2019 - The abridged version

2019 was a wonderful year. I traveled the State as part of the State Floodplain Management Office (SFMO). We worked on a pilot program that impressed FEMA, a program we hope will be rolled out across the country. 

I had been 'on a promise' for the job with the SFMO before I left to see the world in 2018, and was excited to explore its opportunities. Dave and I had got back together, we'd even agreed to move to Tallahassee together; we were in this for the long haul … until we weren't, barely 2 months later, when he decided to stay in Sarasota with his new girlfriend, Caroline.

The job with the SFMO allowed me to stay in Venice, working remotely, until March or April. During that time I saw many potential red flags - and I wasn't sure if the excitement and potential of the job could outweigh them. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and off I went to Tally … keeping my place in Venice, and renting a room in Tally, for just a bit longer while I checked out just how red those flags were.

As the year went on,I realised that I loved the work but felt very constrained. Since becoming a single parent in 1989 I had fought to maintain balance in my life. Suddenly I found that plans were being switched at a moment's notice and that maintaining balance in my own life was beyond my control. I found that I loved consulting with municipalities - and their consultants - but also frustrated that I was consulting with those same consultants, many of whom would, or could, do nothing to make the recommended changes. I found that, although I was a viable member of the team, I had no outlet for many of my diverse skills.

In September I travelled to La Rochelle for an international flood conference. Paid for, like so many conferences, from my own funds. But, this time, I was presenting. I loved the exchange of ideas from many countries - similarities in risk and 'buzz words," but vast differences in national leadership and programs. It gave me a lot to think about.

I returned from the conference wondering if I might be better off on my own. Steve, my boss, answered those questions in the positive - encouraging me to leave whilst expressing his desire that I stay! His final comments to me, when I eventually left, were "I thought, when I hired you, that I'd never be able to keep you. I knew I'd be grateful for every day I had you here, and I have been.'

I left the SFMO in December and travelled back to Venice. A new year, a new decade, a new beginning. A new company all of my own. I'd been in 'sink or swim' situations a few times before. This time it was one entirely of my own choosing. 2020 beckoned enticingly, full of promise.