Welcome to Gina’s Open Book. I think something interesting is going to happen and I’d like to share it with you.

In 2016, while reading Neil Patrick Harris’s “Choose Your Own Autobiography,” I was intrigued by the approach of using the choose-your-own-adventure style. I laughed recognizing my inner narrator. I had just finished 13 months of chemotherapy. I could imagine her turning to the reader teasing what is to come. To learn if Gina’s hair grows back, turn to Page 137. To learn what a drug called The Red Devil can do to a heart, skip ahead to Page 204. My inner narrator has been with me my whole life. She’s been commenting on every experience since I can remember. We’ve had some interesting plot twists.

I’ve written about some of the more dramatic twists in different formats in the past. In 2009, I sent email newsletters to friends and family documenting thyroid cancer and the experience of a radioactive thyroid ablation. From 2015-16, I blogged my way through the treatment for Ewing Sarcoma. My wife’s cancer diagnosis and short illness were similarly captured for our village of supporters a couple of years ago. It’s true, I am an open book. If there’s something I’m trying to process, I’m going to give it words.

When widowhood arrived on March 31, 2024, I was in shock. Without the journal entries, I am not sure I could tell you what happened for most of the first year. Equally, I could not have told you what was coming next. The plans we had made for our future? They no longer existed because I had never considered a future that didn’t include Kathy. From my vantage point, my life had just ended.

The journey since has been both dark and filled with love. Grief sucks. But, oh, the things I have learned to do! There were headache-inducing ugly cries and that first solo trip back to one of “our” places. I got an essay published. I learned how to change a sprinkler head. And, as I came out of the fog, I started planning travel adventures to new locations. It is all of this that I want to share with you – the path of grief, the hilarious things I’ve learned to do, and the plans for the future. Yes, the future! My life did not end. My inner narrator has a lot left to talk about.

This space is going to be my open book; the place where I document the lived experience of a widow, a solo traveler, and an aspiring writer. Expect notes from the road reporting on what’s happening as I continue the adventure. Expect essays focused on the lessons learned. Expect tears. Expect laughter. Expect discovery.

These are my notes on growth, grief, and the genuine edit of the life I choose to live fully. Join me by subscribing. There’s no cost. Subscribing means you will get an email when I post essays, and you are welcome to visit ginasopenbook.com any time you like.