Diane: I’m so excited for my readers to meet you because you are one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. You have this genuine smile of gratitude and appreciation. It’s not bubbly, bubbly, fake, fake, over the top. It’s just, “I’m here walking this planet and that’s a great thing and I’m going to make the best of it.” You exude such warmth and a spirit of adventure, like you’re ready—and eager—for whatever the world sends your way. Am I wrong?

Linda: 100% on the money. Bingo.

Diane: Okay. So now, we need your magic secret. How did you develop this positivity, this facing the day and whatever the world gives you with gratitude?

Linda: I struggled in my childhood. I’ll never forget, when I was ten years old, sitting on a bench, I made a vow that I was going to make a good life for myself, and I was going to be happy no matter what happened.

I’m always reading positive materials, psychology, and I always make the best of things. And I try and stay away from toxic people.

I love being out in nature every day. That’s where I feel I get my groundedness. I don’t have drama in my life, believe it or not. Today is a wonderful day and it’s only going to get better.

Diane: So, you said so much there that I want to delve into, but I want to start with you as a 10-year-old kid.

How at 10 did you have the wherewithal to know you wanted something different and to know that you that you could change that, because kids do not feel so powerful and in charge of practically anything.

 

“I Wanted the Freedom to Be Me”

 

Linda: I didn’t feel in charge, I felt out of control. I felt I was being controlled, and I didn’t like that feeling. So, I said, “I don’t want this anymore. I’m going to learn how to move through it.” Some of my family background was negative, and I didn’t particularly want to continue living like that. I wanted to break the cycle.

It was gut intuition that said, “I can do better for myself.”

Diane: That’s amazing. It’s really a gift that you were able to access that as a kid.

It would have been so much easier, especially when you’re a kid, to buy into the negativity because you don’t know any different than what you’re surrounded with and what people are feeding you. To have the strength and the imagination to know that there’s another way, even though you didn’t know what it was, and to have the confidence that you would find it! That’s wonderful.

Linda: I think I watched TV and I saw other people’s experiences and said, “Oh, wow, that looks good. I want to live that life.” That’s where I got my first impression of what might be better for me.

Diane: TV can also give other kinds of messages, materialistic messages—especially with all the advertisements we were all subjected to when we were kids—but you don’t strike me as the person who wants more things.

Linda: No, it wasn’t things. You know what it was? It was freedom. Freedom. I wanted the freedom to be me. I wasn’t being me at 10 years old. I was quiet and shy and wanted to break out of that. I’ve done things that have always made me become a better person.

 

“That Was the Moment I Truly Believed, ‘I Can Do Anything I Want in My Life’”

 

Diane: Did you actively choose things that would kind of take you out of your comfort zone?

Linda: Yes, absolutely. I received the Health and Physical Education Award in high school even though I was not a jock. I was the motivator. My teachers recognized that and gave me the award. That influenced me to get a Health and PE degree in college. And I became the motivator for everyone there too.

That was out of my box because I was a non-jock amongst all jocks throughout college, and I still made it through and did well. Instead of going to Florida for spring break, I went on Outward Bound, a survival course. We rappelled, we rock climbed, we stretched ourselves, we ran marathons. I survived and became a leader through that course.

I’ll never forget climbing up this cliff. I didn’t think I could make it. When I reached the top, I kissed the rocks and the ground and said, “If I can do this. I can do anything I put my mind to.” And my whole crew just clapped and kissed and hugged me. That was the moment that I truly believed, “I can do anything I want in my life.”

Diane: Wow. That climb. And the metaphor of the peak and looking out at everything around you.

Linda: Yes, yes. And having people cheer me and support me.

I had to grow up very fast. My parents divorced when I was four. I started working every weekend when I was 12. I bought all my clothes at 14, put myself through college. I set all these goals for myself. I wanted to go to college. I wanted to have a business. I wanted to travel the world. And I checked all those off. Then I got married at 40 because I had completed all those goals.

 

“I Usually Don’t Have a Problem When I Get in a Pinch Because I Can Be Resourceful Enough to Figure It Out”

 

Diane: Wow. So, without knowing your details, I can say my life had some similarities. My parents were not divorced, but my father worked all the time, and my mother was depressed, so she was really unavailable. I remember my mom even telling me, “You raised yourself.”

I also started working as soon as I could get working papers. If I wanted nice clothes, I was going to have to buy them. And in some ways, I think those experiences prepared both of us to do hard things because we had no choice.

Linda: Correct, which I find it advantageous to me now because I find things very easy to do on my own where a lot of women, I observe, are always feeling they need help. I usually don’t have a problem when I get in a pinch because I can be resourceful enough to figure it out on my own.

Diane: But can you ask for help?

Linda: That was a big problem for me.

Diane: Is it still hard for you?

Linda: Yes.

Diane: Why do you think that is?

Linda: I feel I need to prove to myself that I can always do it on my own. My mother was very controlling, and I don’t want anyone trying to control me. That’s my biggest issue.

Diane: I can see how you might make that connection—thinking that asking for help is giving up some of your autonomy. I’m just throwing out what this is all bringing up for me because I also, for so many years, avoided asking for help. I think I didn’t ask because part of me didn’t want to make myself vulnerable. And another part of me thought I could do better than the people from whom I might have asked for help in the past! But I realize now my reluctance stopped me from having more of a give and take in relationships.

 

“I Was One of Those Perfume Spritzers at Macy’s”

 

So, let’s talk about some of the things that you have done in your life which are just amazing. You did Outward Bound and then you graduated college. And did what?

Linda: Well, after college, I went for teaching. I have a health and PE degree, but there was no health and PE positions open. There were plenty of math jobs available. So I taught high school math, business math, trigonometry and algebra.

I pulled it off. One time a student asked a question and I said, “Excuse me, one moment, I have to go next door.” I had to get the answer from the teacher next door.

Diane: You asked for help!

Linda: I did. I did. And I taught for three years.

Diane: And then, what’d you do?

Linda: I waitressed full time because I was making more money waitressing than I did teaching. And at 26, I bought my first condo.

I was one of those perfume spritzers at Macy’s. I was a travel consultant. I worked as a waitress. And then, there was something else I can’t remember. I was juggling four jobs at one time in my schedule.

Working as a travel agent, I got to do all my traveling.

 

“When I Was Walking the Mall One Day, I Saw This Clown Making Balloon Animals and Said, ‘I Want to Do That’”

 

Diane: Where’d you go?

Linda: I took four cruises. I went to Europe for two months.

It was great. I went to Cancun, Jamaica, Africa.

Diane: And then, what’d you do?

Linda: After that, I started a business as a corporate suite coordinator. I had a hundred corporate suites that I decorated for corporate executives that came into the area temporarily. I had a weekly cleaning service for all these different condos.

I had four employees and did that for 10 years.

Diane: So, they would be empty rentals and you decorated them?

Linda: Yeah. We had to get the furniture and all the accessories. I’d go out and buy silverware and pots and pans.

I’d go to Walmart and have 20 carts with stuff. It was fun. I had a great time.

And that kept me busy and out of trouble. After 10 years, at the top of my game making very good money, I said, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” My family thought I was crazy. But I sold the business.

When I was walking the mall one day, I saw this clown making balloon animals and said, “I want to do that.”

I went over to him. I asked, “Where do I learn to do this?” And he said, “I teach.” And I said, “Good.” And that’s where I started. For the next 10 years, I did parties.

 

“I Got to Live That Dream with Barnum & Bailey for a Week”

 

Diane: What’s the expression? “When you’re ready, the teacher will come?”

Linda: Absolutely. I went to clown school in Pennsylvania.

And then I went to a clinic in Minnesota with Barnum & Bailey for a week.

Diane: Wow.

Linda: I always loved the circus. My dad would take us every year. I would see the little clown car and all these clowns get out of a Volkswagen. And I’m like, “How did they do that?” I was intrigued.

Well, wouldn’t you know I got to live that dream with Barnum & Bailey for a week. They take all the seats out of the car, only keep the steering wheel. There were nine of us. I was the tallest and the biggest. I went on the top and I jumped out of the car first. With all our expandable costumes, we looked like we each weighed 500 pounds. We just drove around in this car and then got out and ran around and said hi to everybody. It was great. It was terrific.

Diane: That’s wonderful. And then, you did clown parties?

Linda: Funerals to weddings.

Diane: Clown funerals?

Linda: Well, clowns at a funeral. When our clown president passed away, we had 50 cars of clowns in the procession, and we had a celebration of life at the reception. Everybody was dressed in clown.

Diane: Amazing! Is the clown community tight?

Linda: In Pennsylvania, it was. I don’t know about here in Florida, but we had weekly meetings and I belonged to three clown clubs.

Diane: I didn’t know there was such a thing as a clown club.

Linda: Yes, absolutely. Clowns R Us. We Be Clowns. I forgot the third name. But yeah, there’s a community and that’s how I spent my time for 10 years.

 

“I Worked as a Stewardess on 150-foot, Private Yachts”

 

Diane: What do you think you learned from being a clown?

Linda: Always be open. Keep your heart open because people need love. There are a lot of sad people walking around. As a clown, some people were afraid of me. I always made sure that I would allow people to approach me first, so they could warm up to me as they needed. I never had a problem at a party, and I did thousands of them.

Diane: I bet you were booked way in advance.

Linda: Yes! And I just started it all by offering my time complimentary: “I’ll do that for you at this event. I’ll do the event.” And then, word got around.

Diane: And then you put out your clown shingle.

Linda: Yes. I would do four, five parties on a Saturday. And then, after 10 years, it was time for something new.

I moved here to Florida to start a new life after I divorced my husband in 2005.

Diane: Did you come here thinking you’d retire?

Linda: I had no plans. I said “I’m just going to come here and see what happens.”

I went on the dating site Plenty of Fish and met a sea captain.

We fell in love, and I became his mate—I worked as a stewardess on 150-foot, private yachts and spent three years in the Caribbean.

He would take care of all the maintenance of the boat, and I took care of the inside: cooking, cleaning, nurse, reservationist. Wax on, wax off. I was a deckhand. I did everything.

Diane: Was that fun?

Linda: Yes, it was. It was one of the highlights of my life. It was also a lot of hard work.

Diane: I’m sure.

 

“I Love Adventure. I’m Open for Anything That Will Come My Way”

 

Linda: And I experienced the life of the rich and famous.

Diane: What was that like?

Linda: I have to say that I prefer living my quiet life. I decided after three years, I needed a change because I wanted to do my thing, instead of living for someone else’s.

Diane: Serving everybody’s needs.

Linda: Yes, exactly. Yes.

Diane: What were some of the perks?

Linda: Traveling to all the islands and experiencing food and swimming with dolphins and catching big fish and being on beaches, naked beaches. I would’ve never done this stuff on my own. It was great.

Diane: Oh, it sounds wonderful.

So, you left the job. Did you leave the captain?

Linda: Yes. The captain still though keeps coming back.

He still would have love me to join him in his adventures in Costa Rica. Back then, it was fine. But it’s not for me now.

Diane: You feel like adventure is behind you?

Linda: Not adventure. Just that one.

I love adventure. I’m open for anything that will come my way.

Diane: Can you talk about your tryouts?

Linda: Sure! Everyone at work at Rooms To Go knows I loved to dance because I’m always dancing around the show room floor.

One of the sales associates attends the Miami Heat basketball games and said, “Linda, you got to try out to become one of the Heat senior dancers, the Golden Oldies.”

I prepared for a year. I was in tip-top shape. They only chose two women. And there was like 65 women that tried out. But I did it the best I could, and it was another adventure in my life. It just wasn’t meant to be, but it was fun.

 

“Walking Around the Circle and Taking Bubble Baths are My Favorite Things”

 

Diane: And so now, you’re working?

Linda: At Rooms To Go.

I’ve been there for seven years now

I’ll continue for another year when I turn 70.

Diane: And then?

Linda: God knows what will happen. I’m open. You never know.

Diane: But you feel like even if nothing else is on your doorstep at that time, you will have had enough of the job ‘re and just wait and see what happens?

Linda: Correct.

I think that chapter in my life will be over.

Diane: Have you ever thought of writing a book about your experiences?

Linda: Multiple people have said that throughout my lifetime. There’s an idea.

Diane: There’s an idea.

Linda: We’ll see.

Diane: So, what do you do when you feel down?

Linda: I take a hot bubble bath, a glass of wine and nice music and that’s where I go. That’s my happy place. Walking around the circle and taking bubble baths are my favorite things.

Diane: I walk the loop. It’s two and a half miles.

I do it once. You do it …

Linda: During COVID, I did it four times a day. Now, I’m down to twice and then I do three exercise classes after that.

Diane:

So, you go early in the morning usually?

Linda: Yeah. Before the classes start at 8:00.

Diane: You walk the loop twice and then go straight to exercise class?

Linda: Yes.

Diane: And then you do three of them?

Linda: Yes.

Diane: You ARE an inspiration! You love to keep moving.

Linda: It’s my favorite thing. It’s my happy time.

 

“I Have My Eyes and My Heart Wide Open”

 

Diane:  I just have to tell everybody, I’ve been to dances with Linda and I can attest to that.

Linda: I’ve also danced in four 24-hour dance marathons in high school and college and won all four of them.

Diane: 24-hour dance marathons. To raise money like fundraisers? Did you have a partner?

Linda: They raised money for American Cancer Society and MS.

One of the marathons, I did solo. And the three others, my partners gave up, so I continued by myself.

Diane: Did you have a break?

Linda: Each dance had different rules. In one, you could take a five-minute break every two hours just to go to the bathroom or take a water break. Another one was five minutes every hour. It wasn’t hard for me.

Diane: Wow. I’m not surprised.

I’m going to switch gears. Is your spirituality important to you?

Linda: Yes, highly. That’s where I get my strength. I’m more spiritual than religious. My cup is full.

Diane: Do you pray?

Linda: Yes, I do.

And meditate. At least 15 minutes a day.

Diane: I often ask people, what’s next? But you don’t know.

Linda: I don’t have a clue, but I have my eyes and heart wide open.

Diane: It’s exciting not knowing, right?

Linda: Yes. Yes.

Diane: And even when we know, it doesn’t always work out the way we think.

I love that you’re open to whatever comes.

Linda: I am. And I hope it’s a challenge. I hope it allows me to grow in a different way, and I can share and meet new people along the way. That’s the fun part.

Diane: Linda, this whole interview has been “the fun part!” Thank you so much!

 

Thank you for reading, everyone.

As always, I’d love to hear from you. Please write a comment or send me an email.

 

See you soon!

XOXOXO

Diane