I am no longer good old reliable Elaine.

I’m just Elaine Baxter, a woman who is thoroughly enjoying her retirement.

As I sat by the window today, watching the snow fall over the lake, I realized something.

Freedom starts the exact moment you stop footing the bill for other people’s selfishness.

I cut myself a slice of pie and smiled.

Life was genuinely good because I had finally given myself permission to live it for myself.

I was no longer a bank, a hotel, or a scapegoat.

I was free.

And let me tell you, that freedom tasted a whole lot better than any organic coffee from a plastic pod.

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