress in the greater family. We took in another niece, this time for 4 years. Grandfather got cancer and died. Our boys graduated and went off to college. Our niece struggled and eventually moved out. I lost a couple of important friendships. Our daughter struggled. I changed jobs to travel less. Mother-in-law got cancer and died within a year. Daughter faced some serious issues. I found support in a 12-step fellowship. Moved into a new and more fulfilling role at work. Daughter made a miraculous rebound. My beloved aunt got sick and suddenly died. Grandmother died a year later. Father-in-law developed dementia and died a few years later. High turnover in management took the joy out of my job. Step-dad got cancer and died 3 months after his diagnosis. Mom developed dementia. I took over management of her finances and healthcare. Job became miserable. Husband retired, and I followed suit 2 months later. There continues to be immense stress in the greater family, mom’s dementia is declining rapidly, and I continue to find support in my 12-step fellowship.

Lest you think my life has been nothing but a struggle (as my recap above might imply), I have also experienced some amazing blessings. Husband and I just celebrated 31 years of marriage. Over the years, we have traveled to Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Scotland, Iceland, France, Germany, Australia, and all over the United States. We co-own a lakehouse with my dad and have been enjoying summers together with them for nearly 10 yeas now. Our 3 kids are happy and healthy and excelling in their lives. We have an incredible tribe of friends and close family members. On December 29, 2023, I published my book The Serenity Journal: 365 Daily Prompts to Guide You on Your Path to Serenity, crossing off a major bucket list item!

Blessed beyond belief. ♥