The Bumper Car Theory of Life

 Life in the Bumper Car Arena: Dodging, Crashing, and Thriving

Life, my friends, is basically one big bumper car ride. You get in, all excited, thinking you’ll glide smoothly around the track. Then—BAM! Someone sideswipes you. A second later—WHAM! You hit a wall you didn’t even see coming. And just when you think you’ve got the hang of it, your car gets stuck in the corner while someone rams into you repeatedly with zero remorse.

Welcome to adulthood.

The State of the Bumper Car Arena

Some people are out here cruising like they’re in a Cadillac commercial, barely getting touched, others are driving like they have no insurance, hitting anything that moves. There are those poor souls who don’t even have bumpers anymore—one more hit, and they’re completely out of commission. You know the type: the person who’s one bad customer service call away from a total meltdown or the coworker whose emotional airbags deployed years ago, leaving them raw and exhausted.

So, how do we not just survive this chaos but actually thrive in it?

1. Check Your Bumpers

Your bumpers are your resilience. If yours are worn down to the metal, every hit is going to hurt a lot more. Self-care isn’t just bubble baths and scented candles (though those are nice) it’s setting boundaries, getting enough sleep, and sometimes saying, “No, I will not cover your shift again because you ‘forgot’ you had exercise class.”

My Eye-Opening Visit to a Dietitian: What I Learned About Nutrition

Visiting a dietitian was one of the most informative experiences I've ever had when it comes to nutrition. She broke down everything in a way that was easy to understand and gave me practical tools to improve my eating habits. Here’s what I learned:

The Plate Method: A Simple Way to Eat Healthier

One of the most valuable lessons was using The Plate Method to create balanced meals. She showed me a plate that visually divides portions:

• ½ of the plate – Non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, carrots, peppers)
• ¼ of the plate – Protein (chicken, fish, tofu, beans)
• ¼ of the plate – Starches (whole grains, potatoes, quinoa)

This method helps with portion control and ensures I’m getting the right nutrients in every meal. Honestly, this should be taught in schools!

Understanding Insulin Resistance

Embracing Change: Starting the New Year by Letting Go

The start of a new year is a powerful time for reflection and renewal. As we turn the page on last year,

we’re gifted with a fresh opportunity to create the lives we truly want. But creating something new often requires letting go of the old — habits, relationships, or mindsets that no longer serve us.

Why Letting Go is Essential

Letting go isn’t about giving up or failing; it’s about making space. Imagine trying to fill a glass that’s already brimming with stale water. To add something fresh you need to pour out the old first. The same principle applies to our lives.

When we hold onto unfulfilling jobs, toxic relationships, or outdated beliefs, we deny ourselves the chance to grow. These attachments can weigh us down and prevent us from embracing the possibilities waiting just beyond our comfort zones.

Signs It’s Time to Let Go

How do you know when it’s time to release something? Here are a few clues:

1. It Drains Your Energy: If a situation, person, or habit leaves you feeling exhausted rather than energized, it may be time to reevaluate.

Ended "Just Quit Thing" Website

After 12 years I discontinued my www.justquitthing.com webpage. 

I was able to transfer my blog post over to this blogspot account but unfortunately all of my pictures are gone because they were tied to that webpage...maybe overtime I will be adding pictures to the previous blog posts...or maybe not. 

I'll still be blogging but when you look back on old post the pictures or videos will not be linked! 

Peace, Ridea

Coming Full Circle - Just Quit and Live Works Again

This month I came full circle and had a synchronistic moment.

It was my first day manning the United Healthcare Medicare kiosk in Walgreens.

Many of my previous “jobs” and experiences came into place:

• NC Credit Union – Setting up booths and tables to market the Credit Union, greeting the public and answering questions
• VA Credit Union – Creating and teaching a robbery training class…it was a public place and anything can happen
• –NC Police Department – Keeping my head on a swivel and paying attention even if it looked like I wasn’t paying attention
• VA and NC Art Shows– Setting up for art shows, greeting and talking to people

A gentleman walked in who was about 35-40 years old, dressed in a nice pair of jeans, a shirt (don’t remember the color), some copper-colored tennis shoes and a hat with the same copper color in the initials on the cap.  He said hello and I responded back.

I then noticed him in the check-out line which had grown to about 4-5 people.  I don’t remember what he purchased but heard him ask about the flowers and the cashier saying they were for Breast Cancer Month.  He picked up a bunch and continued to wait in line. I thought how nice and thoughtful that was of him to get them for someone who had been through or going through breast cancer.

He paid for his items and walked towards ME, handed me the flowers and said…These Are for You.  I thanked him and just thought WOW that was a special moment because the reason I was not still working an 8-5 making 6 figures and sitting at the booth in Walgreens was due to getting breast cancer in 2019, that turning me around and KNOWING I had to take what I knew to help others with valuable information.

Insurance is too dang important to continue to be confusing for average everyday people.

Here I was in a synchronistic moment as Carl Jung called it.  Knowing at that very moment you are right where you are supposed to be.  That’s a good feeling!

Here’s to others using their scars to make a difference, do something meaningful and live the fullest of their lives.

Just Quit 2.0 Journey-Month 1

On August 1, 2022 I early retired…meaning I “Just quit” working for someone else in exchange for a paycheck and benefits.

No More:

• Logging on at 7:00,
• Weekly routine WebEx meetings,
• Reviewing and approving purchase orders,
• Team meetings,
• Answering “emergency” phone calls mostly because of poor planning or folks not following up, and
• “Managing” which can be akin to a form of babysitting for those who don’t understand they shouldn’t need that level of supervision.

It’s been almost 20 years since I “Just Quit” the last time BUT somethings have not changed:

• Going a day without health insurance waiting on COBRA to kick-in is nerve-wracking,
• Not having a title and big-name organization to associate with feels familiar, and
• Shaking off what feels like chains and the freedom of that feeling.

When you early retire you don’t just stop. 

You shouldn’t just stop.

I’m not just stopping. 

I am pulling together EVERYTHING I know how to do and like to do:

1. Presenting information (every job I’ve ever had)
2. Reviewing quotes/information (all my purchasing jobs)
3. Sitting at a table marketing a product/company (my marketing job at the NC Credit union)
4. Training others (My training jobs at the VA Credit Union and NC Police Dept.)
5. Looking at details/compliance/forms and analyzing information (My compliance job at the Shipyard)

Pulling all of this together and seeing how far and fast it takes me by using my past experiences and skills.  Learning this new industry and products from my mentor and following a proven process.  Do I think it will yield amazing results? Yes, I certainly do.

I’ll blog this new journey on “Just Quitting” at almost 60 years old.

Just Quit and Live

 

Here I am again. Leaving a 9 – 5 (this one was a 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. which is one reason to go…what normal person wants to start work at 7:00 a.m. even if it is WFH? ) 

Here I am again. Wondering why most people tolerate all the stuff that happens in Corporate America. 

Here I am again. Looking at my spreadsheet and thinking yeah I can do this.  I have enough money to do this.  

Here I am again. Ready and willing to go where the wind and spirit leads me. 

Here I am this time. With more experience. 

Here I am this time.  Eighteen years later from the last time I “just quit”. 

Here I am this time. Blogging the experience.

Here I am this time. Knowing this time there is no going back to working to make someone else rich for exchange for a check and health benefits. (This seems so ludicrous to me!!!)  If I do nothing else with this insurance license I will help people who feel chained to their jobs because of health insurance. 

Here I am this time.  Knowing the harder I work, the more real people I will help and the more money I will make. 

Here I am this time.  Knowing I’ve got one more shot to leave a legacy that will catapult the next several generations to the top. 

Now. I will do this. 

Now.  I will thrive. 

Now. I will soar. 

Now. I will look back and be grateful I’ve been blessed with what I call “the knowing” and brave enough to trust it. 

Here I am again. Here I am this time. Now.

~M. R. Williams a.k.a. Ridea