Month: August 2026

Building a Mystery

Thursdays are our half-day. I am up early for my 5:30 workout class, so I get straight to work when I get home at 6:30 after I get the coffee going. The Mayor usually rouses by 7 or 7:30 and joins me with his laptop. This past Thursday, we worked until 12:30 and then The Mayor and I took off on Mystery Date #2 to parts unknown to me. 

In anticipation, I put on my new flowy black pants that I got on clearance at Meijer, a knit top, and my custom Chuck Taylor’s, so I felt hip and cute for once. I could tell The Mayor is getting familiar with the area because we headed east on 96 and he didn’t need directions until 45 minutes into our trip. Our first stop on the mystery date? The Mayor was treating me to a shopping spree at Unwind Yarn Shop in Brighton, just outside of Ann Arbor. I went in and fingered all of the fibers, as I love to do, and hemmed and hawed over what I would be bringing home. Not wanting to go overboard, I picked a bundle of 20 mini-hanks in various blues and greens that I have dreams of making granny square sleeves with on an upcycled hoodie. I reluctantly put back a gorgeous sparkly teal skein that I couldn’t justify spending the $37 on without a project in mind.

We then braved three double roundabouts in a row (We went from one roundabout directly into another and then another. It was wild and we hope to never do it again!) on our way to OC Sportscards so The Mayor could get some time in his happy place searching for cards. I parked myself on the “girlfriend couch” in the front of the store with Wheel of Fortune on the tv so he could pick in peace and I could text my friends in The Hookup about my mystery date. I couldn’t stop thinking about that sparkly teal and I wrestled with my fiscal prudence versus my letting go and letting myself be spoiled. Suddenly I got an email from State Farm letting me know that I was the recipient of a dividend totalling 5 times the amount of the sparkly teal that I passed on. A sign from the Universe? I immediately thought I would ask to return to Unwind to buy that skein, but little did I know he had a whole other yarn shop next on the list.

We battled parents and students in downtown Ann Arbor since it was dropoff week for University of Michigan and found Spun yarn shop. We put 30 minutes on the meter and went into the galleria of shops to check out their offerings. The Mayor was thrilled to find a vintage media store below Spun, so he went downstairs while I searched the yarn store. I found a funky green that I am going to make into a hat for Doodle at some point. I also found a purple sparkly skein that I am going to make into a hat for myself to replace the sparkly teal that I passed on at Unwind. I was super pleased with my purchases and also stoked that I came out net positive after my dividend rebate. When I rendez-voused with The Mayor in the media shop, he found a dvd that he wanted. As he checked out, the clerk told him if he gave her his phone number to become a rewards member, he could get another free dvd. So Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Joe Dirt came home with us, we pulled out of our parking spot at the exact minute our meter expired, and we tallied up another wink from the universe. 

We ended our Mystery Date #2 at Metzgers German restaurant, where The Mayor finally got his schnitzel that he had been missing from Schmidt’s and I was adventurous and tried the new-to-me sauerbraten with a side of mashed potatoes and mid-Michigan sweet corn that I had been dying to try. Everything was absolutely amazing, with flavors so rich I could only eat half. The corn surpassed expectations and was as delightful as the locals brag.

Mystery Date #2 did not have the deep emotions of our first mystery date, but that is a good thing. Instead, I learned that it’s okay to let go a bit and allow myself to be spoiled. No, not spoiled, treated. The universe will take care of me. And right now the universe is manifesting as The Mayor, who takes care of my every need and anticipates my wants that I don’t even know I want. The Mayor has unlocked the mystery of Destiny, and I’m not even mad about it.

Dynamic Destiny

When I was in 3rd grade, my teacher, Ms. Bennett, asked the class to describe ourselves with an adjective beginning with the first letter of our first name. So we had Silly Sean and Crazy Chris, to name a couple. I didn’t know a D word to describe myself, so Ms. Bennett volunteered “Dynamic Destiny” and I learned that day what the word dynamic means. I was a bundle of positive energy and extroverted excitement at the time, so it suited me well. As I am nearing my 50s, I am revisiting that moniker, and I find that it fits just as well at 48. Though I am more introverted in my middle age, the definition of dynamic as an antonym to static seems to befit me. Dynamic. Changing. Not content to stay the same. This sums up the past six months for me and I hope to carry that into my 50s next year and beyond.

The first big change was our move from Loveland, Ohio to Grand Ledge, Michigan in May. I left the hometown for the past 24 years that never really felt right and headed north. Grand Ledge has been a slice of idyllic America, and I have made it my mission to get to know the people and the area so I can start building a sense of community that I never got in Loveland. The first month I was here, I found a new crochet class and finally learned how to manipulate yarn into something real and valuable. (My cursing dishcloths have been a fun project!) Through that first class, I was introduced to a group of friends who now meet every Tuesday—we call ourselves “The Hook Up” and we meet to gab, crochet, and just feel a sense of belonging. For the first time since leaving the red brick wall at R-MWC in 1999, I have found a group of women whom I call friends and with whom I actually have the time and desire to socialize.

One of my friends from The Hook Up invited me to an exercise class in downtown Grand Ledge, so I will be getting up at 5 a.m. next Wednesday and walking the ½ mile to the studio to do some group exercise and meet other like-minded individuals. The last time I did something like this, I went headfirst into Adventure Boot Camp and got ripped. My subsequent mental breakdown following my divorce put an abrupt stop to that and it has been a struggle to exercise regularly ever since. I am committing to one day a week (because 5 a.m.!) but I am actually really looking forward to having a group class where I can get my heart rate up. I am not content to stay the same. Dynamic. Changing.

Ez reports to college today and I’m sure will have lots of ice breakers and get to know you games to play with her classmates. If they are tasked with an alliterative epithet, I think “Evolving Ezra” will suit them nicely. They have changed so much from a kid to a teen to now a college student. And they have four years to evolve into a twenty-something with a good head on their shoulders. They are springboarding from childhood into a lifetime of growth and change and challenges and victories—a lifetime of “Evolving Ezra.” 

This is the right time to adapt my blog to my new life circumstances. I am no longer “Just Destiny: Single Mom Keeping it Real.” Since my kids are grown and my role as caregiver has changed to supporter and cheerleader, I have time to focus on my life. So I am updating the branding of this blog to reflect the new stage of life I am in. Now I am “Just Destiny: MI life, My Life.” I will still do Seven Sentences for Sunday and I might have some reflections on parenting adults, but I will be focusing more on my adventures in Michigan and my own personal growth. I am excited for this new venture, and I am excited to share it with you, dear readers. Because I am Dynamic Destiny. Changing. Not content to stay the same.

I love you all, some more than others. 💜🌻

Pics of Dynamic Destiny—in 3rd grade and at 48.