I got an e-mail Thursday wondering if I might consider doing a Ted Talk at a Ted X conference, the subject of the conference is “Eat, Play, Live Better.” I was surprised at the invitation – Ted Talks are a fascinating and increasingly popular  set of global conferences arranged by the non-profit Sapling Foundation in which interesting speakers present “ideas worth spreading.” I wasn’t sure why I hesitated, perhaps because my conference would be in New Jersey and I have not been back to New Jersey, where I lived for more than 20 years, since my divorce.

I realized that was silly, it is time to put that aside, speaking of mindfulness. The conference is close to the publication of my next book “Second Change Dog: A Love Story,” and the book – and my life – raises a number of the issues and ideas that the conference wants to address, namely the construction of a mindful life, a life built on authenticity, self-awareness, growth and spirituality, at least those are the foundations for me.

I told my Facebook friends I was thinking about it, and about 100 people said go for it within minutes.

There are some final approvals to be worked out, but it seems like they want me and if so, I will be happy to go. The trip in itself will be mindful. Maria says she will be happy to come with me, and that is fitting, as she is the cornerstone of my meaningful life, the point in so many ways.  In my life on this farm I have worked on four things more than anything else:

– Mental and spiritual health. Facing the truth about myself, learning who I am.

– A meaningful life. A life of creativity, connection and purpose.

– Authenticity. Standing in my truth.

– A pursuit of love, at any age. Love is the point.

– A creative life. My writing, my blog, my photography, my poems and stories.

Those are the things I came up to my farm in search of, those are the things I have struggled to find, those are the things I am finding, one by one, one day at a time.  I am not there, I will never be there, just on the road. I want to tell people that it is possible to step out of the constraints of one’s life and find meaning  and undertake change at any point in life. I want to tell them to never give up on love. I want to talk about the great challenge of aging in America, where the elderly are stereotyped and dismissed and brushed aside. I refused to give up on an authentic life, and a life with love and I want to let people know that it is always possible, at any age.

I want to talk about learning to live fully inside of and despite the great Fear Machine that dominates so much of American culture and ideas, from weather to politics to government, child-rearing,  media, health care and the law. We are called upon to be afraid at every stage of life, push aside our dreams and ambitions, to shut down the creative sparks and inner spirits within us and be safe and afraid. Rejecting that fear is the foundation of mindfulness and of my search for it. The talk is just for a few minutes, and this is too much to cover, I will have to find a focus.

So if they will have me, I will do my Ted Talk in November, and I appreciate being asked. I will keep you posted about it. I think I am an odd messenger for love in many ways, but that is my mission, a call I am happy to answer. Never, ever quit on love.